02144nas a2200301   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001900055653001100074653004500085653003200130100002100162700001300183700001300196700001200209700001800221700001600239700001300255700001500268700001200283700001400295700001300309245004600322300001100368490000700379520144200386022001401828       2003                            d  c2003 Jun10aHIV Infections10aHumans10aMycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous10aNontuberculous Mycobacteria1 aAdle-Biassette H1 aHuerre M1 aBreton G1 aRuimy R1 aCarbonnelle A1 aTrophilme D1 aYacoub M1 aRégnier B1 aYéni P1 aVildé JL1 aHénin D00a[Non tuberculous mycobacterial diseases].  a216-350 v233 a<p>Mycobacteria species other than members of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex are called non tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) or "atypical" mycobacteria. To date, about 80 mycobacterial species have been described. They are usually opportunistic pathogens with variable degrees of virulence. Tuberculosis is the commonest mycobacterial disease in the world, followed by leprosy and Buruli ulcer. Before the AIDS epidemic, NTM diseases were confined to the lungs (M. kansasii, M. intracellulare and M. avium), the skin (M. marinum) or cervical lymph nodes (M. scrofulaceum). The outbreak of AIDS epidemic has dramatically changed the epidemiology of NTM diseases. Between 25 to 50% of AIDS patients in Europe and USA are infected with NTM. NTM infections are usually disseminated in patients with profound immunodeficiency. The inflammatory response and the prognosis of NTM diseases depend on the immunological status and the NTM species. Diagnosis may be difficult, especially in AIDS patients in whom numerous diseases are often associated. Diagnostic criteria involve clinical, radiological, microbiological and pathological findings. Identification of Mycobacterium species in cultures is the gold standard. Pathological examination has several interests: it may reveal an NTM disease, it provides a more rapid assessment of the infection than cultures, and helps to evaluate the virulence of NTM species identified by cultures.</p>  a0242-6498