Primary Cutaneous Infection by Mycobacterium avium: A Case Report and Literature Review

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are becom­ing increasingly important cutaneous pathogens as the number of susceptible patients increases. Nevertheless, primary cutaneous infection by one particular species, Mycobacterium avium com­plex (MAC), remains relatively unusual, particu­larly in immunocompetent patients. We review the English-language literature on primary cutaneous MAC in patients who were neither immunocompro­mised nor pharmacologically immunosuppressed. We offer an additional report of a healthy patient who presented to our clinic with primary cutane­ous MAC following seemingly innocuous trauma to the leg.