Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25592857›Full record

ArticleAnnals of clinical microbiology and antimicrobials2015

Molecular identification of non-tuberculous mycobacteria isolated from clinical specimens in Zambia.

Grace Mwikuma, Geoffry Kwenda, Bernard M Hang'ombe, Edgar Simulundu, Trevor Kaile, Selestine Nzala, Seter Siziya, Yasuhiko Suzuki

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Annals of clinical microbiology and antimicrobials, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
4.4field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 75 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Genome and drug resistance analysis ofFrontiers in microbiology · 2026
    Article
  3. PulmonaryJournal of community hospital internal medicine perspectives · 2025
    Article
  4. The State-of-the-Art ofHealthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024
    Review
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Grace MwikumaSchool of Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia. mwikumag@gmail.com.
Geoffry KwendaSchool of Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia. jaffekwenda@gmail.com.
Bernard M Hang'ombeSchool of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia. mudenda68@yahoo.com.
Edgar SimulunduSchool of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia. esikabala@yahoo.com.
Trevor KaileSchool of Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia. tkaile89@yahoo.co.uk.
Selestine NzalaSchool of Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia. selestinenzala@yahoo.com.
Seter SiziyaSchool of Medicine, Copperbelt University, Kitwe, Zambia. ssiziya@gmail.com.
Yasuhiko SuzukiHokkaido University Research Center for Zoonosis Control, Sapporo, Japan. suzuki@czc.hokudai.ac.jp.
University of Zambia · ZMCopperbelt University · ZMHokkaido University · JP

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe emergence of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome has highlighted the increased incidence and importance of the disease caused by Non-tuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM). While disease due to M. avium-intracellulare complex is apparently common throughout the world, other Non-tuberculous mycobacterial species have been isolated from both immunocompromised and immunocompetent individuals. The increasing number of infections caused by these organisms has made it clinically important to quickly identify mycobacterial species. The diagnosis of a pathogenic versus a non-pathogenic species not only has epidemiological implications but is also relevant to the demands of patient management. Since antibiotic treatment varies according to the species encountered, species identification would reduce the burden of some of these emerging opportunistic pathogens especially in immunocompromised patients and improve their quality of life.

findingsA total of 91 NTM suspected isolates from four regions of Zambia were included in the study. These isolates were identified using the sequence analysis of the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic transcribed spacer (ITS) region of Mycobacteria. Fifty-four of the 91 (59%) isolates were identified as NTM and these included M. intracellulare (27.8%), M. lentiflavum (16.7%), M. avium (14.8%), M. fortuitum (7.4%), M. gordonae (7.4%), M. kumamotonense (3.7%), M. indicus pranii (3.7%), M. peregrinum (3.7%), M. elephantis (1.85%), M. flavescens (1.85%), M. asiaticum (1.85%), M. bouchedurhonense (1.85%), M. chimaera (1.85%), M. europaeum (1.85%), M. neourum (1.85%), M. nonchromogenicum (1.5%).

conclusionThe study has shown that DNA sequencing of the ITS region may be useful in the preliminary identification of NTM species. All species identified in this study were potentially pathogenic.

Indexed as

HumansMycobacterium Infections, NontuberculousNontuberculous MycobacteriaPhylogenyQuality of LifeZambia

Identifiers

PMID25592857
PMCPMC4302154
OpenAlexW2165922730

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.