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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is the continuation of our previous Special Issue "Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria: Emerging Diseases and Health Impacts".

Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are ubiquitous in the environment and have been identified repeatedly from the soil, as well as municipal and other water supplies, by using both molecular and traditional methods. NTM are important environmental pathogens that can cause a broad spectrum of diseases. The number of infections that can be associated with specific species, as well as the number of new species that are etiological agents, has increased due to the development of new diagnostic tools. The incidence of pulmonary NTM infection and disease, as well as the prevalence of Buruli ulcer (Mycobacterium ulcerans), is increasing. In addition, the M. avium complex is implicated in a wide number of diseases. This Special Issue will explore the environmental distribution, detection, and health impact of NTM.

Prof. Dr. Roger Pickup
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Review

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14 pages, 1265 KiB

Open AccessReview

Sarcoidosis, Mycobacterium paratuberculosis and Noncaseating Granulomas: Who Moved My Cheese

by Coad Thomas Dow, Nancy W. Lin and Edward D. Chan

Microorganisms 2023, 11(4), 829; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11040829 - 24 Mar 2023

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Abstract

Clinical and histological similarities between sarcoidosis and tuberculosis have driven repeated investigations looking for a mycobacterial cause of sarcoidosis. Over 50 years ago, “anonymous mycobacteria” were suggested to have a role in the etiology of sarcoidosis. Both tuberculosis and sarcoidosis have a predilection for lung involvement, though each can be found in any area of the body. A key histopathologic feature of both sarcoidosis and tuberculosis is the granuloma—while the tuberculous caseating granuloma has an area of caseous necrosis with a cheesy consistency; the non-caseating granuloma of sarcoidosis does not have this feature. This article reviews and reiterates the complicity of the infectious agent, Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) as a cause of sarcoidosis. MAP is involved in a parallel story as the putative cause of Crohn’s disease, another disease featuring noncaseating granulomas. MAP is a zoonotic agent infecting ruminant animals and is found in dairy products and in environmental contamination of water and air. Despite increasing evidence tying MAP to several human diseases, there is a continued resistance to embracing its pleiotropic roles. “Who Moved My Cheese” is a simple yet powerful book that explores the ways in which individuals react to change. Extending the metaphor, the “non-cheesy” granuloma of sarcoidosis actually contains the difficult-to-detect “cheese”, MAP; MAP did not move, it was there all along. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nontuberculous Mycobacteria: Emerging Diseases and Health Impacts 2.0)

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Other

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10 pages, 1567 KiB

Open AccessCase Report

Disseminated Mycobacterium genavense Infection Mimicking Sarcoidosis: A Case Report and Review of Literature on Japanese Patients

by Ryo Ogata, Takashi Kido, Kazuaki Takeda, Kazuki Nemoto, Riko Heima, Mami Takao, Ritsuko Miyashita, Mutsumi Ozasa, Takatomo Tokito, Daisuke Okuno, Yuya Ito, Hirokazu Yura, Tomohiro Koga, Kunio Hashimoto, Shinnosuke Takemoto, Takahiro Takazono, Hiroshi Ishimoto, Noriho Sakamoto, Kazumasa Fukuda, Yuka Sasaki, Yasushi Obase, Yuji Ishimatsu, Kazuhiro Yatera, Koichi Izumikawa and Hiroshi Mukae Show full author list Hide full author list

Microorganisms 2023, 11(9), 2145; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11092145 - 24 Aug 2023

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Abstract

Sarcoidosis is a systemic inflammatory disease characterized by noncaseating epithelioid cell granulomas. However, certain infections can exhibit similar histological findings. We present a case of a 69-year-old man who was initially diagnosed with sarcoidosis and later was confirmed, through 16S rRNA sequencing, to have disseminated Mycobacterium genavense infection. Acid-fast bacteria were detected in the bone marrow biopsy using Ziehl–Neelsen staining, but routine clinical tests did not provide a definitive diagnosis. The patient tested negative for HIV, anti-interferon-gamma antibodies, and genetic immunodeficiency disorders. He was treated with multiple drugs, including aminoglycosides and macrolides, but showed no improvement in fever and pancytopenia. However, these clinical signs responded favorably to steroid therapy. We reviewed 17 Japanese cases of M. genavense infection. All cases were in males; 7/17 (41%) were HIV-negative; and 12/17 (71%) had a decreased CD4 count. Genetic analysis confirmed M. genavense isolation, and macrolides were used universally. Mycobacterium genavense infection is challenging to identify and mimics other systemic inflammatory diseases such as sarcoidosis. There are no standard treatment protocols. Our case report and Japanese case review contribute to understanding this rare disease. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nontuberculous Mycobacteria: Emerging Diseases and Health Impacts 2.0)

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