Sulfeld

Researchers are investigating whether household environments, especially water systems, contribute to non-tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infections in people with cystic fibrosis (CF). This non-interventional case-control study involves about 120 CF patients in Germany, including 60 with current or past NTM lung infections and 60 without known NTM infections as a control group. The goal is to better understand exposure risks and help develop prevention strategies for NTM infections in CF patients. Environmental samples such as water, dust, and soil will be collected from participants' homes. These samples will be tested for NTM using culture methods, PCR, and whole-genome sequencing to identify and analyze the bacteria. Researchers will compare findings between homes of patients with and without NTM infections, and they will also compare environmental bacteria to clinical samples from the same patients when available. Questionnaires will gather information about environmental and behavioral risk factors linked to NTM presence. Participants will not undergo additional medical procedures beyond routine care. Over up to three years of follow-up, new NTM infections in initially unaffected patients will be recorded. The study measures include the prevalence of NTM in home environments, differences between case and control groups, and genetic matches between environmental and patient bacterial samples. The findings aim to inform future guidelines for preventing NTM infections in people with CF.

This research aims to explore the relationship between symptoms reported by patients in a daily diary and the disease progression seen in microbiological and radiological tests for adults with pulmonary infections caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). The study focuses on understanding how well the symptom diary reflects the course of the disease and treatment effects, potentially leading to a simpler, non-invasive monitoring tool that could improve quality of life for patients with NTM infections. Participants will be asked to fill out a symptom diary daily for six months, recording symptoms such as cough, body weight, temperature, and other complaints. Alongside the diary, routine clinical data including microbiological and radiological findings will be collected as part of standard care without any extra diagnostic procedures or study-specific visits. Follow-up assessments will take place according to clinical needs and national guidelines, which may vary from weekly to monthly intervals depending on each patient's situation. During the study, researchers will monitor how the symptom diary correlates with microbiology and radiology results at six months after enrollment. Patients will be involved in daily symptom tracking and routine clinical evaluations as part of their ongoing care. The goal is to validate the diary as a useful tool for assessing treatment outcomes and disease progression over the six-month period.