Type: Mycobacteria
Name: Mycobacterium fortuitum
Importance- to Body:
Cutaneous Infection
Distribution- in Body:
Multiple furuncles
Epidemiology: Rapidly growing Mycobacterium
Food Sources:
None Listed
Environmental/Geographic Sources:
Associated with foot spas; increased risk if patient showing AFB* and has razor-shaved legs before spa treatment.
Diagonosis:
Biopsy of tissue showing AFB and AFB culture positive
Treatment:
Normally resolves without treatment. Can administer single therapy, but dual therapy is preferred with ciprofloxacin. doxycycline. clarithromycin, or minocycline for 6 to 12 months.
Supplemental information:
Source: Cutaneous Manifestations Of Waterborne Infections by: Lucinda Elko, MD, RPh, Keith Rosenbach, MD, PhD*, and John Sinnott, MD
*AFB—acid-fast bacilli.
| Mycobacterium fortuitum | |
|---|---|
| |
| A scanning electron micrograph of Mycobacterium fortuitum | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Bacteria |
| Phylum: | Actinobacteria |
| Order: | Actinomycetales |
| Suborder: | Corynebacterineae |
| Family: | Mycobacteriaceae |
| Genus: | Mycobacterium |
| Species: | M. fortuitum |
| Binomial name | |
| Mycobacterium fortuitum Da Costa Cruz 1938, ATCC 6841
| |
Mycobacterium fortuitum is a nontuberculous species of the phylum actinobacteria (Gram-positive bacteria with high guanine and cytosine content, one of the dominant phyla of all bacteria), belonging to the genus mycobacterium.