American Thoracic Society/Infectious Diseases Society of America criteria for diagnosing NTM pulmonary disease [19]
Clinical criteria | Respiratory or constitutional symptoms and appropriate exclusion of other diagnosis and: |
Radiological criteria | Reticular, interstitial or nodular infiltrate or cavitation on chest radiography, or high-resolution computed tomography scan that shows multifocal bronchiectasis with multiple small nodules, and: |
Microbiological criteria | Positive cultures from at least one bronchial wash or lavage, or positive sputum from at least two separate expectorated sputum samples; or transbronchial or other lung biopsy with microbiological histopathological features (granulomatous inflammation or acid-fast bacilli) and positive culture for NTM, or biopsy showing microbacterial histopathological features and one sputum sample or bronchial washing/lavage that is culture-positive for NTM. |
NTM: nontuberculous mycobacteria.