<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>The incidence and prevalence of diseases caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) have been steadily increasing worldwide. NTM are environmental saprophytic organisms; however, a few strains are known to produce diseases in humans affecting pulmonary and extra-pulmonary sites. Although the environment is a major source of NTM infection, recent studies have shown that person-to-person dissemination could be an important transmission route for these microorganisms. Structural and functional lung defects and immunodeficiency are major risk factors for acquiring NTM infections. Diagnosis of NTM diseases is very complex owing to the necessity of distinguishing between a true pathogen and an environmental contaminant. Identification at the species level is critical due to differences in the antibiotic susceptibility patterns of various NTM strains. Such identification is mainly achieved by molecular methods; additionally, mass spectrometry (e.g., MALDI-TOF) is useful for NTM species determination. Natural resistance of NTM species to a wide spectrum of antibiotics makes prescribing treatment for NTM diseases very difficult. NTM therapy usually takes more than one year and requires multi-drug regimens, yet the outcome often remains poor. Therefore, alternatives to antibiotic therapy treatment methods is an area under active exploration. NTM infections are an active global health problem imposing the necessity for better diagnostic tools and more effective treatment methods.</p></abstract>

The incidence and prevalence of diseases caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) have been steadily increasing worldwide. NTM are environmental saprophytic organisms; however, a few strains are known to produce diseases in humans affecting pulmonary and extra-pulmonary sites. Although the environment is a major source of NTM infection, recent studies have shown that person-to-person dissemination could be an important transmission route for these microorganisms. Structural and functional lung defects and immunodeficiency are major risk factors for acquiring NTM infections. Diagnosis of NTM diseases is very complex owing to the necessity of distinguishing between a true pathogen and an environmental contaminant. Identification at the species level is critical due to differences in the antibiotic susceptibility patterns of various NTM strains. Such identification is mainly achieved by molecular methods; additionally, mass spectrometry (e.g., MALDI-TOF) is useful for NTM species determination. Natural resistance of NTM species to a wide spectrum of antibiotics makes prescribing treatment for NTM diseases very difficult. NTM therapy usually takes more than one year and requires multi-drug regimens, yet the outcome often remains poor. Therefore, alternatives to antibiotic therapy treatment methods is an area under active exploration. NTM infections are an active global health problem imposing the necessity for better diagnostic tools and more effective treatment methods.

The key factors contributing to the risk, diagnosis and treatment of non-tuberculous mycobacterial opportunistic infections

Postępy Higieny i Medycyny Doświadczalnej

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The incidence and prevalence of diseases caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) have been steadily increasing worldwide. NTM are environmental...

The key factors contributing to the risk, diagnosis and treatment of non-tuberculous mycobacterial opportunistic infections

Article Category: Review

Published Online: Oct 30, 2021

Page range: 696 - 710

Received: Feb 04, 2021

Accepted: May 17, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ahem-2021-0050

Keywords
non-tuberculous mycobacteria, opportunistic pathogens, epidemiology, risk factors, molecular diagnostics, MALDI-TOF MS, treatment regimens, antibiotics, bacteriophages

© 2021 Magdalena Dzikowiec, Dorota Pastuszak-Lewandoska, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The key factors contributing to the risk, diagnosis and treatment of non-tuberculous mycobacterial opportunistic infections

Article Category: Review

Published Online: Oct 30, 2021

Page range: 696 - 710

Received: Feb 04, 2021

Accepted: May 17, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ahem-2021-0050

Keywordsnon-tuberculous mycobacteria, opportunistic pathogens, epidemiology, risk factors, molecular diagnostics, MALDI-TOF MS, treatment regimens, antibiotics, bacteriophages

© 2021 Magdalena Dzikowiec, Dorota Pastuszak-Lewandoska, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
non-tuberculous mycobacteria, opportunistic pathogens, epidemiology, risk factors, molecular diagnostics, MALDI-TOF MS, treatment regimens, antibiotics, bacteriophages