ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The role of non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) as aetiological agents in the causation of lung infections has seldom been systematically studied from India. METHODS: Prospective study of Species identification from mycobacterial isolates. RESULTS: A total of 22 isolates of mycobacteria were isolated from 635 samples of suspected tuberculosis in a two months period, of which 17 were Mycobacterium tuberculosis, three Mycobacterium kansasii and one each of Mycobacterium fortuitum and Mycobacterium gordonae. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the importance of NTM as potential pathogens from both pulmonary and extrapulmonary sites in the Southern state of Pondicherry. Further studies on a larger scale are needed to delineate clearly the association of NTM and various infections, especially in immunocompromised patients.