Adjunctive surgical management of cutaneous Mycobacterium fortuitum infection

Atypical mycobacteria of the fortuitum-chelonei complex are being identified with increasing frequency as causes of resistant, cutaneous infection. We report a case of Mycobacterium fortuitum infection of the face, unresponsive to conventional antimicrobial therapy, which resolved following adjunctive surgical resection. We believe that prompt surgical debridement of affected tissue in such infections, combined with appropriate antimicrobial therapy, will shorten both the duration and morbidity often associated with this disease.