TY - JOUR AU - Goldstein, Noah AU - St. Clair, J. Benjamin AU - Kasperbauer, Shannon AU - Daley, Charles AU - Lindeque, Bennie T1 - Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Musculoskeletal Infection Cases from a Tertiary Referral Center, Colorado, USA T2 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal PY - 2019 VL - 25 IS - 6 SP - 1075 SN - 1080-6059 AB - Nontuberculous mycobacteria represent an uncommon but important cause of infection of the musculoskeletal system. Such infections require aggressive medical and surgical treatment, and cases are often complicated by delayed diagnosis. We retrospectively reviewed all 14 nonspinal cases of nontuberculous mycobacterial musculoskeletal infections treated over 6 years by orthopedic surgeons at a university-affiliated tertiary referral center. All patients required multiple antimicrobial agents along with aggressive surgical treatment; 13 of 14 patients ultimately achieved cure. Four patients required amputation to control the infection. Half these patients were immunosuppressed by medications or other medical illness when they sought care at the referral center. Six cases involved joint prostheses; all ultimately required hardware removal and placement of an antimicrobial spacer for eradication of infection. Our findings highlight the importance of vigilance for nontuberculous mycobacterial musculoskeletal infection, particularly in patients who are immunosuppressed or have a history of musculoskeletal surgery. KW - nontuberculous mycobacteria KW - Mycobacterium KW - musculoskeletal diseases KW - prosthesis-related infections KW - osteomyelitis KW - infectious arthritis KW - tuberculosis and other mycobacteria KW - antimicrobial resistance KW - Colorado KW - United States DO - 10.3201/eid2506.181041 UR - https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/25/6/18-1041_article ER - End of Reference