[Mycobacterium abscessus infection in insulin injection sites in a diabetic patient]

Insulin injection site abscesses have been attributed to pyogenic streptococci and Staphylococcus aureus. In this report, the authors describe a patient in whom Mycobacterium abscessus was isolated from one of multiple insulin injection sites. The article reviews six additional cases of rapidly growing Mycobacteria identified as the causative agent of skin infections at insulin injection sites. In most cases, precise identification of the source of infection was not successful. Possibly, inadequate skin preparation prior to injection or a contaminated insulin ampoule resulted in these infections.