Mycobacterium fortuitum pacemaker infection: A case report

Abstract

Mycobacterium fortuitum is a rapidly growing mycobacterium, ubiquitous in soil and water, but it is an uncommon cause of infections in immunocompetent hosts. Cardiac device infections and bloodstream infections due to non-tuberculous mycobacteria are rare. We present the case of an 85-year-old patient with infective endocarditis and pacemaker lead infection secondary to M. fortuitum.

Skin and soft tissue infections due to rapidly growing mycobacteria

“…In the context of SSTIs, the main types of infections involve sternal wound infections following heart surgery, prothesis and surrounding soft tissue infections after hip and knee replacement surgery [33], even if any surgical wound can be potentially affected, as outlined by the recently reported pacemaker pocket infections due to M. abscessus and M. fortuitum and the intra-abdominal and surgical site abscesses following renal transplant surgery due to M. abscessus and M. chelonae (Fig. 2) [34][35][36]. Recently, an outbreak of invasive extrapulmonary infections by M. abscessus complex following heart surgery has been described in North Carolina, with 38 cases over a period of 4 years, 10 of which with extrapulmonary presentation with 40% of attributable mortality (Fig.…”