Mycobacterial infection is increasing partly due to emerging drug resistance and the hiv epidemic non tuberculous mycobacteria ntm are acid fast bacteria widespread in the environment in children ntm may cause lymphadenitis skin and soft tissue infections and occasionally also lung disease and disseminated infections. Mycobacterial infections of the skin and subcutaneous tissue are associated with important stigma deformity and disability geography based environmental exposures influence the epidemiology of cutaneous mycobacterial infections. Treatment of atypical mycobacterial infections depends upon the infecting organism and the severity of the infection in most cases a course of antibiotics is necessary these include rifampicin ethambutol isoniazid minocycline ciprofloxacin clarithromycin azithromycin and cotrimoxazole usually treatment consists of a combination of drugs. Cutaneous mycobacterial infections may cause a wide range of clinical manifestations which are divided into four main disease categories i cutaneous manifestations of mycobacterium tuberculosisinfection ii buruli ulcer caused by mycobacterium ulceransand other related slowly growing mycobacteria iii leprosy caused by mycobacterium lepraeand mycobacterium lepromatosis and iv cutaneous infections caused by rapidly growing mycobacteria