Mycobacteria

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that mycobacteria are a leading source of infection in humankind and continue to have a virtually universal presence in the environment. The author points out that implications of this pathogen for humans are profound with members of this genus being responsible for tuberculosis, cystic fibrosis and exacerbation of a wide range of unrelated conditions including HIV. The paper concludes that, while researchers continue to find new insights into its etiology, much remains unknown about how and why the organisms mutate to cause even more intense problems for persons who come into contact with this pervasive and invasive organism.

From the Paper:

"Some members of the mycobacteria genus are saprophytes (i.e., they live on decaying organic matter), while others are obligate parasites. The majority of the members of this genus are found in soil and water in a free-living form or in diseased tissue of animals. In addition, streptomycin, rifampin, and species-specific antimicrobial agents have had some success in treating mycobacterium infections. In this regard, "Mycobacteria are a leading cause of death and suffering worldwide of the 37 million HIV infected patients and of patients with cystic fibrosis." Worldwide, Indonesia has the third highest number of TB patients, with an estimated 591,000 cases in 1998; however, no data have been published from Indonesia on the distribution of M. tuberculosis genotypes. Like spiders, mycobacteria are virtually everywhere; however, different transmission rates may account for an unequal distribution of mycobacteria genotypes. For instance, in a TB outbreak in the United States, a particular M. tuberculosis genotype caused extensive transmission, as evaluated by skin test conversion; however, indirect evidence supporting increased transmission of Beijing strains comes from a recent study in Vietnam, which demonstrated that Beijing strains were more prevalent among the young patients studied."

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