ABSTRACT
Mycobacterial infections [due to both Mycobacterium tuberculosis and nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM)] are rare but potentially lethal complications of hematopoietic stem cell or solid organ transplantation (1-6). Posttransplant mycobacterial infections (MBIs) may reflect acquisition of new infections (because of the intensity of immunosuppression) (7), reactivation of latent disease (particularly M. tuberculosis) within the recipients (1,2,8,9), or receipt of infected organs (7,10-12). Environmental sources are the reservoir for most human infections due to NTM (13-15), whereas human-to-human transmission or reactivation of latent infection are the critical factors for development of infections due to M. tuberculosis (1). The incidence of MBIs depend upon the intensity of immnosuppression,
the prevalence of mycobacteria (both typical and NTM) in the region or country, type of transplanted organ, and risk factors and exposures to mycobacteria. In this review,wefirst discuss infections due toM. tuberculosisamong organ transplant recipients (OTRs). Later, we discuss infections due toNTM.
MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS
