title: Mycobacterium chelonae infection of the hand presenting as a collar-button abscess.
abstract: Mycobacterial infections of the hand are extremely rare, with Mycobacterium chelonae being an especially uncommon source of infection. The following is a report of such an infection presenting as a collar-button abscess. The difficulty of isolating the organism, in addition to a low index of suspicion for it, resulted in a significant delay in appropriate treatment. The patient demonstrated an indolent course of infection and unresponsiveness to traditional treatments, both red flags that should raise concern for a mycobacterial cause. Eventually, repeated irrigation and debridement and a prolonged course of antibiotics resulted in the resolution of the patient's symptoms.
authors.affiliation: University of Colorado School of Medicine, USA.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Kyros
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ipaktchi
authors.forename: Meryl
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Livermore
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Banegas
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004322:Drainage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009165:Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D016926:Mycobacterium chelonae; D017192:Skin Diseases, Bacterial / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D007507:Therapeutic Irrigation
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
keywords: Collar-Button Abscess; Hand; Mycobacteria chelonae