Molecular epidemiology of nontuberculous mycobacteria isolated from tuberculosis-suspected patients

• Published in: AMB Express Vol. 13; no. 1; pp. 49 - 9
• Main Authors: Tarashi, Samira, Sakhaee, Fatemeh, Masoumi, Morteza, Ghazanfari Jajin, Morteza, Siadat, Seyed Davar, Fateh, Abolfazl
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 18.05.2023; Springer Nature B.V; SpringerOpen
• Subjects: Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; Bronchiectasis; Clinical significance; Cough; Epidemiology; Gene sequencing; Heat shock proteins; Hsp65 protein; Life Sciences; Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Microbiology; Multilocus sequence typing; Mycobacterium canariasense; Mycobacterium chelonae; Mycobacterium jacuzzii; Mycobacterium simiae; Nontuberculous mycobacteria; Original; Original Article; RpoB protein; rRNA 16S; Signs and symptoms; Tuberculosis; Clinical significance; Nontuberculous mycobacteria; Mycobacterium chelonae; Mycobacterium jacuzzii; Mycobacterium simiae; Mycobacterium canariasense
• ISSN: 2191-0855; 2191-0855
• DOI: 10.1186/s13568-023-01557-4

It is a growing problem around the world to deal with nontuberculous mycobacteria infection (NTM), but its clinical significance is still largely unknown. This study aims to investigate the epidemiology of NTM infections from various clinical samples and determine their clinical significance. From December 2020 to December 2021, 6125 clinical samples were collected. In addition to phenotypic detection, genotypic detection through multilocus sequence typing ( hsp65 , rpoB , and 16S rDNA genes) and sequencing was also conducted. Records of patients were consulted for clinical information, such as symptoms and radiological findings. Of the 6,125 patients, 351 (5.7%) were positive for acid-fast bacteria (AFB). Out of 351 AFB, 289 (82.3%) and 62 (17.7%) subjects were identified as M. tuberculosis complex (MTC) and NTM strains, respectively. Isolates of Mycobacterium simiae and M. fortuitum were the most frequent, followed by isolates of M. kansasii and M. marinum . We also isolated M. chelonae , M. canariasense , and M. jacuzzii , which are rarely reported. Symptoms ( P  = 0.048), radiographic findings ( P  = 0.013), and gender ( P  = 0.039) were associated with NTM isolates. M. Fortuitum , M. simiae , and M. kansasii presented with bronchiectasis, infiltration, and cavitary lesions most frequently, while cough was the most common symptom. In conclusion, Mycobacterium simiae and M. fortuitum were presented in seventeen and twelve NTM isolates from the collected samples. There is evidence that NTM infections in endemic settings may contribute to the dissemination of various diseases and the control of tuberculosis. In spite of this, further research is needed to evaluate the clinical significance of NTM isolates.