A patient with relapsing pacemaker infection due to “Gram-positive bacilli”

Mycobacterium fortuitum infection of pacemaker system is rarely encountered in clinical practice. We reported a case of relapsing M. fortuitum infection of pacemaker system associated with endocarditis which had been erroneously diagnosed to be Gram-positive bacilli. The diagnosis was finally confirmed by detail histological and microbiological examination. This case clearly demonstrated that incomplete removal of pacemaker system resulted in relapsing infection despite appropriate antibiotic therapy.