Disseminated Osteomyelitis from Mycobacterium ulcerans after a Snakebite

Abstract

Atypical mycobacteria have been widely recognized as human pathogens only since the 1950s1. Multiple organs can be involved, in particular the skin and bones. However, disseminated infection is usually observed only in immunodeficient hosts. We describe a boy with an apparently normal immune system, who nevertheless had debilitating multifocal osteomyelitis associated with a growth-deficient acid-fast microorganism. The microorganism was identified as Mycobacterium ulcerans by DNA amplification and subsequent determination of the nucleic acid sequence. Case Report The patient, born in November 1985, was the fourth child of a farmer from West Africa. In 1989 he was bitten on his . . .