Infections and Outbreaks of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria in Hospital Settings

AbstractPurpose of ReviewNontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infections in the hospital setting are a complex and often challenging entity. The goal of this review is to discuss diagnostic and treatment strategies for established as well as emerging nosocomial NTM infections.Recent FindingsNTM outbreaks have been documented in a variety of hospital settings. Contamination of medical devices or aqueous solutions is often implicated in the spread of infection. More recently, the slow growerM. chimaera has been reported in the setting of contaminated heater-cooler devices used for cardiopulmonary bypass and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. In addition, increases in medical tourism for cosmetic surgery have led to outbreaks of rapidly growing mycobacteria.SummaryDiagnosis and treatment of nosocomial NTM pose many challenges for the clinician. Surgical resection or debridement as well as combination antimycobacterial therapy is a mainstay in therapeutic management. Strict infection control and prevention practices are critical to the identification and cessation of outbreaks.
Source: Current Treatment Options in Infectious Diseases - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research