The ability to detach from biofilms in the lung airways prior to transmission to another host is associated with the infectious phenotype of Mycobacterium abscessus

Detached <i>M. abscessus</i>, one of the possible infectious phenotypes, contains specific proteins and lipids in the surface that facilitate the infection of new hosts. In addition, we identified many small proteins that have the likelihood to be associated with the release of the biofilm bacteria.