Abstract
We documented a 6-fold increase in the frequency of nontuberculous mycobacteria isolated from clinical samples in Botswana during 2011–2014. Because antituberculosis treatment is often initiated only on the basis of acid-fast bacilli smear-positive microscopy results, some patients with nontuberculous mycobacterial infections might have received inappropriate treatment.
Highlights
We documented a 6-fold increase in the frequency of nontuberculous mycobacteria isolated from clinical samples in Botswana during 2011–2014
In Botswana, as in many other developing countries, patients with acid-fast bacilli–positive sputum are presumed to be infected with M. tuberculosis and are treated with antituberculosis agents [4], even though acid-fast bacilli smear microscopy does not distinguish between M. tuberculosis and Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), and most antituberculosis drugs might not be effective against NTM [5]
We observed a high occurrence of NTM in patients 35– 54 years of age
Summary
We documented a 6-fold increase in the frequency of nontuberculous mycobacteria isolated from clinical samples in Botswana during 2011–2014. This observation, along with the number of increasing reports of NTM worldwide [1,4,6,7,8,9], prompted this study. The Study During October 2015, we retrospectively analyzed 36,242 electronic records from 2011–2014 that were stored at the National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory (Gaborone, Botswana) (Table). Author affiliations: National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory, Gaborone, Botswana
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