Volume 18, Number 10—October 2012
Research
Nontuberculous Mycobacteria in Household Plumbing as Possible Cause of Chronic Rhinosinusitis
Wellington S. Tichenor1
, Jennifer Thurlow1, Steven McNulty, Barbara A. Brown-Elliott, Richard J. Wallace, and Joseph O. Falkinham
, Jennifer Thurlow1, Steven McNulty, Barbara A. Brown-Elliott, Richard J. Wallace, and Joseph O. FalkinhamTable 1
Characteristics of patients whose sinuses yielded NTM in study of NTM in household plumbing, New York, New York, USA, 2001–2011*
| Characteristics | Value |
|---|---|
| Total patients | 33 (100) |
| Age range, y | 25–74 |
| Prior functional endoscopic sinus surgery | 30 (91) |
| Nasal polyps | 12 (36) |
| Primary immunodeficiency | 10 (30) |
| HIV positive | 0† |
| Cystic fibrosis carrier state | 1 (20)‡ |
| Diabetes | 0 |
| Repeat culture NTM negative | 21 (64) |
| Repeat culture NTM positive | 2 (6) |
| Repeat culture not performed or lost | 10 (30) |
| Symptoms improved | 14 (42) |
| Symptoms unchanged | 6 (18) |
| Other persistent microorganism§ | 1 (3) |
| Refused treatment | 3 (9) |
| Currently treated | 9 (27) |
*Values are no. (%) patients except as indicated. NTM, nontuberculous mycobacteria.
†No patients were known to be HIV positive; 16 were tested.
‡No patients were known to have cystic fibrosis; 5 were tested.
§Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
1These authors contributed equally to this article.
