Prosthetic Joint Infection Due to Mycobacterium goodii/smegmatis

Total hip arthroplasty is among the most frequently performed elective surgical procedures in the United States. Infection of the implant is a rare but catastrophic complication. Generally, patients require multiple surgical procedures and intravenous antibiotics to eradicate the infection. We present the case of a patient diagnosed with a strain of rapidly growing mycobacteria not frequently encountered. He was successfully treated with retention of implants and chronic oral antibiotic therapy. A literature review was performed to identify similar cases, and the results showed that most of the patients underwent successful revision of the implant along with antibiotic therapy. We present this case to illustrate an alternative method of management for appropriate patients who may not be an adequate surgical candidate for prosthesis removal.