Pulmonary infections

Extract I've had a fascination with Mycobacterium for a long time and I haven't fully figured out where it comes from. What is it about this genus that is so intriguing? And in some cases so deadly. As a trainee in Ireland, I had what you might call a “healthy” exposure to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, with experiences varying from simply managing drug–drug interactions up to fatal disease in immunocompromised patients. In New York, I saw a different side of mycobacterial disease; at a tuberculosis (TB) centre in a city with a big immigrant population and in conjunction with the Department of Health, I dealt with some difficult cases of MDR- and XDR-TB, as well as challenges with medication adherence, all while under guard by the NYPD! In parallel, through our growing non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis programme, we had a large population of nontuberculous mycobacterial patients; the same genus but a very, very different and heterogeneous disease. Through this programme and with incredible support from New York University, thus began my transition into microbiome research, which has been a journey to say the least.