Mycobacterial Infection after Cosmetic Procedure with Botulinum Toxin A

Abstract

We report a case of mycobacterial infection at the sites of previous injections of botulinum toxin A in a 45-year-old woman. She presented with erythematous, swollen, warm, and tender plaques and nodules at the points of injection from which a biopsy was taken, demonstrating a deep dermal and hypodermal abscessified epithelioid granulomatous inflammatory infiltrate in which some acid-fast bacilli were identified with Ziehl-Neelsen and Fite-Faraco stains. The lesion was first treated with clarithromycin plus azithromycin, to which rifampicin was later added. A good therapeutic response was obtained.

Keywords

• botox
• iatrogenic infection
• mycobacteria
• tuberculosis