Genotyping and resolution of a case of osteomyelitis in a 16-Month-old boy of Hispanic/African American Ethnicity

Abstract

Most cases of osteomyelitis in children are caused by Staphylococcus aureus, although Kingella kingae, various streptococci, and Salmonella species also underlie this condition. Organisms such as Mycobacterium, Histoplasma, and Cryptococcus are much less commonly identified as etiologic agents in osteomyelitis. This case report describes a 16-monthold boy of Hispanic/African American ethnicity who had extensive inflammation of and discharge from his right ankle. Imaging studies supported a diagnosis of osteomyelitis. Acid-fast bacillus (AFB) and routine wound cultures were ordered on the wound discharge. The AFB culture yielded a positive result for Mycobacterium bovis, and molecular diagnostic testing further genotyped the microorganism as Mycobacterium bovis, Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG). Herein, we report a rare case of osteomyelitis that we believe resulted from a BCG vaccine that the patient had received outside the United States.