[Mycobacterium chelonei cutaneous infections. General review apropos of a case]

Mycobacterium chelonei is a facultative pathogen which exists as a saprophyte in the environment and rarely produces clinical manifestations in humans. We describe a 62-year-old woman, long-term treated with low-dose steroids for severe asthma, who presented sporotrichoid-like lesions on one leg. These lesions appeared two months after a cat-scratch and were present for six months. Histological examination showed acute inflammation with polymorphonuclear infiltration without tuberculoid granuloma nor caseation necrosis. Ziehl-Neelsen stains were negative. Mycobacteria were found by direct examination and Mycobacterium chelonei chelonei was identified by culture. Treatment with isoniazid, rifampicin and ethambutol was given for one month and followed by complete resolution of the lesions, though each of these antibiotics was not effective in vitro. The literature about Mycobacterium chelonei infections is reviewed and the role of the antibiotherapy in clinical recovery is discussed.