Outbreak of acupuncture-associated cutaneous Mycobacterium abscessus infections.
BACKGROUND
Cutaneous atypical mycobacterial infections have been increasingly described in association with cosmetic and alternative procedures.


OBJECTIVE
We report an outbreak of acupuncture-associated mycobacteriosis. Between April and December 2002, 32 patients developed cutaneous mycobacteriosis after visiting an acupuncture practice in Toronto, Canada.


RESULTS
Of 23 patients whose lesions were biopsied, 6 (26.1%) had culture-confirmed infection with Mycobacterium abscessus. These isolates were genetically indistinguishable by amplified fragment length polymorphism. The median incubation period was 1 month. Of 24 patients for whom clinical information was available, 23 (95.8%) had resolution of their infection. All patients developed residual scarring or hyperpigmentation.


CONCLUSIONS
Nontuberculous mycobacteria should be recognized as an emerging, but preventable, cause of acupuncture-associated infections.
Tang
Patrick
P
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Walsh
Scott
S
Murray
Christian
C
Alterman
Cecilia
C
Varia
Monali
M
Broukhanski
George
G
Chedore
Pamela
P
DeKoven
Joel
J
Assaad
Dalal
D
Gold
Wayne L
WL
Ghazarian
Danny
D
Finkelstein
Michael
M
Pritchard
Marjolyn
M
Yaffe
Barbara
B
Jamieson
Frances
F
Henry
Bonnie
B
Phillips
Elizabeth
E
D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000592:standards; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009165:Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D009339:Needles; D009864:Ontario / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017192:Skin Diseases, Bacterial / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*