2020 ATS/ERS/ESCMID/IDSA NTM-PD Guidelines – an expert overview

Stefano Aliberti is Associate Professor of Respiratory Diseases and Director of the Molecular Biology and Respiratory Infections Laboratory at the University of Milan, Italy.

He specialises in respiratory infectious diseases, including bronchiectasis and pneumonia.

He is Founder and Co-chair of The European Bronchiectasis Registry (EMBARC) and Work Package Leader of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Clinical Research Collaboration (EMBARC 2) for Clinical Trials Support and Feasibility.

He is Director of the Italian Registry of Adults with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (IRIDE), the Italian Registry on Pulmonary Non-tuberculous Mycobacteria (IRENE) and Director of the bronchiectasis and NTM Program at the Policlinico University Hospital in Milan, Italy.

Stefano Aliberti is also Chair of the ERS END-COVID Clinical Research Collaboration and Associate Editor (chest infections) for Chest.

Christoph Lange is Medical Director and Chief of Medicine of the Medical Clinic at the Research Center Borstel, Leibniz Lung Center (FZB) and Head of the Clinical Tuberculosis Center at the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF). He is Professor of Respiratory Medicine & International Health at the University of Lübeck.

His scientific work predominantly focuses on multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and the development and implementation of Precision Medicine for the benefit of patients affected by mycobacterial infections. Professor Lange was a joint first-author of the recent ATS/ERS/ESCMID/IDSA 2020 guideline for the treatment of non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary diseases (NTM-PD).

Christoph Lange is Associated Professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and Associate Professor at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Chișinău, Moldova where he was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2013.

Eva Polverino is Senior Investigator in Respiratory Infection at Vall D’Hebron Instuitut de Recerca (VHIR), Spain.

She is a co-investigator and collaborator in numerous clinical trials and European Projects. She is currently conducting research on bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, antimicrobial resistance, immunodeficiencies in respiratory diseases and respiratory physiotherapy.

Eva Polverino is Chair of Assembly 10 (Respiratory Infections) of the European Respiratory Society and Co-chair of The European Bronchiectasis Registry (EMBARC) and author of more than 100 scientific publications, including lead author for the European Respiratory Society (ERS) guidelines on the management of bronchiectasis.

Nicolas Veziris is Professor in Bacteriology at Sorbonne Université, head of the Bacteriology laboratory of Saint-Antoine Hospital and member of the French National Reference Centre for Mycobacteria, Assistance Publique-Hospitals of Paris (AP-HP).

He has been a senior researcher in the Emergence and Diffusion of Multiple Resistance Against Antibiotics research team at the Centre for Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the Sorbonne Université in Paris since 2001. 

His research focuses on the treatment of mycobacterial infections and he consults on difficult to treat infections.

Nicolas Veziris has contributed to over 100 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles.

Charles Haworth is a Respiratory Consultant working within the Cambridge Centre for Lung Infection at Royal Papworth Hospital and an Honorary Consultant in at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, UK.

He is the senior author of the US Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and European Cystic Fibrosis Society non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) guidelines and first author of the British Thoracic Society NTM guidelines. He also co-authored the European Respiratory Society (ERS) and the British Thoracic Society bronchiectasis guidelines.

Charles Haworth has been co-chief Investigator of three international multicentre novel therapy clinical trials in bronchiectasis and is a steering committee and scientific committee member of the European Bronchiectasis Registry (EMBARC).

Jakko van Ingen is a Consultant Clinical Microbiologist and Head of the Mycobacteriology Reference Laboratory at Radboud University Medical Center, the Netherlands.

His research group focuses on the pharmacodynamics of antimycobacterial drugs and the development of new treatment regimens for non-tuberculous mycobacterial disease (NTM).

He is an international consultant on the treatment of mycobacterial disease and has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles and 10 book chapters.

Jakko van Ingen is a member of several international diagnosis and treatment guideline committees and has co-authored the ATS/ERS/ESCMID/IDSA 2020 guideline for the treatment of NTM pulmonary disease (NTM-PD).