Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Oct;16(10):1576-83.
doi: 10.3201/eid1610.091201.

Changing epidemiology of pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacteria infections

Rachel M Thomson  1 ; NTM working group at Queensland TB Control Centre and Queensland Mycobacterial Reference Laboratory
Affiliations

Changing epidemiology of pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacteria infections

Rachel M Thomson et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2010 Oct.

Abstract

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) disease is a notifiable condition in Queensland, Australia. Mycobacterial isolates that require species identification are forwarded to the Queensland Mycobacterial Reference Laboratory, providing a central opportunity to capture statewide data on the epidemiology of NTM disease. We compared isolates obtained in 1999 and 2005 and used data from the Queensland notification scheme to report the clinical relevance of these isolates. The incidence of notified cases of clinically significant pulmonary disease rose from 2.2 (1999) to 3.2 (2005) per 100,000 population. The pattern of disease has changed from predominantly cavitary disease in middle-aged men who smoke to fibronodular disease in elderly women. Mycobacterium intracellulare is the main pathogen associated with the increase in isolates speciated in Queensland.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Changes in frequency of isolation for slow-growing (SG) nontuberculous mycobacteria (absolute numbers), Queensland, Australia, 1999 and 2005. MAC, Mycobacterium avium complex.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Changes in frequency of isolation for rapid-growing nontuberculous mycobacteria (absolute numbers), Queensland, Australia, 1999 and 2005.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Age-adjusted rates for cases of nontuberculous mycobacteria disease among women (A), men (B), and all residents (C), Queensland, Australia, 1999 and 2005. *p = 0.0005; †p = 0.030; ‡p<0.005; §p = 0.057.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Changes in the radiologic appearance of cases of nontuberculous mycobacteria disease, Queensland, Australia, 1999 and 2005.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Henry MT, Inamdar L, O'Riordain D, Schweiger M, Watson JP. Nontuberculous mycobacteria in non-HIV patients: epidemiology, treatment and response. Eur Respir J. 2004;23:741–6. 10.1183/09031936.04.00114004 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Marras TK, Daley CL. Epidemiology of human pulmonary infection with nontuberculous mycobacteria. Clin Chest Med. 2002;23:553–67. 10.1016/S0272-5231(02)00019-9 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Marras TK, Chedore P, Ying AM, Jamieson F. Isolation prevalence of pulmonary non-tuberculous mycobacteria in Ontario, 1997–2003. Thorax. 2007;62:661–6. 10.1136/thx.2006.070797 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Thomson RM, Yew WW. When and how to treat pulmonary non-tuberculous mycobacterial diseases. Respirology. 2009;14:12–26. 10.1111/j.1440-1843.2008.01408.x - DOI - PubMed
    1. Levin DL. Radiology of pulmonary Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex. Clin Chest Med. 2002;23:603–12. 10.1016/S0272-5231(02)00009-6 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources