Expanding the scope of <i>Mycobacterium abscessus</i> reference strains to improve pulmonary disease modeling.

ABSTRACT: Mycobacterium abscessus (Mab) pulmonary disease is an emerging clinical challenge, particularly among individuals with immunosuppression or underlying structural lung conditions. There are currently no FDA-approved therapies for Mab disease. Existing treatment strategies using repurposed drugs are prolonged, complex, and yield low cure rates (30-50%), underscoring the urgent need for more effective therapeutics. Developing new treatments requires preclinical disease models that faithfully replicate human disease, and the choice of Mab strain is a key determinant of model relevance. The commonly used reference strain, ATCC 19977, was isolated from a non-pulmonary source but became the default due to its early availability. To evaluate its relevance for pulmonary

SUBMITTER: Howe RA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12667851 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature