Outbreak of acupuncture-associated cutaneous Mycobacterium abscessus infections.

Background: Cutaneous atypical mycobacterial infections have been increasingly described in association with cosmetic and alternative procedures.

Objective: We report an outbreak of acupuncture-associated mycobacteriosis. Between April and December 2002, 32 patients developed cutaneous mycobacteriosis after visiting an acupuncture practice in Toronto, Canada.