Mycobacterial growth in liquid culture can go undetected by automated, nonradiometric growth detection systems. In our laboratory, instrument-negative tubes from the Bactec MGIT 960 system are inspected visually for clumps suggestive of mycobacterial growth, which (if present) are examined by acid-fast smear analysis. A 3-year review demonstrated that ∼1% of instrument-negative MGIT cultures co...

N ontuberculous mycobacteria rarely cause keratitis. Most reported cases have been described in compromised corneas (ie, after penetrating keratoplasty, refractive surgery, and contact lens wear). The most frequently recovered nontuberculous mycobacteria are the rapid growers, Mycobacterium fortuitum and Mycobacterium chelonae. Occasional cases of keratitis caused by the slower-growing Mycobact...

NTM are bacteria with a lipid-rich, impermeable outer membrane that results in slow growth, antibiotic-resistance, disinfectant-resistance (e.g., chlorine), acid-tolerance, and propensity to stick to pipe surfaces. The lipid-rich outer membrane is the major determinant of their ecology as: (1) NTM grow slowly because they use a great deal of energy to make the long chain fatty acids in the oute...

Mycobacterium kansasii is one of the most common cause of pulmonary diseases due to nontuberculous mycobacteria. We investigated the changing in the number of isolation of M. kansasii and the clinical characteristics of M. kansasii pulmonary disease in Korea. Through searching the database of the Korean Institute of Tuberculosis, we identified the cases of isolated M. kansasii from 1992 to 2002...

Effective and economical mycobactericidal disinfectants are needed to kill both Mycobacterium tuberculosis and non-M. tuberculosis mycobacteria. We found that acetic acid (vinegar) efficiently kills M. tuberculosis after 30 min of exposure to a 6% acetic acid solution. The activity is not due to pH alone, and propionic acid also appears to be bactericidal. M. bolletii and M. massiliense nontube...

RGM: rapidly growing mycobacteria INTRODUCTION Rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM) are defined as nontuberculous mycobacteria that show growth within 7 days. RGM are widely distributed in the environment, and several studies have identified RGM in tap water. The ability of RGM to form biofilm serves to increase virulence and augment their resistance to disinfection. In immunocompetent patients, ...

BACKGROUND Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are pathogens that commonly affect the paediatric population and its most frequent manifestation is a cervicofacial lymphadenopathy. With the improvement of technologies, new species have been recently identified. CASE PRESENTATION We report the first case of NMT lymphadenitis in a child caused by Mycobacterium marseillense, a newly described speci...

BACKGROUND Extraskeletal osteosarcomas (ESOS) of the mediastinum are extremely rare and may present with concurrent nontuberculous mycobacteria infection. CASE REPORT We present the second documented case of high-grade anterior mediastinal extraskeletal osteosarcoma in a 59-year-old man with a history of treated, latent tuberculosis (TB). Sputum samples grew Mycoplasma avium complex and Mycobac...

A new fluorescence in situ hybridization assay based on peptide nucleic acid probes (MTB and NTM probes targeting tuberculous and nontuberculous species, respectively) for the identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and differentiation between tuberculous and nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) was evaluated using Lowenstein-Jensen (LJ) solid cultures from 100 consecutive sputum samp...

Mycobacteria include obligate and opportunistic pathogens that cause significant human and animal disease. The burden of tuberculosis has been largely reduced in developed territories but remains a huge problem worldwide. The significance of nontuberculous mycobacteria is growing considerably, especially in developed regions with higher life expectancy and more therapy-related immunosuppressed ...