Publications by authors named "C J Opperman"
Objectives: Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are increasingly recognized opportunistic pathogens found ubiquitously in the environment. The presence of multiple NTM species at the site of disease complicates diagnosis and treatment.
Case And Management: A 40-year-old patient who tested positive for HIV, with an absolute clusters of differentiation 4+ T-cell count of 3 cells/µl and cryptococcaemia, presented with hemoptysis, productive cough, and weight loss.
Article Synopsis
- This study investigates nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections from various extrapulmonary sites, focusing on identifying unknown species through modern sequencing techniques.
- Analyzed 28 cultures from different patients, finding that 68% had mixed mycobacterial infections, with some samples also testing positive for the mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), despite prior negative results.
- The research emphasizes the effectiveness of next-generation sequencing in detecting NTM co-infections and suggests its integration into mycobacterial testing to improve diagnosis and treatment strategies.
Article Synopsis
- The study used GenoType CMdirect Ver 1.0 and GenoType Mycobacterium assays to detect nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in sputum samples that tested negative for tuberculosis using GeneXpert.
- A low prevalence rate of 1.7% for NTM was found, but with a notable 100% specificity in the results.
- The high specificity suggests that the CMdirect assay could be a reliable method for identifying NTM disease.