In 2012, an outbreak of Mycobacterium chelonae infections in tattoo recipients in Rochester, NY was found to be associated with premixed tattoo ink contaminated before distribution.1 In May 2012, a case of M. chelonae was reported in a New York City (NYC) resident who received a tattoo with ink alleged to have been diluted with tap water. When a second case of M. chelonae in a tattoo recipient was reported in March 2013, an investigation was initiated. M. chelonae is not reportable in NYC other than in clusters reported by providers or laboratories. To determine if there were additional tattoo-associated M. chelonae infections, we searched for cases using NYC ED syndromic surveillance.
Objective
To investigate tattoo-associated skin infections due to Mycobacterium chelonae using Emergency Department (ED) syndromic surveillance.