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Special Issue "Recent Advances in Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM)"

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A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817). This special issue belongs to the section "Bacterial Pathogens".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2023 | Viewed by 3263

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Monika Kozińska

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor

National Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Warsaw, Poland
Interests: clinical microbiology; genotyping of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex strains; TB transmission; Mycobacterium drug resistance

Prof. Dr. Ewa Augustynowicz-Kopeć
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

National Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Warsaw, Poland
Interests: clinical microbiology; microbiological diagnostics of tuberculosis and mycobacteriosis
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Dear Colleagues,

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) constitute a group of over 180 Mycobacterium species, with the exception of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and Mycobacterium leprae. NTM species can cause a variety of infections in humans and animals, including pneumonia, lung abscess, pleural infection, meningitis, lymphadenitis, and skin and soft tissue infection. Mycobacterioses are difficult to treat because therapy is long, expensive, more toxic, and more prone to failure than tuberculosis treatment. Recently, an increase in the number of infections caused by NTM bacilli has been recorded all over the world.

All NTM species are acid-fast; therefore, the staining of microscopic smears using fluorescence and the Ziehl–Neelsen methods is not sufficient for species identification, or for distinguishing NTM from MTBC species. The proper diagnosis of mycobacteriosis is based on clinical features and microbiological tests, including culture, histopathology and molecular methods. Knowing the capabilities and limitations of laboratory testing is critical to making the right clinical decisions. Hence, one of the most important roles of modern microbiology laboratories is the diagnosis and species identification of NTM, and distinguishing them from MTBC strains.

In this Special Issue, we will provide an overview of the current diagnostic options for suspected NTM infection.

Dr. Monika Kozińska
Prof. Dr. Ewa Augustynowicz-Kopec
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pathogens is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Mycobacteriosis
identification
nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM)
mycobacteria other than tuberculosis (MOTT)
epidemiology
Mycobacterium spp.
microbiological diagnostics

Related Special Issue

Challenges and Advances in Tuberculosis and Mycobacterial Lung Diseases in Diagnostics (13 articles)

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Open AccessArticle

Mycobacterial Interspersed Repeat Unit–Variable Number Tandem Repeat Typing of Mycobacterium avium Strains Isolated from the Lymph Nodes of Free-Living Carnivorous Animals in Poland

Monika Krajewska-Wędzina

Anna Zabost

Sywia Brzezińska

Monika Kozińska

Ewa Augustynowicz-Kopeć

Kaja Urbańska

Mirosław Welz

and

Paweł Parniewski

Pathogens 2023, 12(9), 1184; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12091184 - 21 Sep 2023

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Abstract

Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are ubiquitous organisms, of which some, especially those of the Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), may be opportunistic animal and human pathogens. Infection with NTM can interfere with tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis and induce zoonoses, especially in immunocompromised individuals. Diseases caused by NTM have become more readily recognized; however, they are likely still underestimated. In this study, we identified and genotyped Mycobacterium avium strains that were isolated during TB monitoring among free-living carnivorous animals from southeastern Poland. In 2011–2020, lymph node samples from 192 such animals were tested for mycobacteria. A total of 41 isolates of M. avium strains were detected with the use of IS901, IS900, IS1245, and mycobacterial interspersed repeat unit–variable number tandem repeat (MIRU-VNTR) identification. Thirty-three were identified as M. avium subsp. avium. These strains were derived from 1 beech marten (Martes foina), 1 common buzzard (Buteo buteo), 2 European badgers (Meles meles), 3 wolves (Canis lupus), and 26 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). One strain isolated from a wolf was identified as M. avium subsp. hominissuis. The results show the widespread occurrence of MAC bacilli in the studied environment and additionally comprise new data on the molecular characteristics of M. avium subspecies carried by free-living southeastern Polish carnivores. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM))

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Open AccessArticle

Trends from the Last Decade with Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Lung Disease (NTM-LD): Clinicians’ Perspectives in Regional Center of Pulmonology in Bydgoszcz, Poland

Grzegorz Przybylski

Jakub Bukowski

Weronika Kowalska

Marta Pilaczyńska-Cemel

and

Dorota Krawiecka

Pathogens 2023, 12(8), 988; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12080988 - 28 Jul 2023

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Abstract

Background: Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are the cause of chronic lung disease called NTM lung disease (NTM-LD). There are about 180 known species of NTM. Nowadays the number of NTM-LD is increasing. Objective: To evaluate the clinical significance of NTM isolated from specimens and assess the frequency and clinical relevance of isolation of NTM in the Regional Center of Pulmonology in Bydgoszcz, hospital of Northern Poland. Design: Clinical, radiological, and microbiological data were collected from all patients from whom NTM was isolated between 2013 and 2022. Data were reviewed retrospectively. Diagnostic criteria for NTM-LD published by the American Thoracic Society (ATS) were used to determine clinical relevance. Material and methods: The study comprised 81,985 clinical specimens submitted for mycobacterial culture in the Department of Microbiology at the Regional Center of Pulmonology in Bydgoszcz between 2013 and 2022. Clinical specimens were processed according to the standard procedure in mycobacteria laboratories in Poland. NTM strains were identified using analysis of mycolic acids by chromatography as well as GenoType NTM-DR, GenoType Mycobacterium AS, and GenoType Mycobacterium CM. Results: There were 395 patients with NTM strains between 2013 and 2022. Out of them, 149 cases met the diagnostic criteria of NTM-LD and were classified as definite cases. M. kansasii (n = 77) was the most common species in the group (51.68%), followed by M. avium complex (n = 46). Patients with NTM-LD were 22–88 years old (median age was 60 years). There were 81 men and 68 women. The most common symptoms were cough, hemoptysis, and fever. Radiological X-ray images were dominated by infiltrative lesions in the upper and middle lobe of the right lung with cavities; the changes were in the upper lobe of the left lung and on both sides of the chest. They were smokers in 61%. The most common concomitant diseases were chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes mellitus, pulmonary carcinoma, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and other immunodeficiencies. The most common treatment was isoniazid, ethambutol, rifampicin, and ofloxacin for 18 months with a minimum of 12 months of culture negativity. Conclusions: NTM-LD infections are present with other pulmonary illnesses and extrapulmonary diseases and may be connected to primary immunologic deficiencies. These diseases concern patients of all ages and have various clinical manifestations. M. kansasii and MAC are the most prevalent NTM isolates among respiratory samples in Northern Poland. In addition, an increase in MAC and a decrease in M. kansasii both in cultivation and the cause of NTM-LD were reported. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM))

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Open AccessArticle

A Comparison of Clinical and Radiographic Signs of Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Pulmonary Disease, Destructive Drug-Resistant Pulmonary Tuberculosis and a Combination of Nontuberculous Mycobacterium Pulmonary Disease and Pulmonary Tuberculosis

and

Pathogens 2023, 12(7), 887; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12070887 - 29 Jun 2023

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Abstract

A misdiagnosis of isolated pulmonary tuberculosis (pTB) is highly likely when a patient has nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTMPD) or a combination of nontuberculous mycobacterium pulmonary disease and pulmonary tuberculosis. Frequently, bacterial excretion is absent or only Mycobacteria tuberculosis (MBT) is found. This often results in an incorrect diagnosis and subsequent misinformed treatment regimes. In order to determine possible clinical and radiographic differences between patients with NTMPD (Group 1), destructive drug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis (Group 3) and a combination of NTMPD and pTB (Group 2) we compare clinical and radiographic signs for these three patient groups. When comparing with Group 3 (2.5%), Groups 1 (25%) and 2 (17.4%) have a substantially higher incidence of pulmonary haemorrhages. Thus, upon clinically observing the combination of pTB and NTMPD, there are no pathognomonic clinical and radiographic detected symptoms. However, the presence of an indolent course, hemoptysis and bronchiectasis in the presence of acid-fast bacteria (or identified MBT) in the sputum makes it possible to suspect not simple pTB, but a combination of pTB and NTMPD. To clarify this necessitated in-depth bacteriological examination. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM))

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Open AccessCase Report

First Case Reports of Nontuberculous Mycobacterial (NTM) Lung Disease in Ecuador: Important Lessons to Learn

and

Pathogens 2023, 12(4), 507; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12040507 - 23 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1520

Abstract

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) lung infections are often misdiagnosed as tuberculosis, which can lead to ineffective antibiotic treatments. In this report, we present three cases of NTM lung infections in Ecuador that were initially diagnosed and treated as tuberculosis based on the results of sputum smear microscopy. The patients, all male, included two immunocompetent individuals and one HIV-positive subject. Unfortunately, sputum culture was not initiated until late in the course of the disease and the cause of the lung infection, Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), was only identified after the patients had either passed away or were lost to follow-up. These cases are the first documented cases of NTM lung infections in the English medical literature from Ecuador. We emphasize the importance of accurate diagnosis of NTM infections by culture and identification to species level. Sputum smear staining alone cannot differentiate between mycobacterial species, which can lead to misidentification and ineffective treatments. Additionally, reporting NTM pulmonary disease as a notifiable disease to national TB control programs is recommended to obtain accurate prevalence data. These data are critical in determining the importance of this public health problem and the necessary actions needed to address it. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM))

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