Pulmonary Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Infection in Infants: A Systematic Review.

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Infectious Diseases
• Pulmonology

Background:

• Pulmonary infections caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are not well-documented in infants.
• Limited clinical data exists regarding the diagnosis and treatment of NTM pulmonary infections in this specific age group.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and summarize the clinical characteristics and outcomes of infant patients diagnosed with NTM pulmonary infections.
• To identify common diagnostic and treatment strategies for NTM pulmonary infections in infants.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature review was conducted using MEDLINE and PubMed databases.
• Searched for English-language studies including case reports and series of infants (≤24 months) with confirmed NTM pulmonary infection.
• Data from 37 patients across 28 studies were analyzed, excluding patients with cystic fibrosis.

Main Results:

• The most frequent NTM strain identified was *Mycobacterium avium* complex (56.8%).
• Bronchoscopy or thoracoscopy with culture was the primary diagnostic method (64.9%).
• Antibiotic therapy was administered in 86% of cases, typically involving a median of three drugs.

Conclusions:

• While formal consensus is lacking, an informal consensus for treating infant NTM pulmonary infections involves lung specimen culture and antibiotic therapy.
• The study highlights the need for further research due to small sample size and retrospective data limitations.