Nontuberculous mycobacteria in bronchiectasis: prevalence and patient characteristics
Open Access
- 1 December 2006
- journal article
- research article
- Published by European Respiratory Society (ERS) in European Respiratory Journal
- Vol. 28 (6), 1204-1210
- https://doi.org/10.1183/09031936.06.00149805
Abstract
The aim of the current study was to investigate the prevalence and clinical associations of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in a well-characterised cohort of patients with adult-onset bronchiectasis. The sputum of all patients attending a tertiary referral bronchiectasis clinic between April 2002 and August 2003 was examined for mycobacteria as part of an extensive diagnostic work-up. NTM-positive patients subsequently had further sputa examined. A modified bronchiectasis scoring system was applied to all high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scans from NTM-positive patients, and a matched cohort without NTM. Out of 98 patients attending the clinic, 10 had NTM in their sputum on first culture; of those, eight provided multiple positive cultures. Three patients were treated for NTM infection. A higher proportion of NTM-positive than -negative patients were subsequently diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (two out of nine versus two out of 75). On HRCT scoring, more patients in the NTM-positive group had peripheral mucus plugging than in the NTM-negative group. In the current prospective study of a large cohort of patients with bronchiectasis, 10% cultured positive for nontuberculous mycobacteria in a random clinic sputum sample. Few clinical parameters were helpful in discriminating between groups, except for a higher prevalence of previously undiagnosed cystic fibrosis and of peripheral mucus plugging on high-resolution computed tomography in the nontuberculous mycobacteria group.Keywords
This publication has 12 references indexed in Scilit:
- Non-tuberculous mycobacteria in patients with bronchiectasisThorax, 2005
- Nontuberculous MycobacteriaAmerican Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2003
- Nontuberculous MycobacteriaAmerican Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2003
- Evaluation of BACTEC MGIT 960 and BACTEC 460TB Systems for Recovery of Mycobacteria from Clinical Specimens of a University Hospital with Low Incidence of TuberculosisJournal of Clinical Microbiology, 2001
- An Investigation into Causative Factors in Patients with BronchiectasisAmerican Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2000
- Management of opportunist mycobacterial infections: Joint Tuberculosis Committee guidelines 1999Thorax, 2000
- Bronchiectasis: CT/clinical correlationsSeminars in Ultrasound, CT and MRI, 1995
- Standardization of Spirometry, 1994 Update. American Thoracic Society.American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 1995
- CT findings in bronchiectasis: limited value in distinguishing between idiopathic and specific types.American Journal of Roentgenology, 1995
- Mycobacterial isolations in young adults with cystic fibrosis.Thorax, 1984