DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2017.v05i07.053

Pages: 2767-2770

Specific diseases caused by mycobacteria are leprosy and tuberculosis. The other members are commonly saprophytes which can be opportunistic and deadly pathogens. These other mycobacteria are referred to as atypical mycobacteria, mycobacteria other than tubercle bacilli (MOTT) or non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). These atypical mycobacteria can produce localized disease condition in the lungs, skin, lymph glands, wounds or bone and sometimes produces disseminated disease. The present study was done to study the prevalence of Atypical mycobacteria . The samples of sputum, pus, CSF, urine, pleural fluid, ascietic fluid, gastric aspirates, pericardial effusion & endometrial biopsy from clinically suspected cases of tuberculosis were received in sterile containers in the dept. of Microbiology at Ulhas patil medical college, Jalgaon from april 2016 to march 2017. The samples were the concentrated and the cultures were checked daily for one week and then weekly once for eight weeks for growth. A total of 22 strains of Atypical Mycobacteria were isolated from the various clinical samples. This study revealed the incidence of M.tuberculosis and atypical Mycobacteria as 93.02% to 6.98% respectively. Out of the 313 mycobacterial isolates 22 were atypical Mycobacteria which included M. kansassii, MAIC, M. asiaticum, M. szulgai, M. terrae and M scrofulaceum. The increase in the number of Atypical Mycobacteria infections is a serious public health burden. Research efforts should be directed in the regional reference laboratories that will lead to strategies for prevention, predicting progression and improved treatment of disease.