title: Clinical Significance of Environmental Mycobacteria Isolated From Respiratory Specimens of Patients With and Without Silicosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the clinical, functional and radiographic differences of respiratory disease caused by environmental mycobacteria (EM) in patients with and without silicosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective, observational study in patients with nontuberculous mycobacteria isolated in the Hospital Meixoeiro (University Hospital of Vigo) microbiology laboratory between January 2007 and December 2013. Patients were grouped according to the presence or absence of silicosis and mycobacterial lung disease, using American Thoracic Society criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 156 cases, at least one species of EM had been isolated from the respiratory culture. A total of 71% were identified in men, 40 (25.6%) of whom had silicosis. Sixty patients (38.5%) met American Thoracic Society microbiological criteria: 62.5% of the silicosis group and 30.2% of the non-silicosis group. The most common species were Mycobacterium avium complex, Mycobacterium genavense and Mycobacterium chelonae. American Thoracic Society criteria for environmental mycobacterial disease were met in 34 (22.7%) patients: 14 in the silicosis group and 20 in the non-silicosis group. Treatment was administered in 24 cases, with better bacteriological eradication levels in the non-silicosis group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our series, a history of silicosis was related with a higher incidence of environmental mycobacterial disease. The causative species in the majority of cases in our setting was Mycobacterium avium complex, followed by Mycobacterium genavense. Patients with silicosis showed lower cure rates after treatment.
authors: Servicio de Neumoloxía, Hospital Meixoeiro, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Vigo, Vigo, España; IRIDIS Group (Investigation in Rheumatology and Immuno-Mediated Diseases) del Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Vigo, Ourense y Pontevedra, Vigo, España. Electronic address: josejesus.blanco.perez@sergas.es.
authors: José Jesús
authors: JJ
authors: Blanco Pérez
authors: Servicio de Medicina Interna, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Vigo, Vigo, España.
authors: Alexandre
authors: A
authors: Pérez González
authors: Servicio de Medicina Interna, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Vigo, Vigo, España.
authors: Luis Enrique
authors: LE
authors: Morano Amado
authors: Servicio de Neumoloxía, Hospital Meixoeiro, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Vigo, Vigo, España.
authors: José Luis
authors: JL
authors: Guerra Vales
authors: Servicio de Neumoloxía, Hospital Meixoeiro, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Vigo, Vigo, España.
authors: Rafael
authors: R
authors: Vázquez Gallardo
authors: Unidad de apoyo a la investigación, Instituto de Investigación Biomedica de Ourense-Pontevedra-Vigo, Vigo, España.
authors: Ángel
authors: Á
authors: Salgado Barreira
authors: Servicio de Neumologia, Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Departamento de Medicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, España; Spanish Biomedical Research Networking Centre-CIBERES, Santiago de Compostela, España.
authors: María Jesus
authors: MJ
authors: Cruz Carmona
authors: Spanish Biomedical Research Networking Centre-CIBERES, Santiago de Compostela, España; Servicio de Neumoloxía, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, España.
authors: Francisco Javier
authors: FJ
authors: González Barcala
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009165:Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D015269:Mycobacterium avium Complex / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016926:Mycobacterium chelonae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D009170:Nontuberculous Mycobacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012829:Silicosis / Q000382:microbiology*
keywords: Environmental mycobacteria; Micobacterias ambientales; Micobacterias no tuberculosas; Nontuberculous mycobacteria; Silicosis