ALA-PDT shortens the course of antibiotic therapy for skin infection caused by Mycobacterium marinum

Background: Recently, the number of cases of Mycobacterium marinum infection has increased. Due to the nonspecific clinical manifestations and lack of standardized treatment guidelines, these infections are often misdiagnosed and are challenging to treat. Methods: In this study, four patients had M. marinum skin infections accompanied by a high-risk exposure history and were diagnosed by bacterial culture and gene chip. Two patients were treated with antibiotic therapy alone, and the other two patients were treated with 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) combined with antibiotics.Results: All four patients enrolled in the study were cured with 100 % efficacy. Two patients were cured after receiving two active antibiotics for 4 months. The other two patients, having considered the drug resistance and intolerance described above, were cured after receiving two active antibiotics for 1-1.5 months along with combination therapy with ALA-PDT.Conclusion: Combination therapy with ALA-PDT and antibiotics was chosen to shorten the duration of antibiotic treatment and reduce the occurrence of adverse reactions.