| Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare infection | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Mycobacterium avium complex infection, Lady Windermere syndrome |
 | |
| CT scan of patient with right middle lobe aspiration and Mycobacterium avium infection. | |
| Specialty | Infectious diseases  |
Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare infection (MAI) is an atypical mycobacterial infection, i.e. one with nontuberculous mycobacteria or NTM, caused by Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), which is made of two Mycobacterium species, M. avium and M. intracellulare.[1] This infection causes respiratory illness in birds, pigs, and humans, especially in immunocompromised people. In the later stages of AIDS, it can be very severe. It usually first presents as a persistent cough. It is typically treated with a series of three antibiotics for a period of at least six months.
M. avium, M. intracellulare, and M. chimaera are each saprotrophic organisms present in soil and water; entry into hosts is usually via the gastrointestinal tract, but also can be via the lungs.
MAC infections can cause fevers, diarrhea, malabsorption, as well as loss of appetite and weight loss, and can disseminate to the bone marrow. MAI is typically resistant to standard mycobacterial therapies.
- ^ Medscape Reference - Mycobacterium Avium-Intracellulare Author: Janak Koirala, MD, MPH, FACP, FIDSA; Chief Editor: Burke A Cunha, MD, Updated: Jan 12, 2011