Editing Mycobacterium (section)

=== Nontuberculosis ''Mycobacteria'' ===
[[File:Three Pathogenic Mycobacteria.png|thumb|[[Sequence homology|Orthologous]] proteins found in each species (based on [[Orthologous MAtrix|OMA]] identifiers). Unique proteins for each species are localized in the outer section for each species.]]
Nontuberculosis ''Mycobacteria'' (NTM), which exclude ''[[Mycobacterium tuberculosis|M. tuberculosis]], [[Mycobacterium leprae|M. leprae]],'' and ''M. lepromatosis,'' can infect mammalian hosts. These bacteria are referred to as "atypical mycobacteria." Although person-to-person transmission is rare, transmission of ''M. abscessus'' has been observed between patients with [[cystic fibrosis]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-08-12 |title=Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) Infections {{!}} HAI {{!}} CDC |url=https://www.cdc.gov/hai/organisms/nontuberculous-mycobacteria.html |access-date=2023-04-28 |website=www.cdc.gov |language=en-us}}</ref> The four primary diseases observed in humans are chronic pulmonary disease, disseminated disease in immunocompromised patients, skin and soft tissue infections, and superficial lymphadenitis. 80-90% of recorded NTM infections manifest as pulmonary diseases.<ref name="To_2020">{{cite journal | vauthors = To K, Cao R, Yegiazaryan A, Owens J, Venketaraman V | title = General Overview of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Opportunistic Pathogens: ''Mycobacterium avium'' and ''Mycobacterium abscessus'' | journal = Journal of Clinical Medicine | volume = 9 | issue = 8 | pages = 2541 | date = August 2020 | pmid = 32781595 | pmc = 7463534 | doi = 10.3390/jcm9082541 | doi-access = free }}</ref>

''[[Mycobacteroides abscessus|M. abscessus]]'' is the most virulent rapidly-growing mycobacterium (RGM), as well as the leading cause of RGM based pulmonary infections. Although it has been traditionally viewed as an opportunistic pathogen like other NTMs, analysis of various virulence factors (VFs) have shifted this view to that of a true pathogen. This is due to the presence of known mycobacterial VFs and other non-mycobacterial VFs found in other prokaryotic pathogens.<ref name="To_2020" />