Diagnostic Criteria of Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Lung Disease For patients with a cavitary infiltrate: Two or more sputums or bronchial washings that are acid-fast bacilli smear positive and/or produce moderate to heavy growth on culture.Exclusion of other reasonable causes for the disease.II. For patients with a noncavitary infiltrate: Two or more sputums or bronchial washings that are acid-fast bacilli smear positive and/or produce moderate to heavy growth on culture.The isolate is Mycobacterium avium complex or M. kansasii and cannot be cleared from the sputum with either bronchial hygiene or 2 wk of drug therapy.Exclusion of other reasonable causes for the disease.For patients with a cavitary or noncavitary infiltrate whose sputum evaluations are nondiagnostic or another disease cannot be excluded: 1. Lung biopsy yields a NTM.2. The biopsy shows mycobacterial histopathologic features (i.e., granulomatous inflammation) and two or more sputums are positive for a NTM even in low numbers.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Disease Caused by Nontuberculous Mycobacteria

Summary: Actinobacteria constitute one of the largest phyla among Bacteria and represent gram-positive bacteria with a high G+C content in their DNA. This bacterial group includes microorganisms exhibiting a wide spectrum of morphologies, from coccoid to fragmenting hyphal forms, as well as possessing highly variable physiological and metabolic properties. Furthermore, Actinobacteria members have adopted different lifestyles, and can be pathogens (e.g., Corynebacterium, Mycobacterium, Nocardia, Tropheryma, and Propionibacterium), soil inhabitants (Streptomyces), plant commensals (Leifsonia), or gastrointestinal commensals (Bifidobacterium). The divergence of Actinobacteria from other bacteria is ancient, making it impossible to identify the phylogenetically closest bacterial group to Actinobacteria. Genome sequence analysis has revolutionized every aspect of bacterial biology by enhancing the understanding of the genetics, physiology, and evolutionary development of bacteria. Various actinobacterial genomes have been sequenced, revealing a wide genomic heterogeneity probably as a reflection of their biodiversity. This review provides an account of the recent explosion of actinobacterial genomics data and an attempt to place this in a biological and evolutionary context.

Genomics of Actinobacteria: Tracing the Evolutionary History of an Ancient Phylum

Epidemiology of infection by nontuberculous mycobacteria.

▪ Abstract Humans are exposed to a variety of environmental mycobacteria (EM), and most children are inoculated with live Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine. In addition, most of the world's population is occasionally exposed to human-borne mycobacterial species, which are less abundant but more virulent. Although rarely pathogenic, mildly virulent mycobacteria, including BCG and most EM, may cause a variety of clinical diseases. Mycobacterium tuberculosis, M. leprae, and EM M. ulcerans are more virulent, causing tuberculosis, leprosy, and Buruli ulcer, respectively. Remarkably, only a minority of individuals develop clinical disease, even if infected with virulent mycobacteria. The interindividual variability of clinical outcome is thought to result in part from variability in the human genes that control host defense. In this well-defined microbiological and clinical context, the principles of mouse immunology and the methods of human genetics can be combined to facilitate the genetic dissection of i...

Genetic dissection of immunity to mycobacteria: the human model

The epidemiology of Mycobacterium bovis infections in animals and man: A review

https://sfamjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1365-2672.1984.tb01384.x

Mycobacteria in water

Mycobacterium marinum, formerly known as ‘Mycobacterium balnei’, is a free-living organism which causes disease in fish and occasionally in man. When such infections occur in man they are usually associated with some aquatic activity, e.g. swimming, fishing, boating and keeping tropical fish. For this reason, the organism has been called a ‘leisure-time pathogen’ by Feldman, Long & David (1974) and the disease a ‘hobby hazard’ by Heineman, Spitzer & Pianphongsant (1972).

/pdf/mycobacterium-marinum-infections-in-man-3unyui721t.pdf

Mycobacterium marinum infections in man.

The avian tubercle bacillus and its relatives.

Virulent strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from humans are divisible into five variants by using four tests: oxygen requirement (aerobic or microaerophilic), nitrate reductase activity, susceptibility to pyrazinamide (60 micrograms/ml) and susceptibility to thiophene-2-carboxylic acid hydrazide (5 micrograms/ml). The five variants are referred to as Classical human, Asian human, bovine, African I and African II. The relation of these variants to previously described types is discussed. This simple division has been shown to be useful in epidemiological studies.

/pdf/subdivision-of-mycobacterium-tuberculosis-into-five-variants-4tbcaz3tcw.pdf

M.D. Yates

Papers

Mycobacteria in water

Mycobacterium marinum infections in man.

The avian tubercle bacillus and its relatives.

Subdivision of Mycobacterium tuberculosis into five variants for epidemiological purposes: methods and nomenclature

What is BCG