Are mycobacteria the cause of metalworking fluid alveolitis?

Non-tuberculous mycobactia have previously been implicated in the alveolitis caused by exposure to contaminated metalworking fluids. A new outbreak in assemblers of car engines in France found high levels of IgG antibodies to Mycobacterium fortuitum in workers with EAA, and lower levels in those exposed but disease free. High levels of exposure to Baccilus species were also found but not investigated further, no tests were done against crude MWF extracts.

Implicating mycobacteria as the cause requires more than finding antibodies. There were no challenge tests in the report which would help support a causal role for mycobacteria. Some outbreaks of Metal Working Fluid EAA have not found any evidence of mycobacterial contamination of the metalworking fluid.

References

	Robertson W, Robertson A, Burge CB, Moore V, Jaakkola MS, Dawkins PA, Burd M, Rawbone R, Gardner I, Kinoulty M, Crook B, Evans GS, Harris-Roberts J, Rice SB, Burge PS, Clinical investigation of an outbreak of alveolitis and asthma in a car engine manufacturing plant, Thorax, 2007;62:981-990,

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