Nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary infection

What it means

An infection of the lung caused by environmental mycobacteria. Such infections can occur in individuals with predisposing lung disease or immune disease.

Historically, human infections due to Mycobacterium were due almost exclusively to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB); the extensive societal impact of this infection is legendary. More recently, other species of mycobacterium causing clinical disease have been identified and, in many geographical regions, cause greater disease burden than TB. These organisms are referred to by a variety of collective names such as anonymous or atypical mycobacteria, mycobacteria other than tuberculosis (MOTT) and nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM).

Rare diseases that can present with this3

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category