First Etiologically Confirmed Cases of Mycobacterium Marinum Infection in Bulgaria

This study aimed to describe the first two microbiologically confirmed cases of cutaneous and soft tissue Mycobacterium marinum infection in Bulgaria. The isolation of the Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) strains and their species identification was performed at NRL TB, NCIPD using specific media and cultivation conditions, and PCR based Line Probe Assay (LPA) from the positive cultures. The two patients had closely related jobs to fishes and water reservoirs and both of them had a similar clinical manifestation of M. mari-num infection known as "swimming pool" or "fish tank" granuloma. The prolonged specific treatment with at least two-drug combina-tion of rifampicin plus ethambutol and some complications were a big challenge for clinicians as well as the patients.