Pérez-Alfonzo R, Poleo Brito LE, Vergara MS, Ruiz Damasco A, Meneses Rodríguez PL, Kannee Quintero CE, Carrera Martinez C, Rivera-Oliver IA, Da Mata Jardin OJ, Rodríguez-Castillo BA, de Waard JH. Odontogenic cutaneous sinus tracts due to infection with nontuberculous mycobacteria: a report of three cases.
BMC Infect Dis 2020;
20:295. [PMID:
32316920 PMCID:
PMC7171849 DOI:
10.1186/s12879-020-05015-5]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/06/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background
Soft tissue or skin infections due to nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) have been reported frequently and are mostly associated with trauma or cosmetic interventions like plastic surgery. However, infection with NTM as a result of a dental procedure have rarely been described and the lack of clinical suspicion and a clear clinical manifestation makes diagnosis challenging.
Case presentation
We report on three patients with a facial cutaneous sinus tract of dental origin, due to an infection with respectively Mycobacterium fortuitum, M. abscessus and M. peregrinum. The infection source was the dental unit waterlines (DUWLs), which were colonized with NTM.
Conclusions
Water of the DUWL can pose a health risk. This report emphasizes the need for quality control and certification of water flowing through DUWLs, including the absence of NTM. Our report also shows the need for a rapid recognition of NTM infections and accurate laboratory diagnosis in order to avoid long-term ineffective antibiotic treatment.
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