Mycobacterium chelonei infection of a Broviac catheter insertion site

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Abstract
Mycobacterium chelonei infection developed at the insertion site of an indwelling Broviac catheter in a child with erythroleukemia. Direct adherence to and colonization of the intra- and extra-luminal surfaces of the catheter, with extension to the adjacent subcutaneous tissue, by this rapidly growing mycobacterium may have been the primary factor underscoring the infection. Nontuberculous mycobacteria such asMycobacterium chelonei grow readily on routine bacteriologic media and resembleCorynebacterium spp. (diphtheroids) in their Gram staining and microscopic characteristics. The persistence of the infectious process and a diphtheroid-like microorganism despite antimicrobial therapy should raise the suspicion for a mycobacterial species.