All about Mycobacterium simiae in Brief

Abstract

More than hundreds pathogens of mycobacterium have been identified till now but a minority of these bugs cause diseases in humans. M. simiae, an emerging bacterium that has been discovered recently, commonly recovered from human sputum especially in patients with underlying lung diseases. Most commonly this bacterium is a bystander rather than a true culprit. Such differentiation is critical to avoid unnecessary long term treatment not free of side effects.