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. 2017 Sep 26;110(11):428–433. doi: 10.1177/0141076817732965

Table 3.

Infections due to non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are not more common in the tropics.

Environmental isolates Soil 100% (n=47) from Finland positive for NTM20
Water 35% from US and Finland positive for NTM, 10% from DRC and Kenya positive for NTM21
Potable water 45% of hospital water from US and Finland positive for NTM22
Asymptomatic infection, healthy individuals Skin tests Similar rates of NTM positivity in US, Finland, Kenya and Trinidad24
Antibody Increasing IgG to M. avium with age among tuberculin-negative US children25
Antibody Increasing IgG to M. avium with age among BCG-negative UK children26
Symptomatic disease, AIDS patients Blood culture M. avium bacteremia rates 10–20% in Finland and US vs. 2–8% in Kenya and Trinidad27