- Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Infection
- NTM
- important cause of
- pulmonary and
- extrapulmonary infections.
- mostly caused by MAC, a group of
- Mycobacteria comprising
- M intracellulare and
- M avium
- radiologic features overlap with those of pulmonary TB.
- Others less frequently than MAC
-
- M kansasii, M fortuitum, M chelonae, M abscesus, M gordonae, M xenopi, an
- NTM pulmonary infections
- immunocompetent patients characterized by
- necrotizing granulomas containing
- AFB
- indistinguishable from MTb.
- NTM
- ubiquitous
- especially in soil and water,
- common contaminant of sputum
- PCR can be used to distinguish between
- MTb and NTM.
