Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Disease Deemed "Burgeoning Medical Challenge

National Jewish Health began as a hospital for indigent tuberculosis patients. Although National Jewish Health remains a preeminent institution for treating the most difficult TB cases, physicians here see more patients with disease caused by little known cousins of the TB bug, non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM).

In a recent editorial in a medical journal, Michael Iseman, MD, Professor of Medicine and one of the world's most renowned tuberculosis experts, called NTM a "burgeoning medical challenge," that desperately needs more research funding to better understand and treat it.

"These bacteria are present widely throughout the environment," said Dr. Iseman. "All indications suggest that prevalence of the disease is increasing, yet we know almost nothing about why some individuals develop infections, but most do not; what is the natural history of the disease; or how many people may be suffering unrecognized infections."

Dr. Iseman argued that NTM causes more patient suffering in the United States and Canada than does tuberculosis because of commonly delayed diagnoses, longer treatment with more toxic medications, and high relapse rates.

National Jewish Health has been a referral center for NTM for the past 40 years. Originally, patients came mostly from the southeastern United States, but now they come from all 50 states and Canada.