Skin and soft tissue infections due to non-tuberculous mycobacteria

Abstract

The non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are composed of species other than Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (M. tuberculosis, M. bovis including BCG, M. microti, M. africanum) and M. leprae. NTM are a diverse and growing group of more than 100 species that occupy a wide variety of environmental niches throughout the world, being particularly common in soil and water. For several species, survival in biofilms facilitates their presence in water distribution systems.