Mycobacteria other than M. tuberculosis are widely distributed in nature and infrequently cause disease though several species are potentially pathogenic.

The widely used classification of Runyon based on pigment production and growth rate has been superseded by classifications in which the organisms are grouped according to biochemical and antigenic similarities.

The major pathogenic groups include the following:

1. Slow-growing potential pathogens:

i)Mycobacterium Avium Intracellulare

ii)Mycobacterium Kansasii

iii)Mycobacterium Marinum

iv)Mycobacterium Ulcerans

2. Rapidly growing potential pathogens:

i) M. fortuitum

ii) M. chelonei

A Novel Gene, erm(41), Confers Inducible Macrolide Resistance to Clinical Isolates of Mycobacterium abscessus but Is Absent from Mycobacterium chelonae

Identification of a Chemical That Inhibits the Mycobacterial UvrABC Complex in Nucleotide Excision Repair

Regulation of Polar Peptidoglycan Biosynthesis by Wag31 Phosphorylation in Mycobacteria

Distribution of Mycobacterium ulcerans in Buruli Ulcer Endemic and Non-Endemic Aquatic Sites in Ghana

Invasive Disease Caused by Nontuberculous Mycobacteria, Tanzania

Non tuberculous mycobacterial infections. Rev Med Interne. 2008 May;29(5):370-9. Epub 2007 Oct 22.

PURPOSE: Non tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infections, also called atypical mycobacterial infections, are caused by environmental mycobacteria and usually occur in cases of general or local immunosupression. These infections usually concern the lungs, the lymphatic system, the skin or the bones tissues. They are sometimes disseminated. In spite of new efficient antibiotics, including macrolides, therapeutic failures are common and favoured by long treatments with their potential adverse effects and drug interactions. CURRENT KNOWLEDGE AND KEY POINTS: The prevalence of atypical mycobacterial infections is increasing and is also observed in internal medicine and geriatric wards. Their clinical expression can be varied. Nowadays, these infections are more and more frequent in non-infected HIV patients, whether immunosupressed or not. Concerning other localisations of atypical mycobacterial infections, iatrogenic causes seem to be increasing and cases of nosocomial transmissions have also been described. When a NTM is found in a sample, its role in the cause of an infection must be assessed with criterias distinguishing infection from colonisation. FUTURE PROSPECTS AND PROJECTS: For those who are not locally or generally immunosupressed, it is important to search for an immunological deficiency. Indeed, patients having congenital deficiencies occurring in the interferon and interleukine pathways can develop repeated NTM infections. Therefore, for pulmonary infections in treatment failure and for disseminated infections, an adjuvant treatment by interferon gamma could be proposed. New molecules have recently been tested and can be used in some atypical mycobacterial infections.

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