Carpal tunnel syndrome caused by Mycobacterium szulgai.

We describe 2 cases of infection due to Mycobacterium szulgai revealed by a carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) that was the only clinical manifestation. Both patients regularly cleaned their fish tank with bare hands. The diagnosis was made by isolation of M. szulgai from synovium. The cause of the CTS was a synovitis. Previous synovectomies were ineffective. Improvement was observed with antibiotic treatment. The only way to diagnose this unusual infection is to perform histology of synovium and to isolate the mycobacteria from synovium culture.