Iatrogenic Mycobacterium infection after an epidural injection.

Abstract

Case report. Successful excision of the mass and identification of the causative agent by histologic and microbiologic studies. Spinal pain, caused by an infective mass, developed in a 39-year-old man 3 months after an epidural injection for low back pain. Exploratory surgery was performed to remove the mass, and histologic and microbiologic studies were conducted. The inflammatory mass was excised successfully, and several specimens were examined for bacteriologic presence. Histologic examination of the excised specimen showed chronic granulomatous inflammation, and subsequent microbiologic studies cultured an acid- and alcohol-fast bacillus that was later identified as Mycobacterium fortuitum. A review of the literature shows that this is a particularly uncommon micro-organism.