Mycobacterium abscessus subspecies massiliense infection after skin graft and cholecystectomy in a burn patient

Diagnosing skin and soft tissue infections due to rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM) can often prove difficult, leading to delays in treatment. Postoperative infections caused by RGM are increasingly recognized both within and outside the USA, but are rarely encountered in burn units. We report a case of postoperative skin and soft tissue infection along a cholecystectomy incision in a burn patient caused by Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. massiliense. Postoperative infections caused by RGM require a high index of suspicion, often necessitating biopsy for definitive diagnosis. Physicians should consider this diagnosis when postoperative infections arise later than typically seen for routine bacterial infections and fail to respond to first-line therapy.