Loading...
Surgical-site infection with nontuberculous mycobacteria is most frequently associated with rapidly growing species. In such cases, an environmental source is not always identified. Mycobacterium chimaera is a newly identified organism closely related to M. avium-intracellulare. After two cases of invasive M. chimaera infection were identified at a large Zurich hospital, investigators launched an investigation there, including retrospective case identification and prospective surveillance.
The researchers identified 28 patients since 2006 with cultures positive for M. chimaera. Of these patients, six had infections associated with the outbreak. All had undergone open-chest surgery involving a cardiac implant between 2008 and 2012. All but on…