Mycobacterium haemophilum osteomyelitis: case report and review of the literature.
BACKGROUND
Mycobacterium haemophilum is a slow-growing, fastidious, iron-requiring microorganism that, relative to other non-tuberculous mycobacterial species, has rarely been documented as a cause of human infection. This microorganism appears to be acquired via environmental exposure although its natural habitat and mode of acquisition are unknown. It has primarily been implicated as a cause of ulcerating cutaneous or subcutaneous nodular skin lesions, particularly in immunocompromised patients, although infections at extracutaneous sites have also been described. Osteomyelitis, while rarely documented, appears to be an important complication of infection with M. haemophilum in these patients.


METHODS
We describe a unique case of culture-confirmed M. haemophilum osteomyelitis in an adult woman with polycythemia vera and review the world literature on bone infections due to this organism.


CONCLUSIONS
Mycobacterium haemophilum is an important but infrequently encountered cause of osteomyelitis in immunocompromised patients, often requiring months to years of medical therapy, with or without surgery, to effect a clinical cure.
Elsayed
Sameer
S
sameer.elsayed@cls.ab.ca
Read
Ron
R
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D008875:Middle Aged; D009164:Mycobacterium Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D018393:Mycobacterium haemophilum / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents