Mycobacterium avium Auricular Infection in an Apparent Immunocompetent Patient: A Case Report

Soft tissue infections with Mycobacterium avium complex are more likely to appear in immunocompromised patients. However, they may rarely arise in non-immunosuppressed individuals.

To present the case of an ear infection with Mycobacterium avium in the absence of demonstrable immunosuppression.

Clinical case description, blood tests, routine histology and tissue cultures.

A female, apparent immunocompetent patient presented with a 6-month reddish, oedematous and painless lesion with fine scaling in the right ear. Histology showed numerous granulomas, composed of epithelioid histiocytes without central necrosis. Cultures grew Mycobacterium avium. An unusual accidental ear injury was the portal of microbial entry. The patient's lesion fully regressed after a 9-month course of antibiotics.

Although M. avium infections are rare in immunocompetent patients, the possibility of such infections should be considered even in these subjects, when relevant clinical features and exposure to risk factors are present.