Mycobacterium simiae pulmonary disease in Iran: systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Mycobacterium simiae is one of the most common nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) microorganisms causing lung disease in many countries in the world. A reliable estimate of the extent of M. simiae pulmonary disease has not been well investigated in Iran. We systematically searched multiple databases to identify relative studies. Studies were excluded if they did not use the American Thoracic Society (ATS) and Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) diagnostic criteria for NTM diseases. Data were extracted independently and in duplicate. We assessed pooled estimate by using a random model effect, and sources of heterogeneity were assessed by using Cochran's Q and the I2 statistic. The potential for publication bias was explored by using Begg's and Egger's tests. All analyses were conducted with Stata 14.0 (StataCorp, College Station, TX, USA). Of 172 articles identified, seven met the inclusion criteria. Of 355 patients who were culture positive for NTM, 82 had M. simiae pulmonary disease according to the ATS/IDSA diagnostic criteria. The pooled frequency of M. simiae pulmonary disease among patients with NTM was 25.0% (95% confidence interval, 16.8–33.2). No evidence of publication bias was observed among the included studies (p >0.05 for Begg's and Egger's tests). Clinical isolates of M. simiae are increasingly being recognized as a cause of pulmonary disease in Iran and need further attention by health authorities.

Emergence of multidrug-resistantMycobacterium simiae: An in vitro study from a regional tuberculosis reference laboratory in Iran

“…Based on the previous studies, 10 to 47% of the patients with NTM had true M. simiae infection [5,15,16]. We have recently indicated the clinical isolation of M. simiae by some studies in Iran, but the ecology behind this is not well understood [17]. We hypothesize that the high rate of M. simiae in Iran, may be due to the contamination of water supplies with this pathogen, a finding that was previously reported in studies conducted in Iran [18,19].…”

Mycobacterium simiae: Harmless colonizer or deadly pathogen?

“…In Lebanon, M. simiae represents 30% to 65% of isolated NTM over the past two decades [4]. A recent meta-analysis from Iran found that the pooled national prevalence of M. simiae among NTM is 25% [16].…”

Drug susceptibility profiling and genetic determinants of drug resistance in Mycobacterium simiae isolates obtained from regional tuberculosis reference laboratories of Iran

“…NTM infections are one of the important causes of death due to tuberculosis (TB) treatment failure [2]. Non-tuberculous mycobacteria which include about 200 known species are classified into two major groups, including slow-growing mycobacteria (SGM), and fast-growing mycobacteria (RGM), based on growth rate [1][2][3]. One of the most frequent NTM is Mycobacterium simiae (M. simiae) which has been recognized as an opportunistic pathogen and health concern in various areas throughout the world, including Iran [3,4].…”

“…Non-tuberculous mycobacteria which include about 200 known species are classified into two major groups, including slow-growing mycobacteria (SGM), and fast-growing mycobacteria (RGM), based on growth rate [1][2][3]. One of the most frequent NTM is Mycobacterium simiae (M. simiae) which has been recognized as an opportunistic pathogen and health concern in various areas throughout the world, including Iran [3,4]. M. simiae is a photochromogenic, slow-growing NTM that was first isolated from Cercopthecus aethiops and Macacus rhesus monkeys in 1965 [5][6][7].…”