Infections due to Mycobacterium leprae and Nontuberculous Mycobacteria

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael K Leonard Jr ◽  
Henry M Blumberg ◽  
Carlos Franco-Paredes

Mycobacterium leprae infection (i.e., leprosy) is a disease that has been recognized—and often misunderstood—since ancient times. The emergence of HIV/AIDS and the development of newer culture methodologies and molecular diagnostic tools have brought about increased interest in the epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of human infections from nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). More than 140 species of NTM have been identified; approximately 50 of these may be pathogenic for humans, causing a broad spectrum of disease. This chapter covers both M. leprae and selected NTM organisms, including M. avium complex; M. kansasii; M. marinum; and rapidly growing mycobacteria such as M. chelonae, M. fortuitum, and M. abscessus. The section on leprosy encompasses subsections on diagnosis, clinical manifestations and classification, laboratory studies, treatment, and leprosy reactions. Treatments for nontuberculous mycobacteria infections are also covered. Figures include a natural history of leprosy, tuberculoid leprosy, lepromatous leprosy, and various forms of borderline leprosy, as well as type 1 and type 2 leprosy reaction. Tables include the Ridley-Jopling classification of leprosy, recommendations for treatment of leprosy, clinical characteristics and treatment of leprosy, major clinical syndromes associated with nontuberculous mycobacterial infections, diagnosing nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease, a listing of slow and rapidly growing mycobacteria that are human pathogens, plus treatment regimens for selected nontuberculous mycobacterial infections in adults. This review contains 59 references.

2017 ◽  
Vol 07 (03) ◽  
pp. 042-048
Author(s):  
Gunimala Chakraborty ◽  
Indrani Karunasagar ◽  
Anirban Chakraborty

AbstractDelivery of quality healthcare in case of an infectious disease depends on how efficiently and how quickly the responsible pathogens are detected from the samples. Molecular methods can detect the presence of pathogens in a rapid and sensitive manner. Over the years, a number of such assays have been developed. However, these methods, although highly reliable and efficient, require use of expensive equipment, reagents, and trained personnel. Therefore, development of molecular assays that are simple, rapid, cost-effective, yet sensitive, is highly warranted to ensure efficient management or treatment strategies. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), a technique invented in the year 2000, is a novel method that amplifies DNA at isothermal conditions. Since its invention, this technique has been one of the most extensively used molecular diagnostic tools in the field of diagnostics offering rapid, accurate and cost-effective diagnosis of infectious diseases. Using the LAMP principle, many commercial kits have been developed in the last decade for a variety of human pathogens including bacteria, viruses and parasites. Currently LAMP assay is being considered as an effective diagnostic tool for use in developing countries because of its simple working protocol, allowing even an onsite application. The focus of this review is to describe the salient features of this technique the current status of development of LAMP assays with an emphasis on the pathogens of clinical significance.


1996 ◽  
Vol 30 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 819-830 ◽  
Author(s):  
David RP Guay

OBJECTIVE: To review the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment of nontuberculous mycobacterial infections other than Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC). DATA SOURCES: A MEDLINE search of English-language literature pertaining to nontuberculous mycobacteria other than MAC was performed. Additional literature was obtained from reference lists of pertinent articles identified through the search. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: All articles were considered for possible inclusion in the review. Information judged by the author to be pertinent was selected for discussion. DATA SYNTHESIS: Mycobacterial infections, including those caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria other than MAC, have assumed greater importance over the past decade, due in part to the changing spectrum of immunosuppression as manifested by organ transplantation and HIV infection. Many pathogenic nontuberculous mycobacteria have been identified that are associated with a wide variety of localized, organ-specific, and systemic infections. Of concern, these organisms exhibit variable, species-specific susceptibility to traditional antimycobacterial drugs and other antimicrobials. In addition, long treatment courses and adjunctive surgical therapy are often required to effect cure. Important antimicrobials for the management of these infections include cefoxitin, imipenem/cilastatin, aminoglycosides (other than streptomycin), tetracyclines, macrolides, and trimethoprim/ sulfamethoxazole, as well as traditional antimycobacterials. CONCLUSIONS: Nontuberculous mycobacteria have assumed an increasing role in disease etiology in both nonimmunocompromised and immunocompromised individuals. Advent of rapid diagnostic techniques and susceptibility testing has allowed the clinician to identify these organisms and initiate effective treatment on a more timely basis with an improved chance for cure. Few therapeutic agents are available for treatment of these infections, many of which are not considered classic antimycobacterials.


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah A McGuffin ◽  
Paul S Pottinger ◽  
James P Harnisch

Abstract Infection secondary to rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, especially in individuals with underlying structural lung disease or immune compromise. Such infections, particularly those caused by the Mycobacterium abscessus group, are challenging to treat due to high virulence, antibiotic resistance, and the lack of effective and tolerable therapies. Although novel antimycobacterials are under development, clofazimine—a drug historically administered as part of multidrug therapy regimens for Mycobacterium leprae—holds promise as a chemotherapeutic for the treatment of RGM. The history, pharmacologic properties of clofazimine, as well as in vitro and in vivo studies against RGM are described here and highlight a potential new niche for an old drug.


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Diego Henrique Moreira ◽  
Lorranne Dias Lima ◽  
Hernani Lopes Santana ◽  
Yasmin Pugliese ◽  
Osvaldo Pinto Neto ◽  
...  

A Hanseníase é um problema de saúde pública, devido a sua endemicidade em todo território brasileiro. Esta afecção crônica é causada pela Mycobacterium leprae, um bacilo álcool-ácido resistente, de alta infectividade e baixa patogenicidade. Relaciona-se com uma grande variedade de lesões cutâneas. O objetivo deste artigo é apresentar um caso de hanseníase virchowiana diagnosticado em fase avançada e com manifestações clínicas exuberantes; caso que, felizmente, é pouco comum, na atualidade.   Palavras-chave: Hanseníase. Hanseníase Virchowiana. Doenças endêmicas. Leprosy is a public health problem due to its endemicity throughout Brazil. This chronic disease is caused by Mycobacterium leprae, a bacillus resistant acid-high infectivity and low pathogenicity. It relates to a variety of skin lesions. The aim of this paper is to present a case of lepromatous leprosy diagnosed at an advanced stage and with exuberant clinical manifestations; case, fortunately, is not common today. Keywords: Leprosy. Leprosy, lepromatous. Endemic diseases.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. e0247423
Author(s):  
Hao Rong ◽  
Liping Wang ◽  
Liuying Gao ◽  
Yulu Fang ◽  
Qin Chen ◽  
...  

Human parechoviruses (HPeVs) are human pathogens that usually cause diseases ranging from rash to neonatal sepsis in young children. HPeV1 and HPeV3 are the most frequently reported genotypes and their three-dimensional structures have been determined. However, there is a lack of systematic research on the antigenic epitopes of HPeVs, which are useful for understanding virus-receptor interactions, developing antiviral agents or molecular diagnostic tools, and monitoring antigenic evolution. Thus, we systematically predicted and compared the conformational epitopes of HPeV1 and HPeV3 using bioinformatics methods in the study. The results showed that both epitopes clustered into three sites (sites 1, 2 and 3). Site 1 was located on the "northern rim" near the fivefold vertex; site 2 was on the "puff"; and site 3 was divided into two parts, of which one was located on the "knob" and the other was close to the threefold vertex. The predicted epitopes highly overlapped with the reported antigenic epitopes, which indicated that the prediction results were accurate. Although the distribution positions of the epitopes of HPeV1 and HPeV3 were highly consistent, the residues varied largely and determined the genotypes. Three amino acid residues, VP3-91N, -92H and VP0-257S, were the key residues for monoclonal antibody (mAb) AM28 binding to HPeV1 and were also of great significance in distinguishing HPeV1 and HPeV3. We also found that two residues, VP1-85N and -87D, might affect the capability of mAb AT12-015 to bind to HPeV3.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 2541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly To ◽  
Ruoqiong Cao ◽  
Aram Yegiazaryan ◽  
James Owens ◽  
Vishwanath Venketaraman

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are emerging human pathogens, causing a wide range of clinical diseases affecting individuals who are immunocompromised and who have underlying health conditions. NTM are ubiquitous in the environment, with certain species causing opportunistic infection in humans, including Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium abscessus. The incidence and prevalence of NTM infections are rising globally, especially in developed countries with declining incidence rates of M. tuberculosis infection. Mycobacterium avium, a slow-growing mycobacterium, is associated with Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infections that can cause chronic pulmonary disease, disseminated disease, as well as lymphadenitis. M. abscessus infections are considered one of the most antibiotic-resistant mycobacteria and are associated with pulmonary disease, especially cystic fibrosis, as well as contaminated traumatic skin wounds, postsurgical soft tissue infections, and healthcare-associated infections (HAI). Clinical manifestations of diseases depend on the interaction of the host’s immune response and the specific mycobacterial species. This review will give a general overview of the general characteristics, vulnerable populations most at risk, pathogenesis, treatment, and prevention for infections caused by Mycobacterium avium, in the context of MAC, and M. abscessus.


Author(s):  
IV Petrov ◽  
TKh Amirova ◽  
LV Petrova ◽  
FS Petrova

Introduction: Healthcare-associated infections are of great socio-economic importance and are characterized by a large number of different pathogens. Nontuberculous mycobacteria are ubiquitous microorganisms that can circulate in a medical organization. The purpose of this review of epidemiologic studies was to establish the main features of mycobacteriosis as a healthcare-associated infection, taking into account the significance of the results and the compliance of the reviewed studies with the criteria of evidence-based medicine. Methods: We did a key word search for “nontuberculous mycobacteria”, “healthcare-associated infections”, and “mycobacteriosis” in several electronic bibliographic databases including Web of Science, PubMed, eLIBRARY, and ResearchGate and selected 127 out of 342 search results. Having analyzed the selected articles, we decided to include 34 of them in this study according to the topic of work. We established that nontuberculous mycobacteria can be found in various objects of health facilities, e.g. water supply systems, medical products and equipment. We also found that mycobacterial infection of nosocomial etiology could have various clinical manifestations (arthritis, keratitis, circulatory and skin diseases, etc.) determined by various aspects, such as heterogeneity of the group of nontuberculous mycobacteria, portals of entry (surgical procedures on various organs and systems of the human body, etc.), pathways of exposure and transmission factors. Resistance of nontuberculous mycobacteria to a number of disinfectants is a special question defining the importance of profound research in terms of ensuring sanitary and anti-epidemic (disinfection) safety within health facilities. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that mycobacterial infection can be considered as a healthcare-associated infection requiring an in-depth assessment from various perspectives including a microbiological monitoring of medical objects, statistical accounting of nosocomial infections, and clinical alertness in the diagnosis of mycobacteriosis by attending physicians and bacteriologists, etc.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 204993612110337
Author(s):  
Diego-Abelardo Álvarez-Hernández ◽  
Rodolfo García-Rodríguez-Arana ◽  
Alejandro Ortiz-Hernández ◽  
Mariana Álvarez-Sánchez ◽  
Meng Wu ◽  
...  

Introduction: Chagas disease (CD) is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. When acquired, the disease develops in stages. For diagnosis, laboratory confirmation is required, and an extensive assessment of the patient’s health should be performed. Treatment consists of the administration of trypanocidal drugs, which may cause severe adverse effects. The objective of our systematic review was to analyze data contained in the CD published case reports to understand the challenges that patients and clinicians face worldwide. Materials and methods: We performed a systematic review following the PRISMA guidance. PubMed database was explored using the terms ‘American trypanosomiasis’ or ‘Chagas disease’. Results were limited to human case reports written in English or Spanish. A total of 258 reports (322 patients) were included in the analysis. Metadata was obtained from each article. Following this, it was analyzed to obtain descriptive measures. Results: From the sample, 56.2% were males and 43.8% were females. Most cases were from endemic countries (85.4%). The most common clinical manifestations were fever during the acute stage (70.0%), dyspnea during the chronic stage in its cardiac form (53.7%), and constipation during the chronic stage in its digestive form (73.7%). Most patients were diagnosed in the chronic stage (72.0%). Treatment was administered in 56.2% of cases. The mortality rate for the acute stage cases was 24.4%, while for the chronic stage this was 28.4%. Discussion: CD is a parasitic disease endemic to Latin America, with increasing importance due to human and vector migration. In this review, we report reasons for delays in diagnosis and treatment, and trends in medical practices. Community awareness must be increased to improve CD’s diagnoses; health professionals should be appropriately trained to detect and treat infected individuals. Furthermore, public health policies are needed to increase the availability of screening and diagnostic tools, trypanocidal drugs, and, eventually, vaccines.


3 Biotech ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Domenico Rizzo ◽  
Nicola Luchi ◽  
Daniele Da Lio ◽  
Linda Bartolini ◽  
Francesco Nugnes ◽  
...  

AbstractThe red-necked longhorn beetle Aromia bungii (Faldermann, 1835) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is native to east Asia, where it is a major pest of cultivated and ornamental species of the genus Prunus. Morphological or molecular discrimination of adults or larval specimens is required to identify this invasive wood borer. However, recovering larval stages of the pest from trunks and branches causes extensive damage to plants and is timewasting. An alternative approach consists in applying non-invasive molecular diagnostic tools to biological traces (i.e., fecal pellets, frass). In this way, infestations in host plants can be detected without destructive methods. This paper presents a protocol based on both real-time and visual loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), using DNA of A. bungii extracted from fecal particles in larval frass. Laboratory validations demonstrated the robustness of the protocols adopted and their reliability was confirmed performing an inter-lab blind panel. The LAMP assay and the qPCR SYBR Green method using the F3/B3 LAMP external primers were equally sensitive, and both were more sensitive than the conventional PCR (sensitivity > 103 to the same starting matrix). The visual LAMP protocol, due to the relatively easy performance of the method, could be a useful tool to apply in rapid monitoring of A. bungii and in the management of its outbreaks.


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