Incidence of Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Complex Bacteremia in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Positive Patients

Abstract

The product-limit incidence of Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex (MAC) bacteremia in 1006 human immunodeficiencyvirus (HIV)-positive patients followedat one institution over a 3-year period from the day of AIDS diagnosis with monthly lysis-centrifugation blood cultures was 21% ± 2% SE at 1 year and 43% ± 3% at 2 years. The product-limit incidence of MAC bacteremia at 1 year after the patients' first CD4 cell count was related to both the CD4 cell count and to whether they had an AIDS diagnosis (both P < .0001) but not to age, sex, or race. This incidence was39% ± 6%forCD4 cell counts of 3, 30% ± 5%for 10–19/mm³, 20% ± 4% for 20–39/mm3, 15%±4% for 40–59/mm³, 8% ± 3% for 60–99/mm³ , and 3%±1% for 100–199/mm³. MAC may eventually infect most if not all HIV-positive patients who do not die from another HIV-related event.