Mycobacterium Avium-intracellulare Infection

Mycobacterium Avium-intracellulare Infection

Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare infection (MAI) is an atypical mycobacterial infection which can occur in the later stages of AIDS. It can also affect people who do not have AIDS, and usually first presents as a persistent cough. Additionally, cases in elderly men have increased recently. It is typically treated with a series of three antibiotics for a period of at least six months.

Mycobacterium avium and M. intracellulare (the M. a. complex - MAC) are saprotrophic organisms present in soil and water; entry into hosts is usually via the gastrointestinal tract, but also can be via the lungs.

The MAC causes fevers, diarrhea, malabsorption and anorexia, and can disseminate to the bone marrow. Therapy for MAI is disappointing, as it is typically resistant to standard mycobacterial therapies.