Disseminated cutaneous atypical mycobacteriosis by M. chelonae after sclerotherapy of varicose veins in a immunocompetent patient: a case report

Atypical mycobacteria are saprophytic organisms not transmitted from person to person, which affect mainly immunosuppressed but also immunocompetent individuals. We present a case of atypical mycobacteriosis after a vascular procedure, with widespread cutaneous lesions associated with polyarthralgia. Mycobacterium chelonae was identified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. The patient showed improvement after treatment with three antibiotics. Mycobacterium chelonae causes skin lesions after invasive procedures. The clinical form depends on the immune state of the host and on the entry points. The diagnosis is based essentially on culture and the mycobacteria is identified by PCR. We highlight the importance of investigating atypical mycobacteriosis when faced with granulomatous lesions associated with a history of invasive procedures.

Nocardiose pulmonar e cutânea em paciente usuário de corticosteróide / Pulmonary and cutaneous nocardiosis in a patient treated with corticosteroids

Nocardiose é a infecção localizada ou disseminada causada por bactérias gram positivas do gênero Nocardia. Acomete mais freqüentemente pulmão, pele e sistema nervoso central. Ocorre principalmente em indivíduos com deficiência de imunidade celular e deve ser investigada principalmente quando se tem associação de manifestações respiratórias, cutâneas e neurológicas nesse grupo de pacientes. Relata-se um caso de nocardiose pulmonar e cutânea em paciente usuário de corticosteróide oral para tratamento de bronquiolite obliterante com pneumonia em organização idiopática, que evoluiu com melhora clínico-radiológica após tratamento prolongado com sulfametoxazol-trimetoprim.

Nocardiosis is a localized or disseminated infection caused by gram-positive bacteria of the genus Nocardia. The infection most commonly affects the lungs, skin and central nervous system. Nocardiosis principally occurs in individuals with cellular immunodeficiency and should be considered in the differential diagnosis when such individuals present respiratory, cutaneous or neurological alterations. Herein, we report a case of pulmonary and cutaneous nocardiosis in a patient receiving oral corticosteroids to treat bronchiolitis obliterans accompanied by organizing pneumonia of unknown origin. After long-term treatment with sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, the clinical and radiological profile improved.