Seasonality of clinical isolation of rapidly growing mycobacteria.
Rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM) are environmental organisms that have emerged as significant human pathogens. RGM infections show remarkable geographic variations. In this study, based on data from Houston, Texas, RGM were isolated from clinical cultures year-round, although peaks in the summer and autumn correlating with the seasonal variation of temperature and rainfall also were noted. These results may offer some explanation for the summer occurrence of RGM outbreaks at diverse locations.
Han
X Y
XY
Department of Laboratory Medicine, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA. xhan@mdanderson.org
D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D006801:Humans; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D009164:Mycobacterium Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D012621:Seasons; D013781:Texas