Open AccessFrequency and clinical significance of respiratory isolates of non‐tuberculous mycobacteria in R iyadh, S audi A rabia
Author(s) -
ALHarbi Abdullah,
ALJahdali Hamdan,
ALJohani Sameera,
Baharoon Salim,
Bin Salih Salih,
Khan Mohammad
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
the clinical respiratory journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.789
H-Index - 33
eISSN - 1752-699X
pISSN - 1752-6981
DOI - 10.1111/crj.12202
Subject(s) - medicine , bronchiectasis , lung disease , nontuberculous mycobacteria , tuberculosis , lung , disease , clinical significance , respiratory system , population , respiratory disease , gastroenterology , mycobacterium , pathology , environmental health
Background and Aims The prevalence of pulmonary non‐tuberculous mycobacteria ( NTM ) disease is increasing worldwide. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency and clinical significance of NTM isolated from respiratory specimens at K ing A bdul‐ A ziz M edical C ity‐ R iyadh, S audi A rabia. Methods The medical records of all patients who had at least one respiratory specimen that was positive for growth of NTM between 2006 and 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. The clinical significance of the isolates was determined using the diagnostic criteria for NTM disease published by the A merican T horacic S ociety ( ATS ). Result A total of 380 respiratory specimens with positive culture for NTM from 142 patients were identified. Forty patients (28%) had definite pulmonary NTM disease with a mean (± standard deviation) age of 54 ± 16 years, 58% were male and 50% had had underlying chronic lung disease. M ycobacterium avium complex ( MAC ) ( n = 19, 48%) and M ycobacterium abscessus ( n = 10, 25%) were the most commonly encountered NTM . The clinical manifestations of NTM lung disease are non‐specific, with symptoms indistinguishable from pulmonary tuberculosis ( TB ). The most common radiological features of NTM lung disease were nodular bronchiectasis (45%) and fibrocavitary lesions (40%). Conclusions Twenty‐eight percent of the patients with NTM isolates met the ATS diagnostic criteria for NTM lung disease. MAC and M . abscessus were the most encountered NTM isolated species that caused NTM lung disease in our population, which is a rate similar to many previous studies.