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Infections and Outbreaks of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria in Hospital Settings

  • Treatment and Prevention of Hospital Infections (D Vilar-Compte, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Treatment Options in Infectious Diseases Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

Nontuberculous 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 Findings

NTM 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 grower M. 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.

Summary

Diagnosis 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.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    Angel N. Desai MD & Rocío M. Hurtado MD, DTM, H

  2. Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Rocío M. Hurtado MD, DTM, H

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  1. Angel N. Desai MD
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Correspondence to Rocío M. Hurtado MD, DTM, H.

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Dr. Desai and Dr. Hurtado declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Treatment and Prevention of Hospital Infections

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Desai, A.N., Hurtado, R.M. Infections and Outbreaks of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria in Hospital Settings. Curr Treat Options Infect Dis 10, 169–181 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40506-018-0165-9

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