Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are ubiquitous organisms that are highly prevalent in the environment. Although NTM infections appear to have increased over the last decade, little is known about the diseases caused by the NTM and only limited data are available showing its prevalence and associated factors. Diagnosis of infection by NTM with standardized microbiologic methods is another challenge faced by the medical community.

Increased knowledge and understanding of this type of mycobacterial disease could improve patient care of affected persons worldwide.

We invite researchers to contribute original research articles as well as review articles that will stimulate a greater understanding of NTM infections. Suggested areas of research include microbiologic and molecular diagnostic tools, drug susceptibility tests, human genetic susceptibility, prevalence and incidence studies, clinical presentations, and clinical trials for antibiotic therapy.

We are particularly interested in articles describing new laboratory diagnostic tools for NTM and modalities for clinical characterization of NTM diseases in patients with and without underlying diseases and measuring outcomes of treatment trials.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Epidemiologic characteristics of NTM
• Study of natural history of NTM infections
• Adherence to international NTM guidelines
• Recent developments in NTM diagnosis
• Advances in NTM microbiology
• Clinical evaluation and treatment outcomes measurement
• Role of drug susceptibility in NTM treatment