Cutaneous infection due to Mycobacterium kansasii

• Published in: Diagnostic microbiology and infectious disease Vol. 38; no. 3; pp. 173 - 175
• Main Authors: Razavi, Behzad, Cleveland, Mark G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.11.2000; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Bacterial diseases; Bacteriological methods and techniques used in bacteriology; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Diagnosis, Differential; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human bacterial diseases; Humans; Immunocompetence; Infectious diseases; Male; Medical sciences; Microbiology; Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous - diagnosis; Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous - microbiology; Mycobacterium kansasii - classification; Mycobacterium kansasii - genetics; Mycobacterium kansasii - isolation & purification; Skin Diseases, Bacterial - diagnosis; Skin Diseases, Bacterial - microbiology; Tuberculosis and atypical mycobacterial infections; Infection; Mycobacteriales; Mycobacterium kansasii; Bacteriosis; Mycobacteriaceae; Bacteria; Actinomycetes; Mycobacterial infection
• ISSN: 0732-8893; 1879-0070
• DOI: 10.1016/S0732-8893(00)00195-4

A patient presented with chronic leg ulcers after a mowing accident. He received several courses of antibiotics for presumed cellulitis, underwent surgical debridment, and was treated empirically with cyclosporin for presumed pyoderma gangrenosum, all without improvement. Cultures from prior debridment revealed Mycobacterium kansasii, and he was successfully treated with triple antituberculous regimen. Cutaneous infections due to this slow growing Mycobacterium are rare and may resemble cellulitis or sporotrichosis. Mycobacterium kansasii should be included in the differential diagnosis of skin infections with an indolent course and lack of response to antibiotics.