Sputum sample characteristics
| No NTM pulmonary disease | NTM pulmonary disease | p-value | |
| Subjects | 16 | 8 | |
| Total sputum samples (mean per subject, range) | 129 (8.1, 3–19) | 59 (7.4, 3–14) | 0.73 (unpaired t-test) |
| Sample clinical state# | |||
| Baseline | 30 (23.3) | 22 (37.3) | 0.06 (Chi-squared test) |
| Exacerbation | 37 (28.7) | 18 (30.5) | |
| Treatment | 42 (32.6) | 9 (15.3) | |
| Recovery | 20 (15.5) | 10 (16.9) |
Data are presented as n or n (%), unless otherwise stated. NTM: nontuberculous mycobacteria. #: defined in the supplementary methods.