Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are an emerging pathogen worldwide in both cystic fibrosis (CF) and non-CF pulmonary disease (PD), with reports suggesting an increasing prevalence [1,2]. It is an opportunistic infection acquired from the environment [3], though conflicting evidence remains around person-to-person transmission [4,5]. Recent evidence suggests that Mycobacterium abscessus complex (MABSC) may be the most detrimental airway infection to lung function in CF [6], yet its treatment remains poorly evidenced.The paediatric CF service at the Royal Brompton Hospital (RBH) has had standardised diagnostic and treatment guidelines since 2011, which follow the American Thoracic Society (ATS) guidelines for the diagnosis of NTM-PD [7] and latterly CF-specific consensus guidelines [8,9]. In CF, the two most commonly encountered species are MABSC and Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), with the former more prevalent in the UK and the latter in the USA [1,10]. A recent consensus statement on treatment outcome definitions could not reach consensus on a definition of cure, but a microbiological cure was agreed as the end of anti-microbial treatment after culture conversion [11].
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