Mycobacterium marinum infection simulating chromomycosis: a case report

• Autor(a) principal: Bezerra, Guilherme Holanda
• Data de Publicação: 2020
• Outros Autores: Honório, Monica Larissa Padilha, Costa, Vivianne Lira da Camara, Vechi, Hareton Teixeira, Alves, Manoella do Monte, Britto, Maria Helena Marques Fonseca de, Rocha, Keyla Borges Ferreira, Carvalho, Luciana Distásio de
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo
• Texto Completo: https://www.revistas.usp.br/rimtsp/article/view/183586
• topic: Atypical mycobacteria; Non-tuberculous mycobacteria; Mycobacterium marinum

Skins infections caused by Mycobacterium marinum occur only rarely. We report one case of chronic and extensive M. marinum cutaneous infection simulating chromoblastomycosis and review the pertinent literature. A 52-year-old farmer reported a 32-year chronic skin problem on his right lower limb, resulting from contact with cacti. It consisted of skin lesion presenting with dyschromic atrophic center plate and verrucous borders with hematic crusts, extending from the knee anteriorly to the inferior third of the right leg. Mycobacterium marinum infection was detected by histopathological examination of a skin fragment, culture for mycobacteria and genetic mapping of the culture material. The patient was successfully treated with Ethambutol, Rifampicin and Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole. The clinical and histopathological findings of M. marinum infection is nonspecific showing clinical polymorphism and bacilli are rarely evident on histopathological examination. Given these difficulties, it is essential to perform tissue culture in a suspicious case and it is important keep this infection in mind in patients with long-lasting indolent verrucous lesions and a history of exposure to sea water, freshwater, aquaria or fish.