Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Dermatol Online J 2017 Sep 15;23(9). Epub 2017 Sep 15.

University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts.

A 61-year-old immunosuppressed renal transplant patient with inflammatory bowel disease presented with tender pink nodules on the trunk and extremities. An initial biopsy was suggestive of metastatic Crohn disease, but after disease persistence, a second biopsy revealed disseminated Mycobacterium haemophilum. Atypical mycobacterial infections should be considered in immunosuppressed patients. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2018 02 7;18(1):70. Epub 2018 Feb 7.

Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, 2 Wanglang Road, Bangkok Noi, Bangkok, 10700, Thailand.

Background: Although atypical mycobacteria had been increasingly found in various ocular infections in the past decades, a slow-growing Mycobacterium haemophilum (M. haemophilum) was scarcely reported. Similar to tuberculous infection, the presentation can masquerade as low-grade granulomatous intraocular inflammation with partial response to corticosteroids. Read More

J Vis Exp 2017 12 8(130). Epub 2017 Dec 8.

Biological Research Facility, The Francis Crick Institute.

Health monitoring systems are developed and used in zebrafish research facilities because pathogens of Danio rerio such as Aeromonas hydrophila, Mycobacterium spp., and Pseudocapillaria tomentosa have the potential to impair animal welfare and research. The fish are typically analyzed post mortem to detect microbes. Read More

J Clin Microbiol 2018 Jan 26;56(1). Epub 2017 Dec 26.

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA

J Clin Microbiol 2018 Jan 26;56(1). Epub 2017 Dec 26.

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA

Indian J Nephrol 2017 Nov-Dec;27(6):478-481

Department of Nephrology, Yashoda Hospitals, Secunderabad, Telangana, India.

A 71-year-old male, a renal allograft recipient, presented to us with a history of fever and right palm swelling. He had a history of fever 7 years back when he was treated with antitubercular treatment (ATT). Three years back, he was diagnosed to have gout and he was started on allopurinol. Read More

Pediatr Int 2017 Dec 4;59(12):1279-1281. Epub 2017 Dec 4.

Department of Pediatrics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.

Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd 2017 ;161:D1613

AMC, afd. MKA-chirurgie, Amsterdam.

Background: The differential diagnosis in a child with a swelling in the neck is broad. Chronic lymphadenopathy in children quite often leads to extensive blood tests. Cervicofacial non-tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) lymphadenitis is, however, not revealed by blood tests. Read More

Open Forum Infect Dis 2017 23;4(3):ofx165. Epub 2017 Sep 23.

Zuckerberg San Francisco General, University of California.

J Dermatol 2018 Jan 3;45(1):64-66. Epub 2017 Aug 3.

Dermatology, Department of Internal Related, Faculty of Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan.

Mycobacterium haemophilum is a slow-growing, non-tuberculous mycobacteria that causes cutaneous infection. We describe a case of cutaneous infection in a 68-year-old Japanese man with polymyositis. This was caused by M. Read More

Semin Diagn Pathol 2017 Jul 12;34(4):332-339. Epub 2017 Apr 12.

Staff, Pathology and Clinical Microbiology, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue/LL2-2, Cleveland, OH 44195, United States. Electronic address:

The importance of mycobacteria as opportunistic pathogens, particularly members of the M. avium complex (MAC), in patients with progressive HIV infection was recognized early in the AIDS epidemic. It took longer to appreciate the global impact and devastation that would result from the deadly synergy that exists between HIV and M. Read More

J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci 2017 Mar;56(2):131-141

Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon;, Email:

Mycobacterium spp. infections are common in zebrafish kept in research facilities. These comorbidities can substantially modulate the responses of these fish to external and internal stimuli. Read More

Int J Mycobacteriol 2016 Dec 9;5 Suppl 1:S236. Epub 2016 Nov 9.

Pediatric Respiratory Diseases Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address:

Introduction: Mycobacterium haemophilum is a slow-growing nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) that can cause ulcerating cutaneous or subcutaneous nodular skin lesions in immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients. Acid-fast staining cannot distinguish NTM from M. tuberculosis; culturing at two temperatures with iron-supplemented media and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are needed for optimal detection of M. Read More

Microbiol Spectr 2016 11;4(6)

Infectious Diseases Section, VA Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68105.

The list of clinically important slow-growing nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) continues to expand as new species are identified and older ones are found to be pathogenic. Based on pigment production, the strains may be classified as photochromogenic, scotochromogenic, or unpigmented. Some of these organisms are not newly discovered but have heretofore been considered virtually nonpathogenic. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2016 Oct 31;2016. Epub 2016 Oct 31.

Medical Clinic, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.

Opportunistic infections are a major concern in renal and transplant medicine. We present the case of a renal transplant recipient with a generalised Mycobacterium haemophilum infection after an increase in immunosuppressive therapy and treatment with a tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) inhibitor. Infection involved skin and soft tissue, joints and bones, as well as the renal transplant with an interstitial nephritis. Read More

Transpl Infect Dis 2017 Feb 16;19(1). Epub 2016 Dec 16.

Department of Pharmacy, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA.

Nontuberculous mycobacterial infections can often occur in individuals with adequate immune function. Such infections typically have cutaneous involvement and are caused by rapidly growing mycobacterium. Other nontuberculous mycobacteria species, like Mycobacterium haemophilum, almost always present as opportunistic infections occurring in severely immunocompromised hosts. Read More

PLoS One 2016 17;11(10):e0164138. Epub 2016 Oct 17.

Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Laboratory Services, ICPMR - Pathology West, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW, Australia.

Accurate identification of slowly growing nontuberculous mycobacteria (SG-NTM) of clinical significance remains problematic. This study evaluated a novel method of SG-NTM identification by amplification of the mycobacterial 16S-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region followed by resolution of amplified fragments by sequencer-based capillary gel electrophoresis (SCGE). Fourteen American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) strains and 103 clinical/environmental isolates (total n = 24 species) of SG-NTM were included. Read More

J Vet Diagn Invest 2016 Nov 3;28(6):718-721. Epub 2016 Oct 3.

Departments of Small Animal Clinical Sciences (Donnelly, Wellehan), University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine, Gainesville, FLInfection Diseases and Pathology (Waltzek), University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine, Gainesville, FLLarge Animal Clinical Sciences (NI Stacy), University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine, Gainesville, FLGumbo Limbo Nature Center, Boca Raton, FL (Chadam)National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Protected Resources at University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (BA Stacy)

Mycobacteriosis is infrequently reported in free-ranging sea turtles. Nontuberculous Mycobacterium haemophilum was identified as the causative agent of disseminated mycobacteriosis in a juvenile leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) that was found stranded on the Atlantic coast of Florida. Disseminated granulomatous inflammation was identified histologically, most notably affecting the nervous system. Read More

Zebrafish 2016 07 16;13 Suppl 1:S132-7. Epub 2016 May 16.

Mill Hill Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute , London, United Kingdom .

Considering the numbers of zebrafish held in the laboratories, it is relevant to develop some tools to monitor the health of the animals, as well as their biotope. Environmental samples can be used to detect aquatic pathogens. Comprehensive health monitoring would thus seek pathogens in three dimensions of the animals and microbes' habitat: the fish, the sludge, and the water. Read More

Acta Reumatol Port 2015 Oct-Dec;40(4):388-9

Pediatr Dermatol 2016 Mar-Apr;33(2):196-9. Epub 2016 Jan 29.

Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Amstelland Hospital Amstelveen and Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Background: Nontuberculous mycobacteria rarely cause facial skin lesions in immunocompetent children.

Aim: I describe the clinical features and treatment of nontuberculous mycobacteria facial lesions.

Materials And Methods: The diagnosis of a facial nontuberculous mycobacteria infection was established using polymerase chain reaction. Read More

MBio 2015 Nov 17;6(6):e01313-15. Epub 2015 Nov 17.

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA

Unlabelled: Mycobacterium haemophilum is an emerging pathogen associated with a variety of clinical syndromes, most commonly skin infections in immunocompromised individuals. M. haemophilum exhibits a unique requirement for iron supplementation to support its growth in culture, but the basis for this property and how it may shape pathogenesis is unclear. Read More

Minn Med 2015 Aug;98(8):43-4

Intern Med J 2015 Oct;45(10):1073-6

Department of Infectious Diseases, Box Hill Hospital, Eastern Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Disseminated non-tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infection is rare in immunocompetent adults. Anti-interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) autoantibodies have recently been associated with NTM infections, particularly in patients of Asian ethnicity. We describe a case of disseminated Mycobacterium haemophilum skeletal infection due to anti IFN-γ autoantibodies in a 71-year-old Cambodian man. Read More

Dermatol Reports 2015 May 15;7(2):5712. Epub 2015 Jun 15.

Department of Dermatology, National Skin Centre , Singapore.

Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are a group of environmental pathogens, which cause a broad spectrum of disease. The incidence of NTM infection is increasing, especially in immunocompromized patients. The past three decades also saw a rapid increase in the incidence of NTM infection involving otherwise healthy subjects. Read More

J Dermatol 2015 Oct 28;42(10):992-5. Epub 2015 May 28.

Department of Dermatology, National Hospital Organization Sagamihara National Hospital, Kanagawa, Japan.

Mycobacterium haemophilum is a slow-growing non-tuberculous mycobacterium that is rarely known to cause human skin infection, particularly in immunocompromised patients. We recently experienced a 69-year-old Japanese woman with this infection who had been under immunosuppressive treatment for recalcitrant rheumatoid arthritis. The patient showed disseminated erythematous plaques and subcutaneous nodules on the face and extremities, and interestingly, the face manifested with a striking "facies leontina" appearance. Read More

J Clin Neurosci 2015 Jun 25;22(6):1057-60. Epub 2015 Mar 25.

Division of Infectious Diseases, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, USA.

We report a rare case of Mycobacterium haemophilum presenting as an intraventricular granulomatous mass with loculated hydrocephalus and seizures in a patient with human immunodeficiency virus. M. haemophilum, a slow-growing mycobacteria, causes localized and disseminated disease among immunocompromised hosts. Read More

J Infect Dev Ctries 2015 Mar 15;9(3):313-6. Epub 2015 Mar 15.

Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

We report the first case of an immunocompromised adult patient presenting with cervicofacial lymphadenitis due to Mycobacterium haemophilum, confirmed using hsp65 gene sequencing and line-probe assays. In resource-limited settings, especially in developing countries, appropriate culture methods and rapid molecular diagnostic tools such as hsp65 gene sequencing for identification of this organism may not be readily available. This may cause M. Read More

Acta Derm Venereol 2015 Jul;95(6):760-1

Institute of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Skin Diseases and STIs, 12, Jiangwangmiao Road, Nanjing 210042, China.

J Zoo Wildl Med 2014 Dec;45(4):966-9

A sub-adult male Assam trinket snake (Elaphe frenata) that was confiscated from an exotic animal dealer was found dead in its enclosure after a 17-mo quarantine. The snake had grown well during that period and had no physical examination or bloodwork abnormalities during the quarantine. On gross necropsy, masses were found in the epaxial musculature and stomach, the lung was diffusely thickened, the ventricular wall was mottled, and there was intracoelomic and pericardial effusion. Read More

Int J STD AIDS 2015 Nov 10;26(13):974-81. Epub 2015 Jan 10.

Infectious Diseases, Monash Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia Department of Medicine, Monash Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia Department of Infectious Diseases, Monash University, VIC, Australia.

We report a case of disseminated Mycobacterium haemophilum osteomyelitis in a patient with advanced HIV infection, who later developed recurrent immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome after commencement of antiretroviral therapy. We review previous reports of M. haemophilum bone and joint infection associated with HIV infection and describe the management of M. Read More

JMM Case Rep 2014 Dec 1;1(4):e002618. Epub 2014 Dec 1.

Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.

Introduction: is one of the non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) that can cause cutaneous infection. As acid-fast staining cannot distinguish NTM from , and as skin culture for is not performed routinely, the diagnosis of infection in Thailand is rarely made.

Case Presentation: Between 2006 and 2009, five patients with infection were diagnosed in Ramathibodi Hospital, a tertiary care centre in Bangkok, Thailand. Read More

Int J Dermatol 2014 Sep;53(9):1129-32

Bone Marrow Transplant 2014 Oct 14;49(10):1347-8. Epub 2014 Jul 14.

1] Service d'Hématologie clinique et Thérapie cellulaire, Hôpital Saint-Antoine, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Paris, France [2] Université Pierre et Marie Curie, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Paris, France [3] INSERM, UMRs 938, Paris, France.

Neurology 2014 Aug 9;83(7):659-60. Epub 2014 Jul 9.

From Weill Cornell Medical College (A.E.M., G.P., S.P., C.O., E.L., A.S., A.M., D.B., S.K., M.D.), New York Presbyterian, New York; and the University of British Columbia (S.S.), Vancouver, Canada.

Clin Imaging 2014 Sep-Oct;38(5):727-9. Epub 2014 Feb 28.

Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medical College at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA.

We report a case of chiasmitis caused by a rare nontuberculous mycobacterium in an immunocompromised patient. A 44-year-old man with a history of AIDS presented with recurrent vision loss and headache. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated an enhancing mass involving the optic chiasm. Read More

Int J STD AIDS 2015 Mar 19;26(4):288-90. Epub 2014 May 19.

Division of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Pathumthani, Thailand

Mycobacterium haemophilum is an environmental organism that rarely causes infections in humans. We report a patient with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome who had central nervous system infection due to M. haemophilum. Read More

Case Rep Rheumatol 2014 12;2014:742978. Epub 2014 Jan 12.

Ashford and St. Peters NHS Trust, Chertsey, Surrey KT16 0PZ, UK.

A 66-year-old woman presented with pustular lesions of her face, trunk, and limbs and an acute arthritis of the knees and elbows. She had a complex medical background and had been on immunosuppressants for three years after a liver transplant. Tissue samples from her skin lesions and synovial fluid showed acid-fast bacilli. Read More

Nephrology (Carlton) 2014 Apr;19 Suppl 1:14-7

Department of Nephrology, St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia.

Mycobacterium haemophilum is a rare isolate of non-tuberculous Mycobacterium which has been reported to affect immunocompromised patients. We report a case of a 32-year-old renal transplant patient with M.  haemophilum infection initially involving his left sinus which was treated with appropriate antimicrobial therapy for thirteen months. Read More

Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis 2014 Apr 15;78(4):494-6. Epub 2014 Jan 15.

Department of Pathology, UT Southwestern, Dallas, TX, USA. Electronic address:

We present the case of a native Texan who was diagnosed with tuberculoid leprosy and later developed a cutaneous infection with M. haemophilum following iatrogenic immunosuppression. To our knowledge, there are no such reports of M. Read More

Case Rep Dermatol Med 2013 28;2013:793127. Epub 2013 Nov 28.

Infectious Disease Service, Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, HI 96859, USA.

Opportunistic infections following immunosuppression in solid organ transplant (SOT) patients are common complications with the skin being a common sight of infection. Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are rare but potential causes of skin infection in SOT patients. We present a case of an adult male immunosuppressed following renal transplantation who presented with an asymptomatic rash for several months. Read More

Dis Aquat Organ 2013 May;104(2):113-20

Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA.

Mycobacteriosis is a common disease of laboratory zebrafish Danio rerio. Different infection patterns occur in zebrafish depending on mycobacterial species. Mycobacterium marinum and M. Read More

BMC Vet Res 2013 Apr 24;9:85. Epub 2013 Apr 24.

Department of Veterinary Hygiene and Public Health, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista, Box 56018618-970, Botucatu, State of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Background: Mycobacterium spp. is one of the most important species of zoonotic pathogens that can be transmitted from cattle to humans. The presence of these opportunistic, pathogenic bacteria in bovine milk has emerged as a public-health concern, especially among individuals who consume raw milk and related dairy products. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2013 Mar 15;2013. Epub 2013 Mar 15.

Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.

Mycobacterium haemophilum is a slow growing, aerobic, fastidious mycobacterium requiring hemin and a temperature of 30-32° C for optimal growth that is ubiquitous in nature. Disease in immunocompromised adults typically manifests as skin lesions such as papules, pustules and ulcerations. This organism also causes lymphadenitis in immunocompetent children. Read More

Clin Nucl Med 2013 Apr;38(4):e194-5

Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.

We report a rare case of atypical mycobacteriosis diagnosed by F-FDG PET/CT. A 28-year-old man with a history of kidney transplantation presented with fever, painful nodular skin lesions, and elevated inflammatory markers. FDG PET/CT demonstrated multiple subcutaneous, cutaneous, and osseous areas of increased tracer uptake. Read More

ILAR J 2012 ;53(2):95-105

Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA.

Mycobacteriosis, a chronic bacterial infection, has been associated with severe losses in some zebrafish facilities and low-level mortalities and unknown impacts in others. The occurrence of at least six different described species (Mycobacterium abscessus, M. chelonae, M. Read More

Semin Arthritis Rheum 2013 Apr 16;42(5):498-506. Epub 2013 Jan 16.

Hospital Library, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Objectives: To report 2 cases of skin nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) occurring in lupus patients and to systematically review the medical literature addressing skin NTM in lupus.

Methods: We reported 2 cases of skin NTM in lupus patients followed at the Toronto Lupus Clinic. We conducted a systematic review of the literature on NTM in lupus patients. Read More

Int J Mycobacteriol 2012 Dec 20;1(4):165-9. Epub 2012 Nov 20.

Emerging Bacterial Pathogens Unit, San Gabriele Building, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milano, Italy. Electronic address:

Cervical lymphadenitis as a result of nontuberculous mycobacteria, otherwise known as scrofula, is a disease occurring almost exclusively in immunocompetent young children. The most frequent mycobacterial species responsible is Mycobacterium avium, but a large number of other species may also be involved. The epidemiology of such disease is revised here, and the impact of different species as causative agents of adenitis is also discussed. Read More

Mikrobiyol Bul 2012 Oct;46(4):560-7

Refik Saydam National Public Health Agency, National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory, Ankara, Turkey.

Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are commonly encountered environmental bacteria, and most of them are associated with lung diseases. Diagnosis of infections caused by NTM is based on clinical, radiological and microbiological findings. The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution of non-tuberculous mycobacterial species isolated from clinical specimens as etiologic agents. Read More

Br J Dermatol 2013 Feb 5;168(2):446-7. Epub 2012 Oct 5.