-
Gut Pathogens Oct 2023Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is the causative agent of paratuberculosis, a chronic gastrointestinal disease affecting ruminants. This disease...
Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is the causative agent of paratuberculosis, a chronic gastrointestinal disease affecting ruminants. This disease remains widespread in part due to the limitations of available diagnostics and vaccines. A representative small animal model of disease could act as a valuable tool for studying its pathogenesis and to develop new methods for paratuberculosis control, but current models are lacking. Streptomycin pre-treatment can reduce colonization resistance and has previously been shown to improve enteric infection in a Salmonella model. Here, we investigated whether streptomycin pre-treatment of mice followed by MAP gavage could act as a model of paratuberculosis which mimics the natural route of infection and disease development in ruminants. The infection outcomes of MAP were compared to M. avium subsp. hominissuis (MAH), an environmental mycobacterium, and M. bovis and M. orygis, two tuberculous mycobacteria. Streptomycin pre-treatment was shown to consistently improve bacterial infection post-oral inoculation. This model led to chronic MAP infection of the intestines and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs) up to 24-weeks post-gavage, however there was no evidence of inflammation or disease. These infection outcomes were found to be specific to MAP. When the model was applied to a bacterium of lesser virulence MAH, the infection was comparatively transient. Mice infected with bacteria of greater virulence, M. bovis or M. orygis, developed chronic intestinal and MLN infection with pulmonary disease similar to zoonotic TB. Our findings suggest that a streptomycin pre-treatment mouse model could be applied to future studies to improve enteric infection with MAP and to investigate other modifications underlying MAP enteritis.
PubMed: 37789445
DOI: 10.1186/s13099-023-00573-w -
American Journal of Respiratory and... May 2024complex (MAC) is the most common cause of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) pulmonary disease (PD), which exhibits increasing global incidence. Current microbiologic...
complex (MAC) is the most common cause of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) pulmonary disease (PD), which exhibits increasing global incidence. Current microbiologic methods routinely used in clinical practice lack sensitivity and have long latencies, leading to delays in diagnosis and treatment initiation and evaluation. A clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-based assay that measures MAC cell-free DNA (cfDNA) concentrations in serum could provide a rapid means to detect MAC infection and monitor response to antimicrobial treatment. To develop and optimize a CRISPR MAC assay for MAC infection detection and to evaluate its diagnostic and prognostic performance in two MAC disease cohorts. MAC cfDNA serum concentrations were measured in individuals with diagnoses of MAC disease or who had bronchiectasis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease diagnoses without histories of NTM PD or NTM-positive sputum cultures. Diagnostic performance was analyzed using pretreatment serum from two cohorts. Serum MAC cfDNA changes during MAC PD treatment were evaluated in a subset of patients with MAC PD who received macrolide-based multidrug regimens. The CRISPR MAC assay detected MAC cfDNA in MAC PD with 97.6% (91.6-99.7%) sensitivity and 97.6% (91.5-99.7%) specificity overall. Serum MAC cfDNA concentrations markedly decreased after MAC-directed treatment initiation in patients with MAC PD who demonstrated MAC culture conversion. This study provides preliminary evidence for the utility of a serum-based CRISPR MAC assay to rapidly detect MAC infection and monitor the response to treatment.
Topics: Humans; Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection; Female; Male; Cell-Free Nucleic Acids; Mycobacterium avium Complex; Aged; Middle Aged; DNA, Bacterial; Sensitivity and Specificity; Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats; Cohort Studies; Anti-Bacterial Agents
PubMed: 38190702
DOI: 10.1164/rccm.202303-0401OC -
Frontiers in Immunology 2023Controlling pulmonary complex (MAC) disease is difficult because there is no way to know the clinical stage accurately. There have been few attempts to use...
INTRODUCTION
Controlling pulmonary complex (MAC) disease is difficult because there is no way to know the clinical stage accurately. There have been few attempts to use cell-mediated immunity for diagnosing the stage. The objective of this study was to characterize cytokine profiles of CD4+T and CD19+B cells that recognize various -associated antigens in different clinical stages of MAC.
METHODS
A total of 47 MAC patients at different stages based on clinical information (14 before-treatment, 16 on-treatment, and 17 after-treatment) and 17 healthy controls were recruited. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were cultured with specific antigens (MAV0968, 1160, 1276, and 4925), and the cytokine profiles (IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-2, IL-10, IL-13, and IL-17) of CD4+/CD3+ and CD19+ cells were analyzed by flow cytometry.
RESULTS
The response of Th1 cytokines such as IFN-γ and TNF-α against various antigens was significantly higher in both the on-treatment and after-treatment groups than in the before-treatment group and control (P < 0.01-0.0001 and P < 0.05-0.0001). An analysis of polyfunctional T cells suggested that the presence of IL-2 is closely related to the stage after the start of treatment (P = 0.0309-P < 0.0001) and is involved in memory function. Non-Th1 cytokines, such as IL-10 and IL-17, showed significantly higher responses in the before-treatment group (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.01-0.0001). These responses were not observed with purified protein derivative (PPD). CD19+B cells showed a response similar to that of CD4+T cells.
CONCLUSION
There is a characteristic cytokine profile at each clinical stage of MAC.
Topics: Humans; Mycobacterium avium Complex; Interleukin-10; Interleukin-17; Interleukin-2; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; Leukocytes, Mononuclear; Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection; Cytokines; Lung Diseases
PubMed: 37520555
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1222428 -
Microbiology Spectrum Aug 2023subsp. (MAP) causes Johne's Disease (JD) in ruminants, which is responsible for significant economic loss to the global dairy industry. Mixed strain infection (MSI)...
subsp. (MAP) causes Johne's Disease (JD) in ruminants, which is responsible for significant economic loss to the global dairy industry. Mixed strain infection (MSI) refers to the concurrent infection of a susceptible host with genetically distinct strains of a pathogen, whereas within-host changes in an infecting strain leading to genetically distinguishable progeny is called microevolution. The two processes can influence host-pathogen dynamics, disease progression and outcomes, but not much is known about their prevalence and impact on JD. Therefore, we obtained up to 10 MAP isolates each from 14 high-shedding animals and subjected them to whole-genome sequencing. Twelve of the 14 animals examined showed evidence for the presence of MSIs and microevolution, while the genotypes of MAP isolates from the remaining two animals could be attributed solely to microevolution. All MAP isolates that were otherwise isogenic had differences in short sequence repeats (SSRs), of which SSR1 and SSR2 were the most diverse and homoplastic. Variations in SSR1 and SSR2, which are located in and , respectively, affect the genetic reading frame, leading to protein products with altered sequences and computed structures. The ORF1 gene product is predicted to be a MAP surface protein with possible roles in host immune modulation, but nothing could be inferred regarding the function of ORF2. Both genes are conserved in complex members, but SSR1-based modulation of reading frames seems to only occur in MAP, which could have potential implications on the infectivity of this pathogen. IMPORTANCE Johne's disease (JD) is a major problem in dairy animals, and concerns have been raised regarding the association of subsp. (MAP) with Crohn's disease in humans. MAP is an extremely slow-growing bacterium with low genome evolutionary rates. Certain short sequence repeats (SSR1 and SSR2) in the MAP chromosome are highly variable and evolve at a faster rate than the rest of the chromosome. In the current study, multiple MAP isolates with genetic variations such as single-nucleotide polymorphisms, and more noticeably, diverse SSRs, could simultaneously infect animals. Variations in SSR1 and SSR2 affect the products of the respective genes containing them. Since multiple MAP isolates can infect the same animal and the possibility that the pathogen undergoes further changes within the host due to unstable SSRs, this could provide a compensative mechanism for an otherwise slow-evolving pathogen to increase phenotypic diversity for overcoming host responses.
PubMed: 37584606
DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01716-23 -
Epidemiology of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria in Tuberculosis suspects, Southwest of China, 2017-2022.Frontiers in Cellular and Infection... 2023This study summarizes the epidemiological characteristics, species distribution, and drug sensitivity of clinical nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) isolates at the...
OBJECTIVES
This study summarizes the epidemiological characteristics, species distribution, and drug sensitivity of clinical nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) isolates at the Public Health Clinical Center of Chengdu, China, from January 2017 to December 2022.
METHODS
We retrospectively analyzed data from patients with clinically isolated NTM strains. Chi-square analysis assessed the rate of strain isolation over 6 years.
RESULTS
The number of samples tested for (MTB) and/or NTM increased each year, while MTB detection decreased and NTM detection rose significantly each year (P=0.03). The average age of NTM patients was 51 ± 17.53 years, with a 14.1% HIV infection rate. The predominant isolates were (MAC) and /, with 96.4% of cases being of Han ethnicity. Amikacin, moxifloxacin, and clarithromycin were effective against and ; linezolid, amikacin, and cefoxitin were effective against /. Over 90% of NTM cases originated from the respiratory tract.
CONCLUSION
The NTM isolation rate in Southwest China has risen in recent years, primarily among elderly patients with a high HIV co-infection rate. The main NTM isolates were MAC and /. Amikacin, moxifloxacin, clarithromycin, and linezolid exhibited strong antibacterial activity against SGM, while amikacin and linezolid displayed relatively better antibacterial activity against RGM. The prevalence of NTM infection may be positively associated with regional economic development and health conditions.
Topics: Humans; Aged; Adult; Middle Aged; Nontuberculous Mycobacteria; Clarithromycin; Amikacin; Linezolid; HIV Infections; Moxifloxacin; Retrospective Studies; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous; Tuberculosis; China; Microbial Sensitivity Tests
PubMed: 38029240
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1282902 -
Emerging Infectious Diseases Jul 2023We measured annual prevalence of microbiologically defined nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease in Ontario, Canada. Mycobacterium avium prevalence was 13...
We measured annual prevalence of microbiologically defined nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease in Ontario, Canada. Mycobacterium avium prevalence was 13 cases/100,000 persons in 2020, a 2.5-fold increase from 2010, indicating a large increase in true M. avium lung disease. During the same period, M. xenopi decreased nearly 50%, to 0.84 cases/100,000 persons.
Topics: Humans; Nontuberculous Mycobacteria; Ontario; Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous; Lung; Lung Diseases
PubMed: 37347810
DOI: 10.3201/eid2907.230216 -
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy Nov 2023Rifampicin is recommended for the treatment of complex pulmonary disease alongside azithromycin and ethambutol. We evaluated the azithromycin-ethambutol backbone with...
Rifampicin is recommended for the treatment of complex pulmonary disease alongside azithromycin and ethambutol. We evaluated the azithromycin-ethambutol backbone with and without rifampicin in an intracellular hollow fiber model and performed RNA sequencing to study the differences in adaptation. In an hollow fiber experiment, we simulated epithelial lining fluid pharmacokinetic profiles of the recommended 3-drug (rifampicin, ethambutol, and azithromycin) or a 2-drug (ethambutol and azithromycin) treatment. THP-1 cells infected with ATCC700898 were exposed to these regimens for 21 days. We determined intra- and extra-cellular bacterial load- and THP-1 cell densities on days 0, 3, 7, 14, and 21, alongside RNA sequencing. The emergence of macrolide resistance was studied by inoculating intra- and extra-cellular fractions of azithromycin-containing Middlebrook 7H10 agar plates. Complete pharmacokinetic profiles were determined at days 0 and 21. Both therapies maintained stasis of both intra- and extra-cellular bacterial populations for 3 days, whilst regrowth coinciding with the emergence of a macrolide-resistant subpopulation was seen after 7 days. THP-1 cell density remained static. Similar transcriptional profiles were observed for both therapies that were minimally influenced by exposure duration. Transcriptional response was slightly larger during 2-drug treatment. Rifampicin did not add to the antimycobacterial effect to the 2-drug therapy or suppression of emergence resistance. RNA transcription was not greatly altered by the addition of rifampicin, which may be due to strong transcriptional influence of azithromycin and host cells. This questions the role of rifampicin in the currently recommended therapy. These findings should be confirmed in clinical trials.
Topics: Humans; Rifampin; Mycobacterium avium; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Ethambutol; Azithromycin; Macrolides; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Mycobacterium avium Complex; Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection; Lung Diseases
PubMed: 37877693
DOI: 10.1128/aac.00874-23 -
Respiratory Medicine Oct 2023Macrolide-resistant Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) disease is very difficult to cure. Macrolide-resistance emerges in patients and is largely preventable by...
BACKGROUND
Macrolide-resistant Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) disease is very difficult to cure. Macrolide-resistance emerges in patients and is largely preventable by appropriate screening and treatment practices.
METHODS
Patients with macrolide-resistant MAC isolates between March 2019 and March 2022 were retrieved from the mycobacteriology reference laboratory database at Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Clinical consultation reports were extracted from the database to assess the cause of macrolide resistance.
RESULTS
Sixteen patients with macrolide-resistant MAC disease were included, from a total of 815 patients with MAC isolates (2%); Macrolide monotherapy in bronchiectasis or CF was the most frequent cause of development of macrolide-resistance MAC disease (n = 8; 50%). Short (n = 3; mean duration 9 months, range 6-12) or guideline non-compliant (n = 2) treatment regimens and patient non-adherence (n = 2) were other key causes of macrolide-resistance.
CONCLUSIONS
Macrolide monotherapy after inappropriate screening is the most frequent cause of macrolide-resistant Mycobacterium avium complex disease in the Netherlands. Educational efforts are needed to prevent this.
Topics: Humans; Mycobacterium avium Complex; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Macrolides; Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Lung Diseases
PubMed: 37481170
DOI: 10.1016/j.rmed.2023.107366 -
Frontiers in Microbiology 2024Non-Tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are opportunistic environmental bacteria. Globally, NTM incidence is increasing and modeling suggests that, without new interventions,... (Review)
Review
Non-Tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are opportunistic environmental bacteria. Globally, NTM incidence is increasing and modeling suggests that, without new interventions, numbers will continue to rise. Effective treatments for NTM infections remain suboptimal. Standard therapy for complex, the most commonly isolated NTM, requires a 3-drug regime taken for approximately 18 months, with rates of culture conversion reported between 45 and 70%, and high rates of relapse or reinfection at up to 60%. New therapeutic options for NTM treatment are urgently required. A survey of ongoing clinical trials for new NTM therapy listed on ClinicalTrials.Gov using the terms '', '', '', 'Non tuberculous Mycobacteria' and 'Nontuberculous Mycobacteria' and a selection criterion of interventional studies using antibiotics demonstrates that most trials involve dose and combination therapy of the guideline based therapy or including one or more of; Amikacin, Clofazimine, Azithromycin and the anti-TB drugs Bedaquiline and Linezolid. The propensity of NTMs to form biofilms, their unique cell wall and expression of both acquired and intrinsic resistance, are all hampering the development of new anti-NTM therapy. Increased investment in developing targeted treatments, specifically for NTM infections is urgently required.
PubMed: 38887711
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1394220 -
Radiologia 2023To describe the epidemiology and CT findings for nontuberculous mycobacterial lung infections and outcomes depending on the treatment.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the epidemiology and CT findings for nontuberculous mycobacterial lung infections and outcomes depending on the treatment.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
We retrospectively studied 131 consecutive patients with positive cultures for nontuberculous mycobacteria between 2005 and 2016. We selected those who met the criteria for nontuberculous mycobacterial lung infection. We analysed the epidemiologic data; clinical, microbiological, and radiological findings; treatment; and outcome according to treatment.
RESULTS
We included 34 patients (mean age, 55 y; 67.6% men); 50% were immunodepressed (58.8% of these were HIV+), 20.6% had COPD, 5.9% had known tumors, 5.9% had cystic fibrosis, and 29.4% had no comorbidities. We found that 20.6% had a history of tuberculosis and 20.6% were also infected with other microorganisms. Mycobacterium avium complex was the most frequently isolated germ (52.9%); 7 (20.6%) were also infected with other organisms. The most common CT findings were nodules (64.7%), tree-in-bud pattern (61.8%), centrilobular nodules (44.1 %), consolidations (41.2%), bronchiectasis (35.3%), and cavities (32.4%). We compared findings between men and women and between immunodepressed and immunocompetent patients. Treatment was antituberculosis drugs in 67.6% of patients (72% of whom showed improvement) and conventional antibiotics in 20.6% (all of whom showed radiologic improvement).
CONCLUSION
The diagnosis of nontuberculous mycobacterial lung infections is complex. The clinical and radiologic findings are nonspecific and a significant percentage of pateints can have other, concomitant infections.
Topics: Male; Humans; Female; Middle Aged; Nontuberculous Mycobacteria; Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous; Retrospective Studies; Cystic Fibrosis; Pneumonia; Antitubercular Agents; Lung
PubMed: 37758330
DOI: 10.1016/j.rxeng.2023.09.001