An unusual surgical site infection in a liver transplant recipient.
Mycobacterium abscessus is a rare cause of human infection and is difficult to diagnose unless it is suspected. A 45-year-old woman underwent deceased donor liver transplantation following which she developed non-healing surgical site infection, which did not resolve with routine antibiotics for 2 months. The scraping of the wound revealed M abscessus infection. Definitive identification of this species of mycobacterium was possible by its growth characteristics on culture and reverse line blot hybridisation assay. She was treated with clarithromycin and cotrimaxazole as per sensitivity and showed complete recovery from the infection within 6 weeks of starting the drugs, which were continued for 6 months. We believe that this is the first documented case of surgical site infection by M abscessus in a liver transplant recipient.
Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Jaslok Hospital Research Centre, Mumbai, India.
Vidhyachandra
V
Gandhi
Aabha
A
Nagral
Sanjay
S
Nagral
Suryasnata
S
Das
Camilla
C
Rodrigues
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017291:Clarithromycin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009165:Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D009170:Nontuberculous Mycobacteria; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D015662:Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D015662:Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination; D017291:Clarithromycin