Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

J Med Microbiol 2021 May;70(5)

Department of Laboratory Medicine, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200082, PR China.

complex (MAC) has been reported as the most common aetiology of lung disease involving nontuberculous mycobacteria. Antimicrobial susceptibility and clinical characteristics may differ between and . We aimed to evaluate the differences in antimicrobial susceptibility profiles between two major MAC species ( and ) from patients with pulmonary infections and to provide epidemiologic data with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) distributions. Read More

Rom J Intern Med 2021 Apr 30. Epub 2021 Apr 30.

Division of Respiratory Medicine, Mito Medical Center, University of Tsukuba-Mito Kyodo General Hospital, Miya-macho 3-2-7, Mito-city, Ibaraki, 310-0015, Japan.

: Nontuberculous mycobacteriosis (NTM) of the lungs can develop nodules. In order to clarify some of the characteristics of lung NTM nodules, we examined volume doubling time (VDT) and maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) in positron emission tomography (PET) of pathologically diagnosed NTM nodules.: From November 2012 to August 2018, clinical and radiological information were retrospectively investigated in 8 patients who were surgically resected and diagnosed as NTM. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2021 Apr;100(14):e25193

Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea.

Abstract: The incidence of pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infection is high in patients with underlying lung disease such as bronchiectasis. Although previous studies have reported many risk factors contributing to the development of NTM-lung disease (LD), only a few reports on the relationship of the characteristics of patients, such as body mass index (BMI), skeletal mass, and fat mass, with NTM-LD have been published. We aimed to investigate the association between these parameters and NTM-LD in patients with bronchiectasis. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2021 Mar 5;14(3). Epub 2021 Mar 5.

Pulmonology Department, Hospital Pedro Hispano, Matosinhos, Portugal.

Non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease may have different clinical manifestations. We report a case of a 64-year-old woman presenting with persistent respiratory complaints, fever and radiological findings. Initially, she was diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia, but after being submitted to an extensive investigation, including CT-guided transthoracic lung biopsy, a diagnosis of organising pneumonia (OP) was established. Read More

Int J Infect Dis 2021 Mar 29;104:178-180. Epub 2020 Dec 29.

Department of Internal Medicine, Respiratory Medicine and Ventilatory Support, Medical Mission Hospital, Central Clinic Würzburg, Academic Teaching Hospital of the Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.

A 57-year-old Caucasian woman suffered from dyspnea on exertion. One year following a supposed pulmonary embolism event, a chronic thromboembolic vasculopathy was diagnosed and a pulmonary thromboendarterectomy was performed. However, a granulomatous pulmonary arterial vasculitis was identified upon examination. Read More

Zhonghua Jie He He Hu Xi Za Zhi 2020 Nov;43(11):947-952

State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease，Department of Tuberculosis in Guangzhou Chest Hospital，Guangzhou 510095，China.

To explore the clinical characteristics of non-tuberculous mycobacterium(NTM) pulmonary disease complicated with tracheobronchial lesions. From January 2014 to December 2018, there were 1 006 patients who were admitted to Guangzhou Chest Hospital for the first time and received examination by bronchoscopy. A total of 89 patients with complete data were selected, including 40 males and 49 females, aged 20 to 85 years, with 46 patients (52%) aged 60 years or older. Read More

Biomed Res Int 2020 29;2020:6287545. Epub 2020 Sep 29.

Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China.

An increasing number of patients infected with nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are observed worldwide. However, it is challenging to identify NTM lung diseases from pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) due to considerable overlap in classic manifestations and clinical and radiographic characteristics. This study quantifies both cavitary and bronchiectasis regions in CT images and explores a machine learning approach for the differentiation of NTM lung diseases and PTB. Read More

Rev Soc Bras Med Trop 2020 11;53:e20200241. Epub 2020 Sep 11.

Universidade Federal de Goiás, Faculdade de Medicina, Departamento de Clínica Médica, Goiânia, GO, Brasil.

The incidence and prevalence of lung disease caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM-LD) has increased worldwide and its diagnosis represents a complex challenge. This article aims to review the tomographic findings of NTM-LD in order to facilitate their definitive diagnosis. The search for publications on the subject was performed in PMC and Scielo using the keywords 'non-tuberculous mycobacteria', 'lung disease and computed tomography (CT)' and 'radiological findings'. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2020 Sep 9;21(18). Epub 2020 Sep 9.

Emerging Bacterial Pathogens Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy.

Pulmonary infections caused by (MA) have increased over recent decades, affecting individuals with underlying pathologies such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchiectasis and, especially, cystic fibrosis. The lack of a representative and standardized model of chronic infection in mice has limited steps forward in the field of pulmonary infection. To overcome this challenge, we refined the method of agar beads to establish chronic infection in immunocompetent mice. Read More

J Infect Dis 2020 08;222(Suppl 4):S199-S211

Professor of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine Professor of Public Health, School of Public Health Oregon Health and Science University Portland, OR, USA.

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are ubiquitous in the environment and an important cause of disease. The most common species causing pulmonary disease are members of Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC). MAC pulmonary disease (MAC-PD) can be chronic, debilitating, costly, and associated with a high mortality. Read More

Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2020 10;202(8):1169-1170

Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.

J Bras Pneumol 2020;46(6):e20190345. Epub 2020 Jul 15.

Instituto de Doenças do Tórax, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.

Objective To evaluate clinical, tomographic, and microbiological characteristics of pulmonary disease caused by M. kansasii (MKPD) in patients treated at an outpatient unit from 2006-2016. Methods We studied thirty eight patients, and analyzed socio-demographic, clinical-radiological, laboratory, and therapeutic characteristics. Read More

Wien Klin Wochenschr 2021 May 2;133(9-10):470-477. Epub 2020 Jul 2.

Emergency Department of Zagreb County, Matice Hrvatske, Zagreb, Croatia.

Background: This study evaluated the prevalence of spreading pathways in nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) pulmonary infections according to nodular distribution patterns seen on chest computed tomography (CT).

Methods: This study included 63 patients diagnosed with NTM lung infections who underwent CT at our institution. A retrospective analysis of CT images focused on the presence and distribution of nodules, presence of intrathoracic lymphadenopathy and the predominant side of infection in the lungs. Read More

BMJ Open Respir Res 2020 06;7(1)

North Central London TB Service, Whittington Health NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.

A rising number of non-tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) isolates are being identified in UK clinical practice. There are many uncertainties around the management of non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD), including its epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and prevention. Regional variations in how patients with NTM-PD are managed reflects the lack of standardised pathways in the UK. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2020 Jun 20;20(1):431. Epub 2020 Jun 20.

Department of Infection Control Science, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-4-3, Asahi-machi, Abeno-ku, Osaka, 545-8585, Japan.

Background: Good's syndrome (GS) is characterized by immunodeficiency, and can lead to severe infection, which is the most significant complication. Although Mycobacterium rarely causes infection in patients with GS, disseminated nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infection frequently occurs in GS patients that are also positive for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or anti-interferon (IFN)-γ autoantibodies. Here, we report a rare case of GS with NTM without HIV or IFN-γ autoantibodies. Read More

Zhonghua Bing Li Xue Za Zhi 2020 Jun;49(6):562-567

Department of Pathology, Beijing Chest Hospital, Capital Medical University; Beijing Tuberculosis and Thoracic Tumor Research Institute, Beijing 101149, China.

To investigate the clinicopathological features of non-tuberculosis mycobacterial lung disease and the role of molecular pathology in diagnosis. Forty-five formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded (FFPE) specimens were collected from the Department of Pathology, Beijing Chest Hospital from February 2016 to August 2019. The clinical, imaging and histopathologic features, bacteriologic data and morphologic characteristics of acid fast bacilli (AFB) were analyzed retrospectively. Read More

J Formos Med Assoc 2020 Jun 30;119 Suppl 1:S23-S31. Epub 2020 May 30.

Department of Chest Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Faculty of Medicine, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address:

The lungs are the most common disease site of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). However, the isolation of NTM in a respiratory specimen does not indicate lung disease (LD). Differentiation between NTM colonization and NTM-LD remains challenging. Read More

Int J Mycobacteriol 2020 Jan-Mar;9(1):76-82

Department of Internal Medicine, National Hospital Organization, Kinki-Chuo Chest Medical Center, Sakai City, Osaka, Japan.

Background: Mycobacteroides abscessus complex (MABC) exhibits smooth morphotypes, expressing glycopeptidolipid (GPL), and rough morphotypes, expressing diminished GPL, on the MABC cell wall. Few reports have focused on the relationship between anti-GPL-core immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibody and colony morphology in MABC lung disease.

Methods: This study aimed to test GPL core antigen in patients with MABC lung disease to investigate the relationship between coinfection/contamination in other nontuberculous mycobacteria species and colony morphology variant in MABC isolates. Read More

Transpl Infect Dis 2020 Jun 19;22(3):e13278. Epub 2020 May 19.

Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.

Nontuberculous mycobacteria are ubiquitous in water and soil, and the subset of rapidly growing mycobacteria species can cause severe infections in immunocompromised patients. Solid organ or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients are known to be susceptible to infection by nontuberculous mycobacteria. The nontuberculous mycobacteria species Mycobacterium massiliense (M massiliense) has been classified as a rapidly growing mycobacteria and recognized as a pathogen causing lung and soft tissue infections in humans. Read More

Respir Investig 2020 May 23;58(3):137-143. Epub 2020 Feb 23.

Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology & Respiratory Medicine, Shimane University Faculty of Medicine, Izumo, 693-8501, Japan. Electronic address:

Background: Since the computed tomography (CT) findings of nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease are similar to those of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), we often have difficulty differentiating the two. In this study, we compared the differences in chest CT findings and their locations between cases of PTB and Mycobacterium avium complex lung disease (MACLD).

Methods: The subjects were 100 MACLD patients and 42 PTB patients treated at our hospital from May 2005 to August 2015. Read More

Respir Res 2020 Jan 8;21(1):10. Epub 2020 Jan 8.

Department of Respiratory Medicine, National Hospital Organization, Osaka Toneyama Medical Center, 5-1-1 Toneyama, Toyonaka-shi, Osaka, 560-8552, Japan.

Background: Although cavities are an important finding in Mycobacterium avium complex pulmonary disease (MAC-PD), there is little information regarding the types of cavities that indicate disease progression. This study was performed to identify cavity characteristics that were associated with disease progression in patients with MAC-PD.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 97 patients presenting with MAC-PD with cavities between December 2006 and June 2016. Read More

Zhonghua Jie He He Hu Xi Za Zhi 2019 Dec;42(12):901-906

Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment Center, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai Key Lab of Tuberculosis, Shanghai 200433, China.

To investigate the clinical characteristics and drug susceptibility test (DST) of patients infected with different nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). The patients with nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease (NMLD) in Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital from March 2014 to March 2015 were studied retrospectively by analyzing the clinical characteristics, radiological features and DST results. A total of 201 NMLD patients [male 108, age(58±15) yrs] were enrolled into this study including 48 cases of [male 13, age (52±16) yrs],46 cases of [male 46, age (57±16) yrs], 92 cases of [male 43, age (61±13) yrs], and 15 cases of [male 6, age (67±10) yrs]. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2019 Nov;98(48):e18179

Department of Internal medicine, Gyeongsang National University School of Medicine, Jinju, South Korea.

Rationale: Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is regarded as an immune-mediated systemic fibroinflammatory disease. Several studies have linked IgG4-RD to infections such as tuberculosis and actinomycosis. However, the coexistence of IgG4-RD and non-tuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) in a single pulmonary nodule has not been reported yet. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2019 Oct 29;19(1):909. Epub 2019 Oct 29.

Department of Chest Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.

Background: Disseminated nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections occur mostly in immunocompromised patients. Therefore, it is difficult to diagnose disseminated NTM infections in patients without history of immunocompromised diseases or using immunosuppressant. Patients with anti-interferon-γ (IFN-γ) autoantibodies are vulnerable to intracellular infections, such as disseminated NTM. Read More

Respir Investig 2019 Nov 25;57(6):544-551. Epub 2019 Sep 25.

Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital, Daegu, South Korea.

Background: Data regarding the radiological and clinical features of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are limited. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to investigate the clinico-radiological features of PTB in patients with IPF.

Methods: Clinico-radiological variables were retrospectively compared between PTB patients with and without IPF (TB-IPF and TB-control, respectively), and computed tomography (CT) findings were compared between the TB-IPF group and patients with nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease and IPF (NTM-IPF). Read More

Zhonghua Wei Zhong Bing Ji Jiu Yi Xue 2019 Aug;31(8):1033-1036

Department of Critical Care Medicine, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510120, Guangdong, China. Corresponding author: Liu Xiaoqing, Email:

Objective: To study the risk factors and the clinical characteristics of non-tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) pulmonary diseases in patients with mechanical ventilation.

Methods: Retrospective survey was carried out in the patients with mechanical ventilation who combined with NTM pulmonary disease admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from May 2016 to May 2019. The general information, basic diseases, symptoms, signs, biochemical examinations, acid-fast stain test, mycobacterium culture and strain identification results, and chest CT data were collected to summarize the clinical characteristics of patients with mechanical ventilation combined with NTM pulmonary disease. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2019 Sep;98(36):e16826

Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Samsung Changwon Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Changwon, Korea.

The purpose of this study was to present the computed tomographic (CT) findings of lung abnormalities in macrolide-resistant Mycobacterium massiliense pulmonary disease and its changes in follow-up CT after antibiotic treatment.Chest CT scans of patients with macrolide-resistant M massiliense pulmonary disease (n = 19) were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were treated with multidrug therapy, and sputum examinations were performed. Read More

J Infect Chemother 2020 Jan 23;26(1):136-139. Epub 2019 Jul 23.

Department of Respiratory Medicine, Kyoto University Hospital, Japan.

Mycolicibacter kumamotonensis (M. kumamotonensis), formerly Mycobacterium kumamotonense, is a nontuberculous mycobacteria species, which was first separated from Mycobacterium terrae complex in 2006. Reports about infections caused by M. Read More

Respir Med 2019 06 8;152:74-80. Epub 2019 May 8.

Respiratory Disease Center, Fukujuji Hospital, Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association, Tokyo, Japan.

Background And Objectives: The incidence of nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) is increasing, while that of tuberculosis (TB) is decreasing in many industrialized countries, including Japan. However, the long-term evaluation of clinico-epidemiological features of NTM-PD in relation to TB are limited. We aimed to clarify the long-term changes in the epidemiology and clinical features of NTM-PD in relation to those of TB at a nationally-designated TB center in Japan. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2019 May 22;19(1):454. Epub 2019 May 22.

Otsu City Hospital, 2-9-9, Motomiya, Otsu-city, Shiga Prefecture, Japan.

Background: Mycolicibacterium phlei (M. phlei) is known to be a non-pathogenic nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) which rarely causes diseases in humans. A disseminated NTM infection is mostly caused by the Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) and is known to develop in immunocompromised hosts, like those with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Read More