RT Book, Section A1 O'Donnell, Max R. A1 Reddy, Divya A1 Saukkonen, Jussi J. A2 Kasper, Dennis A2 Fauci, Anthony A2 Hauser, Stephen A2 Longo, Dan A2 Jameson, J. Larry A2 Loscalzo, Joseph SR Print(0) ID 1120800066 T1 Antimycobacterial Agents T2 Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 19e YR 2014 FD 2014 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9780071802154 LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1120800066 RD 2022/05/20 AB Agents used for the treatment of mycobacterial infections, including tuberculosis (TB), leprosy, and infections due to nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), are administered in multiple-drug regimens for prolonged courses. Currently, more than 160 species of mycobacteria have been identified, the majority of which do not cause disease in humans. While the incidence of disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been declining in the United States, TB remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries—particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where the HIV epidemic rages. Effective drug regimens are not all that is needed; without a well-organized infrastructure for diagnosis and treatment of TB, therapeutic and control efforts are severely hampered (Chaps. 2 and 13e). Infections with NTM have gained in clinical prominence in the United States and other developed countries. These largely environmental organisms often establish infection in immunocompromised patients or in persons with structural lung disease.