Summary of the 4th Asian African Congress of Mycobacteriology

The 4th Asian African Congress of Mycobacteriology, organized by the Asian African Society of Mycobacteriology (AASM), was held virtually on July 3–4, 2024, bringing together international experts, clinicians, microbiologists, researchers, and public health professionals to discuss current advances and challenges in mycobacterial diseases. Building on the success of previous congresses held in 2015, 2017, and 2021, the meeting provided an international platform for scientific exchange, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the dissemination of emerging research.

The scientific program comprised four major sessions addressing drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB), advances in tuberculosis and mycobacterial lung diseases, current challenges in mycobacterial infections, and emerging approaches in tuberculosis research. Distinguished speakers and panelists from countries across Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America contributed expertise spanning clinical medicine, microbiology, molecular diagnostics, epidemiology, genomics, and public health.

Key topics included rapid molecular diagnostics, whole-genome and nanopore sequencing, mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance, and emerging treatment strategies for drug-resistant TB. Discussions also addressed bedaquiline resistance, pretomanid susceptibility, novel therapeutic targets, and the importance of treatment literacy in improving patient outcomes. Other presentations explored nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infections, including their clinical significance in people living with HIV and patients with cystic fibrosis, as well as the challenges of diagnosis and management in low- and middle-income countries.

The congress also highlighted the broader epidemiological and public health dimensions of mycobacterial diseases. Presentations examined the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on TB services, childhood tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment, geographical information systems for national TB programs, and the development of drug-resistance surveillance capacity in Zambia. Additional research addressed bovine tuberculosis control, Mycobacterium leprae biology, host–pathogen interactions, and the genetic diversity and adaptive mechanisms of mycobacteria.

The congress concluded with closing remarks by Ali Akbar Velayati (IRAN), Sven Hoffner(Sweden ), Matthew Bates (UK) , and Parissa Farnia(IRAN). Overall, the meeting reinforced the importance of international collaboration, innovation in diagnostics and treatment, and sustained research efforts to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and management of tuberculosis and other mycobacterial diseases worldwide.