Volume 18, Number 10—October 2012
Research
Nontuberculous Mycobacteria in Household Plumbing as Possible Cause of Chronic Rhinosinusitis
Table 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.