Mycobacterium fortuitum is an ubiquitous, environmental and opportunistic organism belonging to rapid growing mycobacteria (RGM), a distinctive subset of non-tuberculous mycobacteria.
It is mainly transmitted by direct inoculation and causes a wide spectrum of clinical syndromes, including skin, bone, soft tissue and disseminated infections, surgical wound infections, catheter-related sepsis and prosthetic device infections. Scientific literature abounds with cases occurred to cancer and immunosuppressed patients, especially in the presence of vascular devices. Hereby we report an event of Mycobacterium fortuitum sepsis and cholangitis, happened to an apparently immunocompetent individual, with no history of neoplasm, nor of immunosuppressive therapy, nor holding a central venous catheter (CVC). The man had previously undergone transitory biliary prosthesis positioning, followed by laparoscopic cholecystectomy; however, investigations on both the endoscopic and surgical equipment, as well as environmental samplings, ruled out a nosocomial infection.
After adequate antibiotic treatment, our patient recovered.
Mycobacterium Fortuitum Cholangitis and Sepsis in an Immunocompetent Patient