Mycobacterium xenopi, an atypical mycobacterium, was first described in 1959 when it was isolated from skin lesions of a South African frog, Xenopus laevis; however, its pathogenicity in humans has only been known since 1965. In humans, M. xenopi is often responsible for bronchopulmonary infections in individuals with a history of lung disease. In immunocompromised individuals, generalized forms are generally observed. During an outbreak among patients who underwent surgery at a Parisian clinic, 58 cases of M. xenopi spondylodiscitis were identified between 1989 and 1999 in patients who had undergone percutaneous nucleotomy or microsurgery of the spine for disc disease between January 1988 and May 1993. Following this outbreak of iatrogenic infections, an investigation was conducted by the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance and the National Reference Centers to determine the frequency and nature of M. xenopi infections in France, as well as their geographic distribution, which could warrant further investigations and potential specific control measures.