The risks of undergoing a “Brazilian butt lift” in Florida are well documented, with dozens of deaths due to surgeries where fat is injected into patients’ buttocks and it enters the bloodstream, causing fatal blockages.

But a recent report from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expert highlights the potential for another complication: infection.

The report, published in January, described a state investigation into a South Florida cosmetic surgery clinic. The region is known as a destination for cheap butt lifts in offices that quickly cycle through patients — with sometimes deadly results.

Early last year, federal authorities told the Florida Department of Health that one of the clinic’s patients, who lived out of state, was infected with a bacteria.

The state launched a probe and found that 15 patients total — all women — had contracted mycobacterium abscessus, a single-cell organism that is resistant to many antibiotics. It’s found in water and soil and is known to contaminate medical equipment. It can lead to painful and swollen skin, boils, fever, chills and muscle aches.

One person was hospitalized, but no deaths were reported. Eleven of the patients lived in other states, including four from California. The median age was 33 and 20% were Black. They visited the clinic from August to December 2022.

All underwent liposuctions, a procedure in which fat is removed from parts of the body. Twelve had Brazilian butt lifts.

The clinic closed after health officials discovered the cluster of cases. The state visited another facility with the same staff and found lapses in cleaning practices and surgical device disinfection. Neither location was named in the report.

The report said the state will develop additional training for cosmetic surgery clinics to help prevent future outbreaks.

Katharine Saunders, who is working at the Florida Department of Health during a two-year Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fellowship, presented the investigation’s findings April 23 to a conference of disease detectives in Atlanta.

The Tampa Bay Times spoke with Saunders to learn more about the cases and get her advice on how cosmetic surgery patients in Florida can reduce their risk of infection.

She declined to name the clinics. A state health department spokesperson said the agency doesn’t confirm or deny the existence of doctor licensure or epidemiological investigations.

The interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Was the exact source of infection identified in the cases you investigated?

No. We were able to identify the organism — the pathogen, which was mycobacterium abscessus. We are not able to say exactly where the source of the contamination was.

Is mycobacterium abscessus prevalent in soil and water across Florida?

Yes, so it’s a type of nontuberculous mycobacterium, which is found in soil, dust, natural water sources. It is prevalent in Florida. I wouldn’t be able to speak to how much it’s seen in other states. ... We don’t have a lot of baseline data.

With this particular investigation, it was challenging because a lot of these patients were from out of state … identifying it as a cluster from this one facility took some time.

What stood out to you in terms of the demographics of those infected?

It’s kind of typical (for) what we would expect from a population seeking cosmetic surgery. I think what stood out most in this investigation was the geographic distribution … how there were so many patients that had come from other states to Florida just to get these procedures.

If patients plan to undergo cosmetic surgery in Florida, is there anything they can do to minimize the risk of developing one of these infections?

Yes, there’s actually a checklist put out by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons that has some great questions that patients can consider and ask their provider and their facility. … Those are things like if the facility is licensed and registered with the state, what are the certifications and experience of the providers.

[A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesperson later provided the checklist. It’s specific to breast reduction procedures but can be applied to any cosmetic surgery, according to Saunders. To find it, go to bit.ly/CosmeticSurgeryChecklist. The advice is on page 10 of the document.]

Monitor for signs of infection (after surgery) ... redness, swelling at the surgical site, pain, fever. (If symptoms develop), they should definitely go to their provider and get checked out right away and let them know that they had surgery.

What will the new training for medical professionals touch on?

We really want to focus on hand hygiene, basic infection prevention control and also surgical device reprocessing, so that’s disinfection and sterilization of any surgical instruments that are going to be reused.

During the course of your investigation, did you look into the marketing and how patients were attracted to this facility?

I can’t speak to these particular patients, but in general, yes, we have seen that these clinics will offer specials or cash-only deals. They also have “recovery houses” (for) patients that are coming from out of state. ... Social media we see play a role, too. Celebrities encouraging, or advertising I guess, for these facilities.

That’s interesting. When you say “recovery house” ...

(It’s) similar to a hotel, but it’s catered to surgery patients. ... They can stay there for a few days after their surgery while they’re doing their immediate follow-up care to recover before they fly home.

If someone does travel from out of state, and they leave Florida ... and they start to notice symptoms, what should they do then? Contact a primary care provider? Anything else?

They should definitely be seen by their primary care provider in their home state. But I would also encourage them to reach back out to the cosmetic surgery clinic to notify them as well.

Clusters of these infections are considered reportable ... so I guess if one surgical office receives multiple notifications from patients, then they would have to (tell) the state health department, right?

Right. The difficulty is if surgery centers don’t know that the patients have (gone home) and are having complications. ... They don’t know what to report, and then we can’t go in and help with prevention measures.

Contact Sam Ogozalek at sogozalek@tampabay.com.