Nontuberculous Mycobacteria-Overview

The term nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) generally refers to mycobacteria other than the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and M. leprae (1). NTM are ubiquitous in the environment, including household water, natural water sources, and soil (2). Human disease due to NTM is classified into four distinct clinical syndromes: chronic pulmonary disease, lymphadenitis, cutaneous disease, and disseminated disease. Of these, chronic pulmonary disease is the syndrome most commonly encountered clinically (1).