Overview of Cutaneous Mycobacterial Infections

AbstractPurpose of ReviewMycobacterial infections may affect any human organ and produce disseminated disease in immunocompromised individuals. Their most common clinical presentations include pulmonary, cutaneous (skin and soft tissues), and disseminated forms. The skin and soft tissues are frequent targets of affection by mycobacterial pathogens manifesting as localized or diffuse disease.Recent FindingsOverall, infections due toMycobacterium leprae,Mycobacterium ulcerans, andMycobacterium tuberculosis are the most frequently recognized mycobacterial pathogens involving the skin and soft tissues. Additionally, all mycobacterial species of the nontuberculous group may also produce cutaneous disease. Of these, the most commonly identified organisms causing localized infections of the skin and subcutaneous tissues are the rapidly growing species (Mycobacterium fortuitum,Mycobacterium chelonae, andMycobacterium abscessus complex),Mycobacterium marinum, andM. ulcerans. Since the skin and soft tissues are important protective barriers for environmental pathogens, their disruption often represents the portal of entry of nontuberculous environmental mycobacteria (soil, natural water systems, engineered water networks, etc.). Additionally, some mycobacterial diseases affecting cutaneous structures occur after exposure to infected animals or their products (i.e.,Mycobacterium bovis). Mycobacterial infections of the skin and soft tissues may manifest with a broad range of clinical phe...
Source: Current Tropical Medicine Reports - Category: Tropical Medicine Source Type: research