Abstract: Non-tuberculous mycobacteria are conditional pathogens that can cause many diseases, among which pulmonary infections are the most common (65– 90%). Mycobacterium avium  and Mycobacterium abscessus  are non-tuberculous mycobacteria most often associated with lung diseases. Mass spectrometry diagnostic techniques were not effective in Mycobacterium avium  complex infection. We report a case of Mycobacterium colombiense  and Mycobacterium avium  complex causing severe pneumonia in an adult with HIV. Our group developed a novel molecular-based method to identify Mycobacterium  species. Novel techniques such as molecular cloning which we have described here can make up for the inability of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry to distinguish the multiple microorganisms present, and may add to the diagnostic toolkit and increase the accuracy and rapidity of diagnosis in the future.
Keywords: non-tuberculous mycobacteria, Mycobacterium avium complex, Mycobacterium colombiense , human immunodeficiency virus infection, pneumonia