Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.
Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK; Department of Infection, Royal London Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK.
Int J Infect Dis. 2020 Mar;92S:S46-S50. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2020.02.022. Epub 2020 Feb 27.
Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are ubiquitous dwellers of environmental niches and are an established cause of natural and nosocomial infections. The incidence of NTM infections is rising owing to a growing population of immunocompromised and vulnerable individuals, complex medical and surgical procedures, as well as increased awareness and diagnostic capabilities. The prevalence of different NTM varies between continents, regions, and countries. The true global burden of pulmonary and extrapulmonary disease is unknown and estimates are subject to under and/or over-estimation. Diagnosis requires confirmation by isolation of NTM along with clinical and radiological criteria, which may be suboptimal at all levels. Susceptibility testing is complex and clinical breakpoints are not available for many of the drugs. Frequently, NTM infections are not considered until late in the course of disease. Improved and rapid detection of tuberculosis cases in high-burden countries has, however, also brought NTM infections into the limelight, and has identified a need for research efforts towards rapid diagnostic tests and the identification of biomarkers to monitor the treatment response in patients with NTM infections.
非结核分枝杆菌（NTM）广泛存在于环境小生境中，是自然和医院感染的既定原因。由于免疫功能低下和脆弱个体、复杂的医疗和手术程序以及对疾病的认识和诊断能力的提高，NTM 感染的发病率正在上升。不同 NTM 在各大洲、地区和国家的流行情况不同。肺部和肺外疾病的真实全球负担尚不清楚，估计值可能存在低估或高估。诊断需要通过分离 NTM 并结合临床和影像学标准来确认，这在各级可能都不理想。药敏试验很复杂，而且许多药物都没有临床折点。通常，在疾病的晚期才会考虑到 NTM 感染。在高负担国家中，对结核病病例的快速和改善检测也使 NTM 感染受到关注，并确定了需要进行研究努力以开发快速诊断检测和鉴定生物标志物来监测 NTM 感染患者的治疗反应。
