Non-tuberculous mycobacteria in cystic fibrosis

Abstract

Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are environmental organisms found in soil and water throughout the world that can cause chronic lung infection, usually in the context of structural lung disease or immunodeficiency.1 There is considerable evidence that rates of NTM infection are increasing in patients with Cystic Fibrosis (CF).2 In contrast to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, NTM do not seem to be transmissible from person to person nor re-activate following latent infection.3 Observed increases in NTM infection in CF patients are therefore likely to reflect increased exposure and/or increased susceptibility to infection. This review aims to summarize the epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of NTM infection in CF patients focusing on the two most common mycobacterial groups causing disease: the M. avium-intracellulare complex (MAC) and the M. abscessus complex (MABSC).