October 2017
By David Lederer, MD, MS, editor, Annals of the American Thoracic Society
Follow Dr. Lederer on Twitter @AnnalsATS
Increasingly prevalent, nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) disease has been linked to exposure to the mycobacteria in water, as well as soil. Although rates of infection vary greatly by regions, the geospatial factors influencing this variation are poorly understood. This is why Ettie M. Lipner and colleagues undertook a study of NTM disease in Colorado, which is published in the Oct. Annals of the American Thoracic Society. They found two statistically significant high-risk clusters of disease and three watershed areas where the relative risk was considerably higher for slowly-growing NTM disease than all the other watersheds in Colorado. The authors conclude, “A better understanding of the regional ecology and environmental sources of NTM is crucial, as patients undergo lengthy and complex treatment regimens, and are often re-infected despite initial cure.”
October Highlights
Perspective: Skeletal Muscle Ultrasound in Critical Care: A Tool in Need of Translation
Association of Antibiotics, Airway Microbiome and Inflammation in Infants with Cystic Fibrosis
