OVERVIEW OF RESPIRATORY INFECTION CAUSED BY NONTUBERCULOUS MYCOBACTERIA

• Published in: Kekkaku Vol. 82; no. 9; pp. 721 - 727
• Main Authors: HARANAGA, Shusaku, TATEYAMA, Masao, HIBIYA, Kenji, HIGA, Futoshi, FUJITA, Jiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: Japan JAPANESE SOCIETY FOR TUBERCULOSIS 01.09.2007
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; Azithromycin - therapeutic use; Clarithromycin - therapeutic use; Clinical features; Female; Humans; Immunocompromised Host; Mycobacterium avium Complex; Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection - classification; Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection - diagnosis; Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection - drug therapy; Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection - transmission; Non-tuberculous mycobacterium; Pathological findings; Radiological findings; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary - classification; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary - diagnosis; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary - therapy; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary - transmission
• ISSN: 0022-9776; 1884-2410
• DOI: 10.11400/kekkaku1923.82.721

Recently, the clinical importance of nontuberculous mycobacteria (especially, Mycobacterium avium complex [MAC] respiratory infection) has been increasing. In addition, an official ATS/IDSA statement about diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of nontuberculous mycobacterial diseases has been published in February, 2007. In this review article, essence of this official statement will be introduced. In MAC respiratory infection, i) primarily fibrocavitary disease, ii)nodular/bronchiectatic disease, and iii) hypersensitivity-like disease are identified, and i) and ii) are clinically important. Primarily fibrocavitary disease is characterized by cavitary lesions in upper lung fields in elderly subjects, smoking patients, or patients with pneumoconiosis. Nodular/bronchiectatic disease is characterized by centrilobular nodules and diffuse bronchiectases in the right middle lobe and the left lingula in middle-aged women. In addition, disseminated MAC disease in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome should be considered. Further studies concerning transmission route as well as mechanism of MAC disease should be performed.