Non-tuberculous mycobacterium bacteraemia in a pregnant systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patient: a case review and pooled case analysis

Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are recognized as an important cause of human diseases and infections. It is commonly known to cause infections of the skin, soft tissue infections, and pulmonary infection as well as bacteraemia. We report a challenging case of severe mycobacterium abscessus bacteraemia in a pregnant lady with active systemic lupus erythematous (SLE). A comprehensive literature review of NTM infection among SLE patients was also performed, and pooled analysis of the reported cases, including our case, was done to determine the clinical characteristics and factors associated with poor outcome of NTM infection.