Influence of pork consumption on human infection with Mycobacterium avian-intracellulare

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Microbiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Mycobacteriosis is a disease caused by Mycobacterium species.
• The Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex (MAC) is a group of bacteria that can cause mycobacteriosis in humans.
• A hypothesis suggested that consuming pork from infected animals could be a significant source of MAC infection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the hypothesis that pork consumption is a significant cause of human mycobacteriosis.
• To determine if there is a correlation between pork intake and sensitivity to Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare.

Main Methods:

• Skin testing was performed on students using purified protein derivative from M. intracellulare.
• Participants' pork consumption habits (never eaten vs. routinely eaten) were recorded.
• Sensitivity to M. avium-intracellulare was assessed based on skin test reactions.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant difference in M. avium-intracellulare sensitivity was observed between students who never ate pork and those who ate pork routinely.
• The skin test results did not support a link between pork consumption and mycobacterial sensitivity in this cohort.

Conclusions:

• Sensitivity to purified protein derivative from M. intracellulare in the studied population is not significantly associated with pork consumption.
• The findings suggest that eating pork is unlikely to be a major route of M. avium-intracellulare infection in this group.