Localised pyogranulomatous dermatitis due to Mycobacterium abscessus in a cat: a case report.

A case of pyogranulomatous dermatitis, caused by Mycobacterium abscessus, an unusual opportunistic Mycobacterium spp., is described in a cat. Histopathological examination of the affected skin confirmed the diagnosis and Ziehl-Neelsen staining revealed acid-fast rods. A rapidly growing mycobacterium was found after culture on a Löwenstein-Jensen medium. Real-time polymerase chain reaction for the 16S rDNA (434bp) sequence and the sequence of the rpoB gene (359bp) revealed 99% and 100% matches, respectively, with M. abscessus. This is the first report of a feline infection caused by this organism in Europe.