Trends of mycobacterial clinical isolates in Taiwan.
Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) can cause chronic pulmonary infection, however, NTM infection is generally overlooked. This retrospective study analyzed the frequencies of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) and NTM clinical isolates from 99 200 specimens of patients suspected with pulmonary mycobacterial infection in Taiwan from 2002-2007. A total of 8024 mycobacterial isolates, including 5349 MTBC and 2675 NTM, were obtained from the 99 200 specimens in the study period. The overall mycobacterial isolation rate was 8.09% (8024/99 200), and the overall MTBC and NTM isolation rate was 5.39% (5349/99 200) and 2.7% (2675/99 200), respectively. Notably, the prevalence of NTM isolates among the identified mycobacteria strains was increased 2.6 fold from 2002 (17.54%, 147/838) to 2007 (45.80%, 659/1439). The frequencies of MTBC and NTM isolates showed a reciprocal trend: the NTM isolation rates were steadily increasing while the overall mycobacterial isolation rates remained stable over the study period. Our results suggest that the diagnosis, identification and susceptibility tests for NTM should be standardized and integrated in clinical routines, for providing the information of NTM infection and prescribing clinical treatment in a more precise and efficient way to reduce the increasing NTM in the studied area.
Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.
Chin-Feng
CF
Tsai
Ming-Yuh
MY
Shiau
Yih-Hsin
YH
Chang
Ya-Li
YL
Wang
Tian-Lin
TL
Huang
Yu-Ching
YC
Liaw
Shih-Ming
SM
Tsao
Tsi-Peng
TP
Yang
Shun-Chun
SC
Yang
Ding-Bang
DB
Lin
D001826:Body Fluids / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D009165:Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous / Q000453:epidemiology; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*