: the canary in the coal mine?

() is a species of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) that rarely causes infection. It has previously been labeled the most common NTM contaminant. Bronchiectasis is a disease characterized by abnormal airway dilation leading to chronic cough, sputum production and pulmonary infections. Patients with bronchiectasis are at higher risk of NTM-lung disease with more pathogenic NTM species including complex (MAC) and (). The relationship between bronchiectasis and less-pathogenic NTM species such as is less well understood. We performed a retrospective study on patients who had isolated from respiratory specimens at UConn Health between May 2, 2010 and October 18, 2022. was isolated 74 times from 56 patients. It was isolated 35 (47.3%) times from 31 patients with bronchiectasis and 39 (52.7%) times from 26 patients without bronchiectasis. Data was available on all mycobacterial cultures sent from May 2 2018 to October 18 2022. Mycobacterial cultures sent from patients with bronchiectasis were significantly more likely to grow than patients without bronchiectasis (4.3% . 1.6%, P=0.007). Furthermore, when considered at the patient level, there remained a significant increased rate of isolation among patients with bronchiectasis (7.1% . 2.2%, P<0.001). We then looked at past and future isolation of more pathogenic NTM species and found a non-statistically increased rate of isolation of more pathogenic NTM species including MAC and in patients with bronchiectasis (45.2% . 29%, P=0.09). Based on our results, isolation of should raise suspicion of chronic airway disease and defects in host immune response, such as those seen in bronchiectasis. Furthermore, isolation of may suggest increased risk of infection with more pathogenic NTM species such as MAC and .