Acupuncture (acupuncture) is one of the most popular areas of alternative medicine, used in a wide variety of therapeutic areas. However, it should be remembered that acupuncture, which involves the introduction of fine needles under the skin at different depths, is essentially an invasive procedure, accompanied by the risk of occurrence or transmission of various infections.

An editorial published in the British Medical Journal is devoted to this issue. The authors stated that the number of reported cases of infectious complications of acupuncture (ie, 50 cases of infections described worldwide) represents only the "tip of the iceberg".

Inadequate disinfection of the skin before the procedure can lead to the penetration of microorganisms from the surface of the skin or the environment into the subcutaneous tissue with the development of infectious complications. In most cases, these infections are localized and have a favorable prognosis, however, cases of fatal infections (5-10% of all registered cases) and serious complications (in 10% of cases), in particular l purulent arthritis with joint destruction, multiple organ failure, are described. necrotizing fasciitis, infectious endocarditis, meningitis, endophthalmitis, spondyloarthritis, empyema of the pleura and deep abscesses. In more than half of the cases of such complications, the etiological agent is Staphylococcus aureus. The first case of infection caused by the MRSA strain after acupuncture was described in 2009.

A characteristic complication associated with the implementation of acupuncture are mycobacterial infections. Tampons, pads and materials contaminated with mycobacteria for wet and warm wraps contribute to the rapid growth of mycobacteria at the injection site. Mycobacterial infection is characterized by a long incubation period with subsequent formation of large pustules, abscesses and ulcerative lesions at the site of infection.

In addition to bacterial infections, acupuncture carries a risk of viral infections, characterized by hematogenous transmission. In particular, cases of transmission of the hepatitis B virus have been described from one patient to another and even from an acupuncture specialist to a patient with inadequate sterilization of acupuncture needles. Theoretically, the risk of transmission of the hepatitis C virus and HIV during this procedure is not excluded. The authors emphasize the need to develop and implement strict infection control measures during acupuncture.