Infection and Drug Resistance (Aug 2023)
Scalp Infection Caused by Mycobacterium abscessus Manifested as Patchy Alopecia in an Immunocompetent Female
Abstract
Xiaoyu Zhang,1 Yahui Feng,2 Dongmei Li,3 Jingjian Han,4 Dongmei Shi2,5 1School of Clinical Medicine, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, People’s Republic of China; 2Laboratory of Medical Mycology, Jining No. 1 People’s Hospital, Jining, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA; 4Department of Medical Cosmetology, Jining No. 1 People’s Hospital, Jining, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Dermatology, Jining No. 1 People’s Hospital, Jining, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Dongmei Shi, Laboratory of Medical Mycology & Department of Dermatology, Jining No. 1 People’s Hospital, No. 6 Jiankang Road, Jining, Shandong Province, 272067, People’s Republic of China, Tel +8618678769757, Email [email protected] Jingjian Han, Department of Medical Cosmetology, Jining No. 1 People’s Hospital, No. 6 Jiankang Road, Jining, Shandong Province, 272067, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]: Mycobacterium abscessus (M. abscessus) is a fast-growing, non-tuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) that can cause human infections varying from superficial infection to pulmonary or even systemic infections. The latter is more commonly appeared in immunocompromised patients. The skin infection caused by M. abscessus often appears after trauma or surgical procedure. It is often manifested by subcutaneous nodules, papules, erythema, tender erythematous or violaceous plaques, cellulitis, abscesses, ulcerations, and draining sinuses. Herein, we present a non-typical cutaneous manifestation of M. abscessus infection in a 46-year-old woman who presented with alopecia on the scalp with no itching or pain. The pathogen was isolated and identified as M. abscessus by morphology and DNA sequencing. To our best knowledge, there was no report that this organism could cause skin lesions mimicking patchy alopecia. After 3 months of antibacterial treatment, the cutaneous lesion disappeared, and new growth of hair occurred in this patient.Keywords: Mycobacterium abscessus, alopecia, non-tuberculous mycobacteria
