Pulmonary Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Disease Prevalence and Clinical Features

Abstract

Respiratory NTM isolates frequently represent disease. Pulmonary NTM disease is not uncommon, particularly among elderly females. The ATS/IDSA microbiologic criteria are highly predictive of disease and could be useful for laboratory-based NTM disease surveillance.

Clinical and Therapeutic Features of Pulmonary Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Disease, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“…NTM have historically been associated with disease in male smokers with COPD ( 27 ). However, over the last 20 years, the epidemiology has been changing in some industrialized countries, particularly the United States, with most patients identified without known risk factors or with bronchiectasis, all in the context of declining rates of TB ( 5 , 6 ). …”

“…The current prevalence estimated for PNTM is ≈6 cases/100,000 population, with the highest prevalence in persons >50 years of age ( 4 – 6 ). In many developing countries with a high prevalence of TB, the prevalence of PNTM among immunocompetent persons remains unknown, largely because of the lack of routine culture and species identification from samples of persons with suspected cases.…”

Pulmonary disease caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria

“…In a statewide analysis of PNTM disease in Oregon, USA in the years [2005][2006], the prevalence of NTM was 8.6 per 100,000, with an age-adjusted prevalence of 20.4 per 100,000 in those at least 50 years old. In this cohort, the median age was 66 years, 59% were female, and MAC was identified in 87.5% of NTM cases [26,27]. Likewise, in a study sampling data from four diverse regions of the USA, NTM disease site-specific prevalence ranged from 1.4 to 6.6 per 100,000.…”

Microbiological criteria in non-tuberculous mycobacteria pulmonary disease: a tool for diagnosis and epidemiology

“…Laboratory-based surveillance may be the most cost-effective method for estimating the NTM disease burden over time. 11,12 Our previous study, using only ATS/IDSA microbiologic criteria or stricter microbiologic criteria estimated the incidence of NTM-PD in Croatia to 0.61 and 0.23 per 100 000 population, respectively. 13 The disease proved most prevalent in older populations with three-fold increase in NTM-PD incidence in persons older than 50 years.…”