Summary
Nontuberculous
mycobacteria (NTM) are widely disseminated in the environment and an
emerging cause of infectious diseases worldwide. Their remarkable
natural resistance to disinfectants and antibiotics and an ability to
survive under low-nutrient conditions allows NTM to colonize and persist
in man-made environments such as household and hospital water
distribution systems. This overlap between human and NTM environments
afforded new opportunities for human exposure, and for expression of
their often neglected and underestimated pathogenic potential. Some risk
factors predisposing to NTM disease have been identified and are mainly
associated with immune fragilities of the human host. However,
infections in apparently immunocompetent persons are also increasingly
reported. The purpose of this review is to bring attention to this
emerging health problem in Portugal and Brazil and to emphasize the
urgent need for increased surveillance and more comprehensive
epidemiological data in both countries, where such information is scarce
and seriously thwarts the adoption of proper preventive strategies and
therapeutic options.
Keywords
- Nontuberculous mycobacteria;
- Emerging infections;
- Opportunistic pathogens;
- Mycobacterioses;
- Portugal;
- Brazil
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