Report of two cases of cutaneous Mycobacterium abscessus infection complicating professional decorative tattoo

Abstract

Two healthy middle-aged men presented with extensive skin eruptions of erythematous papules and plaques associated with tattoo pigments of multiple colors. Diagnosis of cutaneous Mycobacterium abscessus infection was made based on the clinical and histological findings and culture results. Both of the patients were successfully treated with clarithromycin. In addition to the two patients, nine other clients in the same tattoo parlor also suffered from similar symptoms. A local outbreak of M. abscessus infection after tattooing in Taiwan was suspected. We report two cases of M. abscessus infection after tattooing and review the literature.

Keywords

• Mycobacterium abscessus
• rapidly growing mycobacterium
• tattoo