title: Mycobacterium abscessus and children with cystic fibrosis.
abstract: We prospectively studied 298 patients with cystic fibrosis (mean age 11.3 years; range 2 months to 32 years; sex ratio, 0.47) for nontuberculous mycobacteria in respiratory samples from January 1, 1996, to December 31, 1999. Mycobacterium abscessus was by far the most prevalent nontuberculous mycobacterium: 15 patients (6 male, 9 female; mean age 11.9 years; range 2.5-22 years) had at least one positive sample for this microorganism (versus 6 patients positive for M. avium complex), including 10 with >3 positive samples (versus 3 patients for M. avium complex). The M. abscessus isolates from 14 patients were typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis: each of the 14 patients harbored a unique strain, ruling out a common environmental reservoir or person-to-person transmission. Water samples collected in the cystic fibrosis center were negative for M. abscessus. This major mycobacterial pathogen in children and teenagers with cystic fibrosis does not appear to be acquired nosocomially.
authors.affiliation: Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sermet-Gaudelus
authors.forename: Muriel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Le Bourgeois
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pierre-Audigier
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Offredo
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Guillemot
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Halley
authors.forename: Chantal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Akoua-Koffi
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vincent
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sivadon-Tardy
authors.forename: Agnès
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferroni
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Berche
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Scheinmann
authors.forename: Gérard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lenoir
authors.forename: Jean-Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Gaillard
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D018834:Chaperonin 60; D018833:Chaperonins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009164:Mycobacterium Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology; D016926:Mycobacterium chelonae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010802:Phylogeny; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D018834:Chaperonin 60; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; C074119:heat-shock protein 65, Mycobacterium; D018833:Chaperonins