Mycobacterium fortuitum Prosthetic Joint Infection After Total Hip Arthroplasty

CASE: A 57-year-old man presented with a Mycobacterium fortuitum prosthetic joint infection (PJI) after right total hip arthroplasty refractory to the initial revision surgery and cement spacer placement. The patient was subsequently treated with 2-stage total joint arthroplasty revision surgery using an antibiotic-laden spacer customized to include meropenem and delayed reimplantation to allow for prolonged, systemic antimicrobial treatment with multiple antimicrobials, including levofloxacin and linezolid. CONCLUSIONS: There is little evidence to guide practitioners in the diagnosis and treatment of PJI caused by rare, rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM) such as M. fortuitum. This case demonstrates a successful strategy for the treatment of RGM PJI.