In 2011, an international consensus group adopted a definition of cachexia as "a multifactorial syndrome defined by an ongoing loss of skeletal muscle mass (with or without loss of fat mass) that can be partially but not entirely reversed by conventional nutritional support. "Cachexia differs from weight loss due to malnutrition from malabsorption, anorexia nervosa, or anorexia due to major depressive disorder. Weight loss from inadequate caloric intake generally causes fat loss before muscle loss, whereas cachexia causes predominantly muscle wasting. Cachexia is also distinct from sarcopenia, or age-related muscle loss, although they often co-exist. Treatment
The management of cachexia depends on the underlying cause, the general prognosis, and the needs of the person affected. The most effective approach to cachexia is treating the underlying disease process. An example is the reduction in cachexia from AIDS by highly active antiretroviral therapy. However this is often not possible or maybe inadequate to reverse the cachexia syndrome in other diseases. Approaches to mitigate muscle loss include exercise, nutritional therapies, and medications. Exercise
Therapy that includes regular physical exercise can be recommended for the treatment of cachexia due to the positive effects of exercise on skeletal muscle but current evidence remains uncertain as to its effectiveness, acceptability and safety for cancer patients. Individuals with cachexia generally report low levels of physical activity and few engage in an exercise routine, owing to low motivation to exercise and a belief that exercising may worsen their symptoms or cause harm.
MAC infection can cause COPD and lymphadenitis, and can cause disseminated disease, especially in people with immunodeficiency. : 245

History
In 2004, Tortoli et al. proposed the name M. chimaera for strains that a reverse hybridization–based line probe assay suggested belonged to MAIS (M. avium–M. intracellulare–M. scrofulaceum group), but were different from M. avium, M. intracellulare, or M. scrofulaceum. The new species name comes from the Chimera, a mythological being made up of parts of three different animals. References
External links
Mycobacterium avium Complex at the US National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)