PURPOSE To report national case-finding results for nontuberculous mycobacterial keratitis and describe its association with laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). DESIGN Enhanced passive disease reporting. METHODS In April 2001, we investigated a California cluster of Mycobacterium chelonae keratitis associated with hyperopic LASIK using a contact lens mask. To identify other possibly relat...

BACKGROUND Lung transplantation remains an important potential therapeutic option for end-stage lung disease. It can improve quality of life and in some cases be a life-lengthening therapy. Despite the possible benefits, there are also many potential complications following transplantation. Here we describe a novel presentation of nontuberculous mycobacterium manifesting as an endobronchial mas...

In a search for new skin test reagents specific for tuberculosis, we found that the antigen encoded by gene Rv3874 of Mycobacterium tuberculosis elicited delayed-type hypersensitivity in M. tuberculosis-infected guinea pigs but not in control animals immunized with Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) or Mycobacterium avium. The antigen, which was named MTSA-10 (for M. tuberculosi...

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the largest health problems in the world today. And the incidence of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) lung disease appears to be increasing worldwide. Recently, an automated, nucleic acid amplification assay for the rapid detection of both Mycobacterium tuberculosis and rifampin resistance was developed (Xpert MTB/RIF). And fixed-dose combinations of anti-TB drugs a...

exposure? After all, these are not called atypical mycobacteria for nothing.

In conclusion, it is important to realize that there is no "stand alone" assay for the identification of NTM. Many new species may not be recognized in all assays. Newer molecular tests are more accurate for identification than phenotypic tests and have significantly improved turnaround time. Clinical significance of an isolate should be determined, however, before committing resources for the ...

Although the roles of shape and pigmentation cues in face categorization have been studied in detail, the time-course of their processing has remained elusive. We measured participants' hand movements via the computer mouse en route to male or female responses (gender task) or young or old responses (age task) on the screen. Participants were presented with male and female faces (gender task) o...

To assess the species distribution and epidemiologic trends of nontuberculous mycobacteria, we examined isolates from patients in Taiwan. During 2000-2008, the proportion increased significantly from 32.3% to 49.8%. Associated disease incidence increased from 2.7 to 10.2 cases per 100,000 patients. Mycobacterium avium complex and M. abscessus were most frequently isolated.

MYCOBACTERIUM AVIUM complex (MAC) consists of nontuberculous mycobacteria that cause disease in immunocompromised and immunocompetent hosts. The organisms are ubiquitous in the environment, and acquisition occurs through ingestion or inhalation of aerosols from soil, water, or biofilms. Disease may manifest as disseminated infection, soft tissue infection, chronic pneumonia, or hypersensitivity...

OBJECTIVE Patients with cystic fibrosis are at great risk of infection by nontuberculous mycobacteria from the environment because of certain predisposing factors such as bronchiectasis, malnutrition, and diabetes. The aim of this study was to analyze the mycobacterial content of sputum smears and cultures from adult patients with cystic fibrosis attended at a specialized unit for adults from M...