On the surface it seems simple enough to do as you suggested. "I was hoping to hear that they were entertaining the notion, at least, of using mRNA to boost specific immunity to the specific stains of NTM just like they did for COVID-19. " Except then I heard them say in another part of the discussion that in trying to develop phages, they have identified over 1000 genetic differences in just MAC - which makes it seem the task might be tougher.
I too have heard from time to time about trying to use the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory characteristics of certain essential oils to treat our lungs. But then I thought about it - we already have lungs that are not functioning properly to remove even known agents like mucus. How would lung tissue respond to oil, even aerosolized, which is completely foreign matter? Is there another possible delivery agent, like saline? Would the properties of the essential oil survive extraction from the oil and be stable in the saline?
As one of the presenters was saying, so many ideas to try, all dependent on time, money & staffing...we have come quite a long way in the past 5 years, with the addition of Amikacin, trials of other meds, wider use of 7% saline and NAC...
Sue
Well said, Sue.
It is not an easy and straightforward disease…multiple species/subspecies, multiple factors and underlying conditions. We are a small group of people and don’t have a strong voice yet to push for more research and clinical trials. More importantly, we are mostly women > 60. However, NTM prevalence is on the rise.