# The first reported case of Mycobacterium shinjukuense pulmonary disease from China

## TL;DR

This paper reports the first case of a rare lung disease caused by Mycobacterium shinjukuense in China, expanding its known geographic range.

## Contribution

The study documents the first clinical case of M. shinjukuense pulmonary disease in China, extending the species' geographic distribution.

## Key findings

- M. shinjukuense caused chronic pulmonary disease in a 55-year-old woman with symptoms including cough and dyspnea.
- The disease was diagnosed through bronchoalveolar lavage culture and repeated sputum testing over 3 years.
- The patient improved with airway clearance therapy without needing antibiotics.

## Abstract

This report describes the first clinical case of Mycobacterium shinjukuense pulmonary disease (PD) originating in China, thereby extending the known geographic distribution of this nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) species beyond Japan and Korea.

M. shinjukuense caused chronic nodular-bronchiectatic PD in a 55-year-old woman. Computed tomography scans demonstrated persistent nodules and bronchiectasis over an 8-year period (2018–2025). A definitive diagnosis was achieved via a positive bronchoalveolar lavage culture followed by subsequent repeated detection in sputa 3 years after the initial presentation. Her symptoms were productive cough, hemoptysis, and dyspnea, and they fluctuated throughout this time, as did culture positivity on serial sputum testing. She improved clinically on airway clearance therapy alone and did not need antimicrobial therapy.

This case highlights the indolent progression and diagnostic delay often associated with NTM-PD, as well as the presence of M. shinjukuense in new geographic regions.