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Summary After getting tattoos two people have come down with a rare bacterial skin infection.
The infection is hard to treat with antibiotics. One 44-year-old man was confirmed to have a case of Mycobacterium haemophilum after getting a tattoo on his arm in the western US city in August 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.The infection, which showed up as a bumpy red rash and a pus infection on the skins surface, resisted treatment with several antibiotics but eventually disappeared after nine months.A second suspected case was reported in a 35-year-old man who got a tattoo at the same place two months later, but tests were inconclusive. The CDC said it considered it a suspected instance of infection.The source of the bacteria remains a mystery. Authorities said the tattoo parlor was in compliance with safety regulations but told the owner to use sterilized water for rinsing skin and diluting ink instead of tap water.
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