Background: The prevalence of lung disease due to non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is increasing worldwide. Among the rapidly growing mycobacteria, Mycobacterium abscessus complex is the most significant cause of NTM lung disease. Based on recent wh...
Background: The prevalence of lung disease due to non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is increasing worldwide. Among the rapidly growing mycobacteria, Mycobacterium abscessus complex is the most significant cause of NTM lung disease. Based on recent whole-genome sequencing studies, the M. abscessus complex is divided into three subspecies (subsp.): M. abscessus subsp. abscessus (hereafter referred to as M. abscessus), M. abscessus subsp. massiliense (hereafter referred to as M. massiliense), and M. abscessus subsp. bolletii. Compared to the highly negative culture conversion rate of ~90% in patients with M. massiliense lung disease, the culture conversion rate in patients with M. abscessus lung disease is ~30%. Inducible macrolide resistance by functional erm(41) gene and acquired macrolide resistance by mutation of the rrl gene are believed to contribute to the low success rate of antibiotic treatment in patients with M. abscessus lung disease; however, the extent to which these factors truly contribute to treatment failure is unknown. Additionally, little is known regarding the associations between treatment outcome and colony morphotypes or genetic variations that arise upon antibiotic treatment.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of colony morphotype, inducible resistance conferred by erm(41), and acquired resistance due to rrl mutations on treatment outcome. We also aimed to characterize genetic variations that arise upon antibiotic treatment.
Methods: Treatment outcomes were analyzed in 67 patients with M. abscessus lung disease who underwent antibiotic treatment for more than one year between January 2002 and December 2012. Genetic analyses of stored M. abscessus clinical isolates were performed on the final failure group consisting of 24 patients with treatment failure after one year of antibiotic treatment and 5 patients with positive M. abscessus culture(s) after treatment with negative conversion. These results were compared with the final success group consisting of 15 patients with negative cultures to M. abscessus after treatment completion with negative conversion.
Measurements and Main Results: Among the 67 patients with M. abscessus lung disease that received antibiotic treatment for more than one year, the culture conversion rate was 41.8% (28/67) after one year of treatment, and the final success rate was 40.3% (27/67). Final success rates were more common in patients with a negative smear result, non-cavitary disease, and no prior history of pulmonary tuberculosis at the beginning of antibiotic treatment. Smooth colony morphotypes and C28 sequevars of erm(41) were more common in the final success group compared to the final failure group (8/15 [53.3%] vs. 3/29 [10.3%]; p = 0.011, 6/15 [40.0%] vs. 1/29 [3.4%]; p = 0.004, respectively). All colonies with the C28 sequevar of erm(41) were susceptible to clarithromycin. A single colony harboring a 19C→T point mutation in the T28 sequevar of erm(41) was also susceptible to clarithromycin, and the others with the T28 sequevar of erm(41) were resistant to clarithromycin. The incidence of acquired resistance due to rrl mutations was 10% (3/29) in the final failure group. According to repetitive sequence-based PCR results in the final failure group, polyclonal infections were detected in 72.4% (21/29).
Conclusions: The low success rate of antibiotic treatment in patients with M. abscessus lung disease may not be caused by mutations in rrl, but rather, appear to be caused by the inducible resistance conferred by functional erm(41) and polyclonal infections. Thus, the identification of erm(41) sequevars from infecting strains is important for efficiently treating patients with M. abscessus lung disease. In addition, further research on environmental interventions might be necessary to reduce reinfection.