# name
High Rates of Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria Isolation in
                Mozambican Children with Presumptive Tuberculosis

# metadata.dc.description.abstract[].value
INTRODUCTION: Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) can cause
                disease which can be clinically and radiologically
                undistinguishable from tuberculosis (TB), posing a diagnostic
                and therapeutic challenge in high TB settings. We aim to
                describe the prevalence of NTM isolation and its clinical
                characteristics in children from rural Mozambique. METHODS: This
                study was part of a community TB incidence study in children
                <3 years of age. Gastric aspirate and induced sputum sampling
                were performed in all presumptive TB cases and processed for
                smear testing using fluorochrome staining and LED Microscopy,
                liquid and solid culture, and molecular identification by
                GenoType(R) Mycobacterium CM/AS assays. RESULTS: NTM were
                isolated in 26.3% (204/775) of children. The most prevalent NTM
                species was M. intracellulare (N = 128), followed by M.
                scrofulaceum (N = 35) and M. fortuitum (N = 9). Children with
                NTM were significantly less symptomatic and less likely to
                present with an abnormal chest radiograph than those with M.
                tuberculosis. NTM were present in 21.6% of follow-up samples and
                25 children had the same species isolated from >/=2 separate
                samples. All were considered clinically insignificant and none
                received specific treatment. Children with NTM isolates had
                equal all cause mortality and likelihood of TB treatment as
                those with negative culture although they were less likely to
                have TB ruled out. CONCLUSIONS: NTM isolation is frequent in
                presumptive TB cases but was not clinically significant in this
                patient cohort. However, it can contribute to TB misdiagnosis.
                Further studies are needed to understand the epidemiology and
                the clinical significance of NTM in children.

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Reproducció del document publicat a:
                http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0169757

# metadata.dc.source[].value
Articles publicats en revistes (ISGlobal)

# metadata.dc.title[].value
High Rates of Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria Isolation in
                Mozambican Children with Presumptive Tuberculosis