Healthcare professionals at Clackamas County Community Health in Oregon City, Oregon in conjunction with researchers at Oregon Health Sciences University have reported a cluster of three facial Mycobacterium chelonae infections that occurred after cosmetic dermal filler injections. All three patients were treated at the same plastic surgery facility. Jan M. Rodriguez, et al, reported in the Aesthetics Surgery Journal (February 2013) that pulsed-field gel electrophoresis showed that M chelonae isolated from the clinic’s tap water were identical to the patients’ wound isolates. They posit that the infections occurred as a result of nonsterile ice being applied to the skin prior to injection. “This is the first report of cutaneous M chelonae infections following the injection of dermal fillers. It adds to a growing body of literature on postinjection M chelonae infections and reinforces the importance of optimal skin disinfection steps prior to percutaneous procedures,” said the researchers.
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