Peritonitis due to Mycobacterium fortuitum Infection Following Gastric Cancer Surgery

• Published in: Internal Medicine Vol. 38; no. 10; pp. 833 - 836
• Main Authors: KASAMATSU, Yoshihiro, NAKAGAWA, Noboru, INDUE, Ken-ichiro, KAWAHITO, Yutaka, HIRAOKA, Noriya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo The Japanese Society of Internal Medicine 1999; Japanese Society of Internal Medicine
• Subjects: Adenocarcinoma - surgery; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacteria - isolation & purification; Bacterial diseases; Biological and medical sciences; Combined Modality Therapy; Cross Infection - microbiology; Cross Infection - therapy; Drainage; drainage tube; Drug Therapy, Combination - therapeutic use; Female; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms - surgery; Human bacterial diseases; Humans; Infectious diseases; Medical sciences; Mycobacterium fortuitum - isolation & purification; Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous - etiology; Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous - therapy; Mycobacterium peregrinum; Peritonitis - microbiology; Peritonitis - therapy; postoperative complication; Postoperative Complications - microbiology; Postoperative Complications - therapy; rapidly growing mycobacteria; Tuberculosis and atypical mycobacterial infections; Human; Postoperative; Stomach; Carcinoma; Mycobacterial infection; Malignant tumor; Bacteriological investigation; Infection; Case study; Mycobacteriales; Etiology; Abdominal disease; Mycobacterium fortuitum; Bacteriosis; Mycobacteriaceae; Digestive diseases; Bacteria; Complication; Female; Actinomycetes; Elderly; Peritonitis; Gastric disease
• ISSN: 0918-2918; 1349-7235
• DOI: 10.2169/internalmedicine.38.833

Mycobacterium fortuitum is a well-documented cause of nosocomial infection. However, no studies have reported peritonitis with M. fortuitum as a postoperative complication. We describe a case of peritonitis with M. fortuitum biovariant peregrinuni following gastric cancer surgery. Gram-positive bacterial infection coexisted. Although the source of the infection was unclear, the patient was successfully treated with drainage tube exchange and combination therapy consisting of sparfloxacin, clarithromycin, and imipenem/cilastatin sodium. Thus for postoperative infectious pathogens, not only bacteria but also nontuberculous mycobacteria should be considered. (Internal Medicine 38: 833-836, 1999)