Nontuberculous Mycobacteria News and Research

RSS

Just as with plants, germs are segregated into a variety of categories, known as families. The Mycobacteriaceae family represents one family of bacteria. Several species exist in the Mycobacteriaceae family but only certain species, known as pathogenic Mycobacteriaceae, can lead to the onset of human disease. Other species, termed saprophytic Mycobacteriaceae, do not lead to the onset of human disease or illness.

Inhaled steroid use linked to greater risk of NTM lung infections

Patients using inhaled steroids to control asthma and other breathing problems may be at greater risk for developing nontuberculous mycobacteria lung infections, according to new research published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

17 Sep 2018

Understanding the rise in NTM infections

It is important to keep in mind that nontuberculous mycobacteria are environmental, and so unlike mycobacterial tuberculosis, generally this is not a person to person transmitted disease. The organisms are found universally in water and soil and so most people are exposed on a daily basis.

16 Aug 2017

DNA links deadly germs, tainted heart surgery devices to German factory

Contamination at a German factory that makes crucial machines used during open-heart surgery is the likely source of a global outbreak of deadly infections tied to the devices, the largest analysis to date shows.

12 Jul 2017

New analysis shows high mortality and financial burden for pulmonary disease due to non-tuberculosis mycobacterium (NTM)

The first European study into the burden of non-tuberculosis mycobacterium pulmonary disease (NTM-PD), published today in the European Respiratory Journal, has revealed that both the 3-year all-cause mortality rate and financial burden for patients with the disease is almost four times higher than a matched control group.

2 May 2017

NTM lung infections

Nontuberculous mycobacteria are part of a group of bacteria called mycobacteria. The non-tuberculous mycobacteria are, as the name suggests, mycobacteria that are not tuberculosis. They're also not leprosy, but they are the other members of the bacteria group termed mycobacteria.

23 Nov 2016

Getting drugs to bugs in NTM lung infections: an interview with Dr Jakko van Ingen

The first thing that is important to stress is that this is an area that we actually know very little about. What we generally think, rather than know, is that NTM has a lot in common with pulmonary tuberculosis.

17 Nov 2016

New ultra-fast molecular method can help detect mycobacterial pathogens in the lungs

What used to take several weeks is now possible in two days: Thanks to new molecular-based methods, mycobacterial pathogens that cause pulmonary infections or tuberculosis can now be detected much more quickly.

24 Jun 2016

ICS users may be at greater risk for nontuberculous mycobacteria pulmonary disease

Patients with obstructive lung disease who take inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) may be at greater risk for nontuberculous mycobacteria pulmonary disease (NTM PD), according to new research presented at the ATS 2016 International Conference.

19 May 2016

Mayo Clinic Center for Tuberculosis introduces new medical journal

The Mayo Clinic Center for Tuberculosis, a regional training and consultation center at Mayo Clinic's campus in Rochester, Minn, is today launching a new medical journal, the Journal of Clinical Tuberculosis and Other Mycobacterial Diseases.

25 Mar 2015

Aradigm reports record revenue of $4.6M in fourth quarter 2013

Aradigm Corporation (the "Company") today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2013.

13 Mar 2014

Scientists find certain species of nontuberculous mycobacteria in water that cause infection in humans

Brisbane's water supply has been found to contain disease carrying bugs which can be directly linked to infections in some patients, according to a new study by QUT.

3 Mar 2014

Tall, thin women face increased risk of infection with nontuberculous mycobacteria

Tall, thin women face a greater risk of infection with nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), cousins of the organism that causes tuberculosis, according to researchers at National Jewish Health. Women with NTM infections also showed a weakened immune response associated with their fat cells, in a paper published in the Jan. 15, 2013, issue of The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care.

23 Jan 2013

COPDF announces expansion of Bronchiectasis Research Registry

The COPD Foundation (COPDF) today announced expansion of its Bronchiectasis Research Registry to include patients with Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM), an often misdiagnosed orphan disease that can cause severe lung infections that mimic tuberculosis when certain individuals are exposed to soil and water.

12 Jan 2012

Azithromycin may predispose cystic fibrosis patients to mycobacterial infection

Azithromycin is an antibiotic that also has antiinflammatory properties. It is these antiinflammatory properties that are thought to account for the improvement in clinical outcome observed when patients with chronic lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis are treated long-term with azithromycin.

2 Aug 2011

Important updates on spondyloarthritis highlighted at 2010 SPARTAN meeting

Spondyloarthritis is a group of inflammatory conditions causing spine and joint pain and deformity, mostly in young men. Important updates on the epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of SpA are presented in the April issue of The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, official journal of the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation.

31 Mar 2011

FDA clears Insmed IND for ARIKACE Phase 3 clinical trial in nontuberculous mycobacteria lung infections

Insmed Incorporated, a biopharmaceutical company, announced today that the Company's Investigational New Drug Application (IND) to conduct a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial of ARIKACE™ (liposomal amikacin for inhalation) in nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) lung infections has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

21 Mar 2011

USPTO issues composition of matter patent for Transave's ARIKACE

Transave Inc. today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued an important composition of matter patent (U.S. Patent No. 7,718,189) for liposomal aminoglycoside formulations including its lead compound, ARIKACE™ (liposomal amikacin for inhalation). The company expects that the patent will provide exclusivity for ARIKACE until October 1, 2026.

25 May 2010

NTMs: Rising cause of severe lung diseases

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are environmental organisms found in both water and soil that can cause severe pulmonary (lung) disease in humans. Pulmonary NTM is on the rise in the United States, according to a large study of people hospitalized with the condition.

25 Sep 2009

New diagnostic test for latent tuberculosis introduced

The Tuberculin skin test, used to detect latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, has many drawbacks and a new diagnostic test for latent tuberculosis (QuantiFERON®-TB) has recently been introduced.

17 Apr 2004