Mycobacterium Avium Complex (MAC) Lung Disease in Two Inner City Community Hospitals: Recognition, Prevalence, Co-Infection with Mycobacterium Tuberculosis (MTB) and Pulmonary Function (PF) Improvements After Treatment.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to separate MAC lung disease from colonization and to define indications for treatment.

Materials And Methodology: Over 4 years, we evaluated patients who had positive MAC cultures, MAC infection and coinfection with MTB. In the first study, 42 immunocompetent patients with sputum or BAL culture positive only for MAC during a single year (2004) were reviewed.