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Abstract
Background: Nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) infections are important complications in renal transplant recipients.
Methods: Cases of NTM diseases post-renal transplantation published in English were identified in the PubMed database. The clinical and laboratory characteristics of these cases were reviewed.
Results: One-hundred and fifteen cases of NTM infection in renal transplant recipients in 100 articles were identified. The median time of NTM infection from renal transplantation was 37 months (range, 3 d to 252 months). Disseminated disease (40.0%) was the most common manifestation of NTM infection in renal transplant recipients. The main diagnostic procedure was culture combined with histopathological examination (38.3%). Thirteen NTM species were identified; the most common pathogen was Mycobacterium chelonae (19.1%). The anti-Mycobacterium treatment lasted more than 12 months in 43.3% of the recorded patients. During the treatment, 30.2% of the recipients lost kidney graft function and 20.9% died from NTM infection and/or other complications, including cardiac death and respiratory failure.
Conclusions: NTM infection is easily neglected. Physicians must keep a high suspicion for NTM infections in renal transplant recipients.
Disclosure statement
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors are responsible for the content and writing of this article. The language was edited by the American Journal Experts.