Pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease prevalence and clinical features: an emerging public health disease.

Rationale: Respiratory specimens with nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are increasingly common; however, pulmonary disease prevalence is unknown.

Objectives: To determine the disease prevalence, clinical features, and risk factors for NTM disease, and to examine the predictive value of the microbiologic criteria of the American Thoracic Society (ATS)/Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) pulmonary NTM case definition for true NTM disease.

Methods: We identified all Oregon residents during 2005-2006 with at least one respiratory mycobacterial isolate.