Fatal Mycobacterium abscessus endocarditis misidentified as Corynebacterium spp.

Abstract

The microbiological similarities of rapidly growing mycobacteria and corynebacteria impose potential for misidentification in the laboratory. This report describes a fatal case of infectious endocarditis caused by Mycobacterium abscessus, initially identified and treated as Corynebacterium spp. Acid-fast staining should be performed routinely when multiple blood cultures grow Corynebacterium spp.

Declaration of interest: No conflict of interest exists for the authors of this manuscript.