Molecular longitudinal tracking of Mycobacterium abscessus spp. during chronic infection of the human lung.

ABSTRACT: The Mycobacterium abscessus complex is an emerging cause of chronic pulmonary infection in patients with underlying lung disease. The M. abscessus complex is regarded as an environmental pathogen but its molecular adaptation to the human lung during long-term infection is poorly understood. Here we carried out a longitudinal molecular epidemiological analysis of 178 M. abscessus spp. isolates obtained from 10 cystic fibrosis (CF) and 2 non CF patients over a 13 year period. Multi-locus sequence and molecular typing analysis revealed that 11 of 12 patients were persistently colonized with the same genotype during the course of the infection while replacement of a M. abscessus sensu stricto strain with a Mycobacterium massiliense strain was observed for a single patient. Of note, several pat

SUBMITTER: Kreutzfeldt KM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3655965 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature