An 84-year-old man visited our hospital with a high fever. He had cut his right index finger 7 days previously. Blood culture became positive on day 3. Gram staining was negative, and acid-fast staining was positive. The organism was subsequently identified as Mycobacterium obuense using a MALDI Biotyper. M. obuense was also detected in the soil at the patient's house, suggesting that it had entered his bloodstream through the cut on his finger. He was treated with a combination of imipenem/cilastatin, amikacin, and clarithromycin for 2 weeks. His clinical condition improved, and he was discharged after 2 weeks and was prescribed clarithromycin and levofloxacin therapy. Only two cases of human infection with M. obuense have been reported previously.
Keywords: Bacteremia; Mycobacterium obuense; rapid-growing mycobacteria.