Clinical significance of the isolation of rapidly growing mycobacteria
Esteban, J.; Gutiérrez, F.; Fariña, M.C.; Martín-Moreno, L.; Requena, L.; Jiménez-Arriero, M.; Soriano, F.
Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiologia Clinica 15(5): 260-263
1997
ISSN/ISBN: 0213-005X PMID: 9376384 Document Number: 483929
To assess the clinical significance of the isolates of rapid-growing mycobacteria in a Universitary hospital from Madrid (Spain). Review of medical records from patients with isolates of rapid-growing mycobacteria identified between 1979 and 1996 in the Microbiology department of the Fundación Jiménèz Díaz (Madrid, Spain). Rapid-growing mycobacteria were isolated from 28 patients during the study period (13 M. chelonae, 10 M. fortuitum, 2 M. mucogenicum, 1 M. marinum, 1 M. smegmatis and 1 M. flavascens). Clinical records of 26 patients were reviewed, being the isolate significative in 10 cases (5 soft tissue infections, 2 peritonitis in patients undergoing Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis [CAPD], 1 urinary tract infection, 1 osteomyelitis and 1 catheter-related soft-tissue infection). No patient was HIV+. All infections cured except 2 of them (the urinary tract infection and the osteomyelitis). Catheter withdrawal was needed in 3 cases (peritonitis in CAPD and catheter-related soft-tissue infection), apart from proper antimicrobial therapy. The most frequent rapid-growing mycobacteria isolated were those of the M. fortuitum complex. In our experience, isolation of rapid-growing mycobacteria from skin and soft-tissue samples was usually clinically significant, while isolates from respiratory tract, gut and blood cultures are always nonsignificant.