The genus Mycobacterium includes human pathogens (Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae) and environmental organisms known as non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) that, when associated with biomaterials and chronic disease, can cause human infections. A common pathogenic factor of mycobacteria is the formation of biofilms. Various molecules are involved in this process, including gl...

Inflammation of subcutaneous tissue (panniculitis) may occur in association with tuberculosis, but so far only three cases of non-tuberculous mycobacteria-related lobular panniculitis have been reported. We describe two new cases with marked cellular immunity failure due to hypercorticism. Clinical presentation did not differ significantly from lobular panniculitis of other aetiologies. Histolo...

Linezolid, an oxazolidinone that acts by inhibiting protein synthesis, was evaluated in strains of tuberculosis and non-tubercular mycobacteria resistant to one or more drugs isolated in northern Sardinia. The in vitro activity of Linezolid (Pfizer) was assessed on different isolates of Mycobacterium spp. from clinical samples by the Proportional Method. Linezolid demonstrated an excellent acti...

This prospective study evaluated the non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) cases of lymphadenitis. A total of 76 isolates of mycobacteria were obtained from 200 lymph node aspirates suspected of tuberculosis, 74 of which were Mycobacterium tuberculosis, one was Mycobacterium fortuitum and one Mycobacterium kansasii. These results highlight the importance of NTM in HIV-negative patients as a case o...

BACKGROUND A retrospective study was carried out to confirm the clinical impression that, in Lothian, non-tuberculous mycobacterial infections are as common as pulmonary tuberculosis. METHODS All pulmonary isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis/bovis and non-tuberculous mycobacteria in Scotland from April 1990 to March 1993, and the notes of all patients with M malmoense isolates in Lothian, ...

Non-tuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM), as certain species of mycobacteria, can affect human in several ways. In the preceding years, the rate of NTM detection has risen in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients. On the other hand, several reports have debated the possibility of co-infection of both Mycobcateriu tuberculosis (MTB) and NTM in individuals that puts the role of NTM in di...

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are environmental opportunistic pathogens of humans and animals that emerging with a serious public health impact particularly in individuals Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndromes. Recent scientific evidence is shifting from NTMs being known as traditional organisms to pathogenic both humans. In humans, factors attributable this rise have been linked mainly Human...

In a 2-year prospective study of tuberculosis (TB) patients in China, the prevalences of non-Beijing strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis varied between Shandong Province (20.6%), Shanghai (27.6%), and Sichuan Province (45.9%) (P < 0.005). These differences may be due to factors such as human migration, transmission, or diversification and adaptation of the mycobacteria to different hosts.

Mycobacteria are a large group of microorganisms, multiple species of which are major causes of morbidity and mortality, such as tuberculosis and leprosy. At present, the emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex are one of the most serious health problems worldwide. Furthermore, in contrast to M. tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae, non-tubercu...

We evaluated the usefulness of PCR assays that target the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region for identifying mycobacteria at the species level. The conservative and species-specific ITS sequences of 33 species of mycobacteria were analyzed in a multialignment analysis. One pair of panmycobacterial primers and seven pairs of mycobacterial species-specific primers were designed. All PCRs we...