Risk factors for little-known lung infection identified
Monday, March 17, 2014 - 12:20
in Health & Medicine
Severe and sometimes fatal lung disease caused by a group of bacteria in the same family as those that cause tuberculosis is much more common than previously thought, with Caucasians 55 and older at greatest risk, report researchers. Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) include more than 150 types of bacteria that can infect the lungs when inhaled. Unlike tuberculosis, NTM is not contagious and cannot spread from person to person. The infection is treatable, but antibiotic therapy is expensive and can take up to two years. Rates of infection have climbed significantly since the 1980s.