Mycobacterium avium complex

[2] These bacteria are common and are found in fresh and salt water, in household dust and in soil.

[3] MAC infection can cause COPD and lymphadenitis, and can cause disseminated disease, especially in people with immunodeficiency.

Mycobacterium chimaera is acquired during cardiopulmonary bypass via bioaerosols emitted from contaminated heater-cooler units water systems.

Due to nonspecific symptoms and long latency, postoperative Mycobacterium chimaera infections may not be promptly diagnosed and treated, and may become life-threatening.

In 2004, Tortoli et al. proposed the name M. chimaera for strains that a reverse hybridization–based line probe assay suggested belonged to MAIS (M. avium–M.