Pathogenicity and virulence of Mycobacterium abscessus

Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), such as Mycobacterium abscessus (Mab) are an increasing cause of human disease. While the majority of immunocompetent hosts control Mab infections, the robust survival of Mab within the environment has shaped survival in human cells to help drive persistence and cause inflammatory damage in susceptible individuals. With high intrinsic resistance to antibiotics, there is an important need to fully understand how Mab causes infection, define protective host pathways that control disease, and develop new strategies to treat those at high risk. This review will examine the existing literature related to host-Mab interactions with a focus on virulence, the host response, and therapy development. The goal is to highlight key gaps in our understanding and describe novel approaches to encourage new research avenues that better define the pathogenesis and host response against this increasingly important human pathogen.