title: Clinical significance of a single isolation of pathogenic nontuberculous mycobacteria from sputum specimens.
abstract: A single sputum culture positive for nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) could be an early sign of NTM lung disease. We found that 14% of patients with a single sputum culture positive for pathogenic NTM were diagnosed with NTM lung disease during the median follow-up period of 16 months.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Irwon-ro 81, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Korea. wjkoh@skku.edu
authors.forename: Won-Jung
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Koh
authors.forename: Boksoon
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Yousang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: Byeong-Ho
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: Goohyeon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Hye Yun
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Kyeongman
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.forename: Nam Yong
authors.initials: NY
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009165:Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D009170:Nontuberculous Mycobacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology*