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Updated: Nov 19, 2025

Long Term Chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa Airway Infection in Mice
Published on: March 17, 2014
Patients with non-tuberculous mycobacteria in respiratory samples: a 5-year epidemiological study
C Matesanz López1, C Loras Gallego, J Cacho Calvo
1Cristina Matesanz López, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Hospital Universitario Getafe, Carretera de Toledo km 12,500, 28905 Getafe, Madrid, Spain. cristina.matesanz@salud.madrid.org.
Objective:
This study describes the characteristics of patients with positive cultures of non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in respiratory samples and determines the risk factors that predispose for a reinfection with different NTM species.
Methods:
Patients with NTM isolates in respiratory samples between 2013 and 2017 were studied. Additionally, risk factors and comorbidities of reinfected patients were analyzed..
Results:
The study was focused on the 280 patients with NTM isolation (28 were reinfected with at least another species). Mycobacterium avium was the main isolated species. 68% were men. Median age was 73.2. Most remarkable risk factors were: tobacco, COPD and bronchiectasis. Bronchiectasis turned out to be a statistically significant risk factor for reinfection. Only 12 patients (12.4%) were treated.
Conclusions:
NTM were mainly identified in elderly patients. The most frequent comorbidities were COPD and smoking, whereas the most frequent species was M. avium. Previous bronchiectasis was a predisposing factor for reinfection.
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