A 40-Year-Old Female With Mycobacterium abscessus Successfully Treated With a Dual Beta-Lactam Combination

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections are difficult to treat conditions, specially Mycobacterium abscessus (Mab) lung disease. The most recent ATS/ERS/ESCMID/IDSA clinical practice guidelines (2020) recommend regimens of multiple intravenous (IV) and oral antibiotics. Recent in vitro studies on M. abscessus show that the combination of two beta-lactam antibiotics, as well as select beta-lactamase inhibitors, provides significant synergy in its treatment. We present the first in vivo case of the successful treatment of Mycobacterium abscessus with imipenem and amoxicillin in addition to macrolides, clofazimine, and inhaled liposomal amikacin.