Mycobacterium marinum infection: a case report

Abstract

The infection by Mycobacterium marinum in humans is relatively uncommon. When it occurs, it mainly affects the skin, usually with a chronic, indolent and benign evolution. The diagnosis requires a high index of suspicion, and a significant delay may be observed between the first symptoms to the final diagnosis. This present case reports a M. marinum infection in an immunocompetent patient that had a chronic undiagnosed injury on the dominant hand for at least five years. The patient had several medical consultations, without proper suspicion, hampering adequate diagnostic investigation. Histopathology detected tuberculoid granulomas, but showed no acid-fast bacilli. The culture in appropriate medium and the polymerase chain reaction-restriction enzyme analysis (PRA)-hsp65 confirmed the diagnosis. Treatment with clarithromycin (1 g/day) for three months was effective. Although uncommon, this infection is a contact zoonosis. Therefore, it is important for clinicians to be aware of this diagnosis and properly guide preventable measures to professionals that are in risk group.

Role of the Mycobacterium marinum ESX-1 Secretion System in Sliding Motility and Biofilm Formation

“…M. marinum infections most commonly occur on the skin, especially the extremities, because of the low-temperature requirements of the bacteria for growth ( Oh et al, 2015 ). An M. marinum skin infection is referred to as an aquarium granuloma, swimming pool granuloma, or fish tank granuloma ( Solomon et al, 2003 ; Meijer, 2015 ; Sette et al, 2015 ).…”

Slow-growing and Linearly Spreading Cutaneous Lesion: Often Misdiagnosed Mycobacterium Marinum Infection

“…It produces a yellow pigment when exposed to light. M. marinum was reported as the most common cutaneous, nontuberculous mycobacterial infection with an incidence of 0.04 to 0.27 per 100,000 inhabitants [2]. The first human case of M. marinum isolated from skin lesions of swimmers who bathed in a contaminated pool in Sweden was reported by Norden and Linell in 1951 [3].…”

Infection of Oligochaetes, Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri (Annelida: Oligochaeta), in the Nasal Cavity of a Chinese Man

“…Accurate identification of pathogenic agents of these opportunistic infections is critical for the proper selection of clinical complementary tests and detailed anamnesis [14]. To summarize, this is the first report of nasal infection with L. hoffmeisteri in a human in China.…”