Abstract
Pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infection is recognized as one of the most challenging infections to treat among cystic fibrosis patients. The source of NTM infection, modes of transmission, and exposure risks are poorly understood. Healthcare-associated transmission of Mycobacterium abscessus among cystic fibrosis patients has been suspected and is a growing concern for cystic fibrosis centers worldwide. This review describes our current understanding of prevention of healthcare-associated transmission of M. abscessus among patients with cystic fibrosis. Multiple healthcare-associated outbreaks of M. abscessus among cystic fibrosis patients within cystic fibrosis care centers have been reported. The percentage of patients involved in the reported outbreaks, as well as the perceived impact of patient-to-patient transmission varies dramatically between the reporting centers and population surveys. Several groups have now proposed M. abscessus-specific measures to limit future outbreaks. Improved NTM surveillance combined with a standardized, systematic approach to epidemiologic investigation of potential episodes of healthcare-associated transmission will help to reveal risk factors for NTM acquisition and inform future evidence-based infection prevention and control measures for patients with cystic fibrosis.
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