Mycobacteria in nail salon whirlpool footbaths, California.
In 2000, an outbreak of Mycobacterium fortuitum furunculosis affected customers using whirlpool footbaths at a nail salon. We swabbed 30 footbaths in 18 nail salons from 5 California counties and found mycobacteria in 29 (97%); M. fortuitum was the most common. Mycobacteria may pose an infectious risk for pedicure customers.
Vugia
Duc J
DJ
California Department of Health Services, Berkeley, California 94704, USA. dvugia@dhs.ca.gov
Jang
Yvonne
Y
Zizek
Candi
C
Ely
Janet
J
Winthrop
Kevin L
KL
Desmond
Edward
E
D001505:Beauty Culture; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D006875:Hydrotherapy; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011634:Public Health; D014871:Water Microbiology