TY - JOUR
T1 - Outbreaks of nontuberculous mycobacteria
AU - Sood, Geeta
AU - Parrish, Nikki
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright 2017 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
PY - 2017/8/1
Y1 - 2017/8/1
N2 - Purpose of review: The purpose of this review is to summarize the emerging literature on nontuberculous mycobacteria outbreaks in healthcare settings. As our ability to identify mycobacterial species develops, we are better able to recognize epidemiologic connections and better understand the prevalence and importance of these outbreaks and pseudo-outbreaks in healthcare settings. Recent findings: The number of outbreaks related to nontuberculous outbreaks is increasing because of heightened awareness and better diagnostic tests for species level identification of mycobacteria. Outbreaks in healthcare settings have been related to cardiac surgery, plastic surgery, including medical tourism, colonized humidifiers and heater-cooler devices, imperfect disinfection, and hospital water sources. Mycobacteria have a predilection to form biofilms, are resistant to disinfection and are prevalent in hospital water systems. Patients with structural lung disease like cystic fibrosis patients are at particularly high risk for mycobacterial infection. It has been thought that acquisition in this patient population is from common environmental exposure; however, there is increasing evidence that transmission in this patient population can occur through either direct or indirect patient-to-patient spread. Summary: Mycobacteria outbreaks in healthcare settings have been underrecognized. As we identify additional clusters of infection with better diagnostic tools and heightened awareness, we will likely need better infection control practices to prevent infections in healthcare settings.
AB - Purpose of review: The purpose of this review is to summarize the emerging literature on nontuberculous mycobacteria outbreaks in healthcare settings. As our ability to identify mycobacterial species develops, we are better able to recognize epidemiologic connections and better understand the prevalence and importance of these outbreaks and pseudo-outbreaks in healthcare settings. Recent findings: The number of outbreaks related to nontuberculous outbreaks is increasing because of heightened awareness and better diagnostic tests for species level identification of mycobacteria. Outbreaks in healthcare settings have been related to cardiac surgery, plastic surgery, including medical tourism, colonized humidifiers and heater-cooler devices, imperfect disinfection, and hospital water sources. Mycobacteria have a predilection to form biofilms, are resistant to disinfection and are prevalent in hospital water systems. Patients with structural lung disease like cystic fibrosis patients are at particularly high risk for mycobacterial infection. It has been thought that acquisition in this patient population is from common environmental exposure; however, there is increasing evidence that transmission in this patient population can occur through either direct or indirect patient-to-patient spread. Summary: Mycobacteria outbreaks in healthcare settings have been underrecognized. As we identify additional clusters of infection with better diagnostic tools and heightened awareness, we will likely need better infection control practices to prevent infections in healthcare settings.
KW - atypical mycobacteria
KW - nontuberculous mycobacteria
KW - outbreaks
KW - waterborne outbreaks
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85019729255&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85019729255&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/QCO.0000000000000386
DO - 10.1097/QCO.0000000000000386
M3 - Review article
C2 - 28548990
AN - SCOPUS:85019729255
SN - 0951-7375
VL - 30
SP - 404
EP - 409
JO - Current opinion in infectious diseases
JF - Current opinion in infectious diseases
IS - 4
ER -