Fishing for a Diagnosis, the Impact of Delayed Diagnosis on the Course of Mycobacterium marinum Infection: 21 Years of Experience at a Tertiary Care Hospital.

M. marinum infection is an important cause of skin and soft tissue infection. Poor water exposure documentation, unusual clinical presentation, and empiric antibiotic treatment before definitive M. marinum diagnosis often contribute to a delayed diagnosis. Complicated M. marinum cases had longer duration of symptoms and more surgical debridements. No difference in the number of drugs used or clinical outcome was observed.