Is pulmonary Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare the main driver of the rise in non-tuberculous mycobacteria incidence in England , Wales and Northern Ireland , 2007-2012?
Using a population-based approach, we find that the incidence of NTM has continued to rise since the last national analysis. Overall, this represents an almost ten-fold increase since 1995. Pulmonary MAC in older individuals is responsible for the majority of this change. We are limited to reporting NTM isolates and not clinical disease caused by these organisms. To determine whether the burden of NTM disease is genuinely increasing, a standardised approach to the collection of linked national microbiological and clinical data is required.
Bacterial mucosal infiltration may facilitate the survival of H. pylori during antibacterial treatment; moreover, electron microscopy may be helpful to identify patients potentially unresponsive to anti-H. pylori treatment.