Nontuberculous mycobacteria from bronchial lavage fluid in bronchiectasis patients: A study from tuberculosis-endemic country

<bold>Introduction:</bold> Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infection, particularly NTM-lung disease, has been increasing worldwide but its data in tuberculosis (TB)-endemic countries is still scarce. <bold>Aims:</bold> To investigate the presence of NTM in Vietnamese patients with bronchiectasis (BE). <bold>Methods:</bold> A prospective study was conducted from 09/2022 to 09/2023 at both University Medical Center HCMC and Cho Ray’s hospital. All adult BE patients undertaken bronchoscopy were evaluated and we collected bronchial lavage fluid (BLF) to do multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction for TB and NTM. <bold>Results:</bold> 99 BE patients were analyzed (excluding 13 cases: two cases refused and 11 cases with active pulmonary TB), mean age 63.0 ± 11.9. The NTM-positive rate of BLF was 52.5% and the slowly growing NTM accounted for 90.4% (M. xenopi and M. avium complex were most common). Characteristics of the study population and comparison between two groups were presented in table 1. The etiologies of BE included post-TB (24.2%), immunodeficiency (5.1%), NTM (29.3%), other (8.1%), and idiopathic (33.3%). Excluding NTM-associated bronchiectasis, NTM was more common in patients with post-TB than those with other causes (50.0% vs. 26.1%, p = 0.045). <bold>Conclusions:</bold> NTM is not uncommon in Vietnamese BE patients, especially mild-moderate BE or post-TB BE. Table 1 <table-wrap><object-id>erj;64/suppl_68/PA3254/TB1</object-id><object-id>T1</object-id><object-id>TB1</object-id><table><colgroup><col></col><col></col><col></col><col></col><col></col></colgroup><tbody><tr><td><bold>Features</bold></td><td><bold>Total</bold> (n = 99)</td><td><bold>NTM-positive group</bold> (n = 52)</td><td><bold>NTM-negative group</bold> (n = 47)</td><td><italic>p-value</italic></td></tr><tr><td><bold>Female</bold></td><td>55.6%</td><td>51.9%</td><td>59.6%</td><td>0.444</td></tr><tr><td><bold>BMI</bold></td><td>21.5 (18.7 - 22.7)</td><td>21.0 (18.4 – 22.5)</td><td>21.8 (19.2 – 23.4)</td><td>0.360</td></tr><tr><td><bold>Productive cough</bold></td><td>72.7%</td><td>84.6%</td><td>59.6%</td><td><bold>0.029</bold></td></tr><tr><td><bold>BE affecting middle/lingular lobe</bold></td><td>51.5%</td><td>44.2%</td><td>59.6%</td><td>0.127</td></tr><tr><td><bold>BSI</bold></td><td>4.0 (2.0 -6.0)</td><td>3.0 (2.0 – 5.0)</td><td>4.0 (3.0 – 8.0)</td><td><bold>0.028</bold></td></tr></tbody></table></table-wrap>