Emergence and spread of a human-transmissible multidrug-resistant nontuberculous mycobacterium
Bryant JM., Grogono DM., Rodriguez-Rincon D., Everall I., Brown KP., Moreno P., Verma D., Hill E., Drijkoningen J., Gilligan P., Esther CR., Noone PG., Giddings O., Bell SC., Thomson R., Wainwright CE., Coulter C., Pandey S., Wood ME., Stockwell RE., Ramsay KA., Sherrard LJ., Kidd TJ., Jabbour N., Johnson GR., Knibbs LD., Morawska L., Sly PD., Jones A., Bilton D., Laurenson I., Ruddy M., Bourke S., Bowler ICJW., Chapman SJ., Clayton A., Cullen M., Dempsey O., Denton M., Desai M., Drew RJ., Edenborough F., Evans J., Folb J., Daniels T., Humphrey H., Isalska B., Jensen-Fangel S., Jönsson B., Jones AM., Katzenstein TL., Lillebaek T., MacGregor G., Mayell S., Millar M., Modha D., Nash EF., O’Brien C., O’Brien D., Ohri C., Pao CS., Peckham D., Perrin F., Perry A., Pressler T., Prtak L., Qvist T., Robb A., Rodgers H., Schaffer K., Shafi N., van Ingen J., Walshaw M., Watson D., West N., Whitehouse J., Haworth CS., Harris SR., Ordway D., Parkhill J., Floto RA.
Global spread of aggressive mycobacteria Many mycobacteria, in addition to those causing leprosy and tuberculosis, are capable of infecting humans. Some can be particularly dangerous in patients suffering from immunosuppression or chronic disease, such as cystic fibrosis (CF). Bryant et al. observed clusters of near-identical isolates of drug-resistant Mycobacterium abscessus in patients reporting to CF clinics. The similarity of the isolates suggests transmission between patients, rather than environmental acquisition. Although this bacterium is renowned for its environmental resilience, the mechanism for its long-distance transmission among the global CF patient community remains a puzzle. Science , this issue p. 751