title: Unusual infection in the foot of a barefoot gardener.
abstract: We report a case of an unusual and unsuspected chronic infection creating a soft-tissue mass in the foot of a 35-year-old woman. The causative agent, Mycobacterium gordonae, is usually encountered as a laboratory contaminant. Only rarely does it manifest as a clinical infection. The patient's presumed predisposing risk factor was a history of barefoot gardening. An iatrogenic source, corticosteroid injections, was also considered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center, Toledo, OH 43608, USA. stephen_strobel@mhsnr.org
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Strobel
authors.forename: Drew
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Belpedio
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sharrer
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pepe
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McClellan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005528:Foot / Q000382:microbiology; D005534:Foot Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000601:surgery; D051639:Gardening; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D009165:Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids