Disseminated Mycobacterium avium Intracellulare Infection With Concurrent Small Bowel Obstruction: Case, Pathophysiology, and Clinical Considerations

Mycobacterium avium intracellulare (MAI) is an opportunistic infection that typically manifests itself as pulmonary infection. In immunocompromised patients, however, MAI can uncommonly cause disseminated disease and diffuse gastrointestinal involvement. Small bowel obstruction with concurrent MAI infection is rarely documented in literature. Here, a 60-year-old female with a past medical history significant for a gastrointestinal stromal tumor, two small bowel obstructions, and a bowel perforation repair presented to the emergency department with sharp abdominal pain due to a small bowel obstruction. Cultures obtained from the laparoscopic release of small bowel obstruction confirmed the presence of MAI. An antibiotic course of ethambutol, azithromycin, and rifampin was initiated and continued upon transfer to a long-term acute care facility. We describe this case to highlight the possibility of MAI infection in patients with postoperative abdominal pain resulting from small bowel obstruction, review the underlying pathophysiology, and discuss its epidemiology.