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. 2008 Mar;14(3):378–384. doi: 10.3201/eid1403.061405

Table 4. Comparison of patients with NTM infection and NTM disease according to 1997 and 2007 ATS criteria*.

Parameter 1997 criteria
2007 criteria
NTM disease 
(n = 12) NTM infection (n = 30) p value NTM disease 
(n = 20) NTM infection 
(n = 22) p value
Age, y (mean ± SD) 19.8 ± 9.1 26.0 ± 11.2 0.17 24.2 ± 11.7 24.3 ± 10.4 0.97
Sex, F/M 7/5 11/19 0.20 9/11 9/13 0.79
No. sputum specimens (mean ± SD) 9.0 ± 5.1 4.4 ± 4.0 0.01 8.0 ± 5.2 3.6 ± 3.2 0.003
BMI, kg/m2 (mean ± SD) 18.9 ± 1.4 20.4 ± 4.0 0.19 19.7 ± 2.6 20.2 ± 4.1 0.63
Hemoptysis 4 6 0.36 6 4 0.37
FEV1, L/s (mean ± SD) 55.0 ± 23.0 57.4 ± 18.4 0.75 50.7 ± 20.3 62.1 ± 17.6 0.06
Pancreatic insufficiency 9 26 0.36 17 18 0.78
Sweat chloride (Meq/L) (mean ± SD) 66.5 ± 53.3 75.7 ± 49.6 0.61 81.9 ± 45.6 65.0 ± 53.7 0.28
Hospitalization, d (mean ± SD) 50.8 ± 52.5 26.2 ± 27.7 0.05 43.9 ± 44.1 23.6 ± 28.0 0.09
Administration of antimicrobial drug therapy, d (mean ± SD) 87.8 ± 110.9 34.7 ± 57.1 0.14 70.1 ± 90.6 31.5 ± 62.7 0.12
Azithromycin 10 20 0.55 15 15 0.63
Azithromycin treatment, d (mean ± SD) 379.5 ± 258.6 362.9 ± 322.7 0.87 360.7 ± 297.5 374.0 ± 314.2 0.89
Ibuprofen 4 1 0.01 4 1 0.12
Insulin 1 3 0.87 2 2 0.92
Systemic steroids 2 1 0.13 2 1 0.49
Inhaled steroids 10 16 0.07 16 10 0.02
AFB in sputum 7 4 0.01 8 3 0.05
Pseudomonas aeruginosa 12 28 0.36 20 20 0.17
Staphylococcus aureus 7 11 0.2 8 10 0.72
Aspergillus spp. 11 17 0.03 16 12 0.12
Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis 3 0 0.004 3 0 0.06
Hemophillus influenza 2 1 0.14 2 1 0.52
Klebsiella pneumoniae 1 2 0.85 2 1 0.55
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia 2 0 0.02 2 0 0.14

*NTM, nontuberculous mycobacteria; ATS, American Thoracic Society; SD, standard deviation; BMI, body mass index; FEV1, forced expiratory volume in 1 s; AFB, acid-fast bacilli.