Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Infection in Patients with Neurosurgical Hardware: Two Cases and A Review of the Literature

Central nervous system infections with nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are rare but have been increasing in frequency. A small fraction of these infections are related to surgical hardware, with approximately 20 cases reported. Patients typically present with an indolent course but can rapidly deteriorate. We report two novel cases of NTM infection in ventriculoperitoneal shunts, and review the literature on treatment options, challenges and outcomes in these patients. Clinicians should consider NTM when dealing with unusual hardware infections as it is an emerging infectious disease with high potential for morbidity and mortality.