A group of physicians from the University of Iowa have started a dialogue about Mycobacterium chimaera infections in patients who have undergone cardiac surgery. It seems as though the bacteria finds its way to the patients via a heater-cooler device used during their procedure. If you’re a micro tech or a pathologist and you come across a cardiac patient who has a fever of unknown origin, night sweats, loss of energy, and failure to gain weight, M. chimaera is something to keep in mind.
You can read more about this issue in the original blog post from the Iowa infectious disease doctors, Maryn McKenna’s write up over at Nat Geo, and the CDC guidance paper.
Lablogatory 