From the School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Gallipoli Medical Research Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2020 Aug;39(8):671-677. doi: 10.1097/INF.0000000000002658.
Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are ubiquitous in the environment and a well-known cause of lymphadenitis, skin and soft tissue infections. The aim of this study was to evaluate the epidemiology of extrapulmonary pediatric NTM infections occurring from 2000 to 2017 in Queensland, Australia.
All cases of NTM and TB are notifiable under the Queensland Public Health Act (2005) and associated regulations (2005). Data from 2000 to 2017 inclusive was collected from the Notifiable Conditions Database, a laboratory based notification system that covers private and public laboratory systems. Pediatric population demographic data were obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics by researching the number of children 0-14 years of age in Queensland from 2000 to 2017; both annual and averaged population was determined. The statistical software SPSS and Tableau was used for analysis.
The mean age of diagnosis was 2.5 years with a majority of the cohort being women. Mycobacterium avium was the most commonly diagnosed pathogen. Geographic regions with the highest numbers of cases were predominantly tropical and coastal areas. M. haemophilum emerged as a more common pathogen from 2011 following a period of major flooding.
Characteristics of the cohort of children susceptible to NTM disease appears consistent with previous reports. However, changes in the epidemiology of NTM infection (such as incidence, species, and geographic distribution) in children may be linked to environmental and weather factors.
非结核分枝杆菌（NTM）广泛存在于环境中，是导致淋巴结炎、皮肤和软组织感染的常见原因。本研究旨在评估 2000 年至 2017 年期间澳大利亚昆士兰州儿童肺部外 NTM 感染的流行病学情况。
根据《昆士兰州公共卫生法》（2005 年）及其相关法规（2005 年），所有 NTM 和结核病病例都必须报告。本研究收集了 2000 年至 2017 年期间的所有数据，数据来源于传染病数据库，这是一个基于实验室的报告系统，涵盖了私人和公共实验室系统。儿科人群的人口统计学数据是通过澳大利亚统计局的研究获得的，该研究调查了 2000 年至 2017 年昆士兰州 0-14 岁儿童的数量；并确定了每年和平均的人口数量。统计分析使用了 SPSS 和 Tableau 软件。
诊断时的平均年龄为 2.5 岁，大多数患者为女性。最常见的病原体是鸟分枝杆菌。病例数量最多的地区主要是热带和沿海地区。自 2011 年发生大规模洪灾后，嗜血分枝杆菌成为更常见的病原体。
易患 NTM 疾病的儿童队列特征与之前的报告一致。然而，儿童 NTM 感染的流行病学变化（如发病率、物种和地理分布）可能与环境和天气因素有关。
