Environmental predictors of pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) sputum positivity among persons with cystic fibrosis in the state of Florida

Sydney L. Foote, Ettie M. Lipner, D. Rebecca Prevots, Emily E. Ricotta*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Scopus citations

Abstract

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are opportunistic human pathogens that are commonly found in soil and water, and exposure to these organisms may cause pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease. Persons with cystic fibrosis (CF) are at high risk for developing pulmonary NTM infections, and studies have shown that prolonged exposure to certain environments can increase the risk of pulmonary NTM. It is therefore important to determine the risk associated with different geographic areas. Using annualized registry data obtained from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Patient Registry for 2010 through 2017, we conducted a geospatial analysis of NTM infections among persons with CF in Florida. A Bernoulli model in SaTScan was used to identify clustering of ZIP codes with higher than expected numbers of NTM culture positive individuals. Generalized linear mixed models with a binomial distribution were used to test the association of environmental variables and NTM culture positivity. We identified a significant cluster of M. abscessus and predictors of NTM sputum positivity, including annual precipitation and soil mineral levels.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere0259964
JournalPLoS ONE
Volume16
Issue number12 December
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2021
Externally publishedYes

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