RAPID IDENTIFICATION OF MYCOBACTERIUM-MARINUM BY COMPARATIVE 16S-RIBOSOMAL-RNA-GENE ANALYSIS IN 5 CASES OF PROGREDIENT CUTANEOUS INFECTIONS

Five cases of Mycobacterium marinum infection were diagnosed by automa ted sequencing of 16S-rDNA at our Department of Medical Microbiology o ver a period of 10 months. This compares to a single case of Mycobacte rium marinum infection recorded during the five years prior to the ava ilability of this method at our clinic. While all of the patients shar ed typical features of fishtank granuloma, such as cutaneous lesions o n an upper extremity, contact with aquatic organisms and wounds or scr atches as potential portals of entry, none of the cases was diagnosed by the physicians who were initially consulted. This could partially b e attributed to the different characteristics exhibited in some of the cases. All of the patients showed a marked improvement of their sympt oms within several weeks under specific antibiotic treatment with comb inations of rifampin, ethambutol and clarithromycin. The availability of 16S-rDNA-sequencing as a rapid and precise procedure for the identi fication of atypical mycobacteria is considered to be an incentive for the clinician to pursue more rigorously, an accurate diagnosis of suc h cutaneous lesions.