Volume 23, Number 3—March 2017
Etymologia
Etymologia: Mycobacterium chimaera
Figure
Figure. Etruscan bronze statue depicting the legendary monster, the Chimera. National Archaeological Museum, Florence. Photograph by Lucarelli (Wikimedia Commons)
Formerly an unnamed Mycobacterium (Figure) sequevar within the M. avium–M. intracellulare–M. scrofulaceum group (MAIS), M. chimaera is an emerging opportunistic pathogen that can cause infections of heart valve prostheses, vascular grafts, and disseminated infections after open-heart surgery. Heater–cooler units used to regulate blood temperature during cardiopulmonary bypass have been implicated, although most isolates are respiratory. In 2004, Tortoli et al. proposed the name M. chimaera for strains that a reverse hybridization–based line probe assay suggested belonged to MAIS but were different from M. avium, M. intracellulare, or M. scrofulaceum. The new species name comes from the chimera, a mythological being made up of parts of 3 different animals.
References
- Schreiber PW, Kuster SP, Hasse B, Bayard C, Rüegg C, Kohler P, et al. Reemergence of Mycobacterium chimaera in heater–cooler units despite intensified cleaning and disinfection protocol. Emerg Infect Dis. 2016;22:1830–3. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
- Struelens MJ, Plachouras D. Mycobacterium chimaera infections associated with heater-cooler units (HCU): closing another loophole in patient safety. Euro Surveill. 2016;21:1–3. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
- Tortoli E, Rindi L, Garcia MJ, Chiaradonna P, Dei R, Garzelli C, et al. Proposal to elevate the genetic variant MAC-A, included in the Mycobacterium avium complex, to species rank as Mycobacterium chimaera sp. nov. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2004;54:1277–85. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
Figure
Cite This ArticleRelated Links
Table of Contents – Volume 23, Number 3—March 2017
| EID Search Options |
|---|
Advanced Article Search – Search articles by author and/or keyword.
|
Articles by Country Search – Search articles by the topic country.
|
Article Type Search – Search articles by article type and issue.
|
Please use the form below to submit correspondence to the authors or contact them at the following address:
Ronnie Henry, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd NE, Mailstop E03, Atlanta, GA 30329-4027, USA
Top