Comparison of chest X-ray lesion characteristics of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and non-tuberculous mycobacterial infection

Purpose This research aimed to compared chest radiographic characteristics of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infection, which can be used in early diagnostic screening. Material and methods The method of this study was cross-sectional to obtain the relationship between radiographic findings. Results Among 538 subjects who were positive for TB during screening, 11 (2.04%) had MDR-TB, 147 (27.32%) had drug-sensitive TB, and 380 (70.63%) had NTM infection. The radiographic findings that correlated with MDR-TB were infiltrates ( p = 0.010), cavities ( p = 0.021), nodules ( p = 0.001), and fibrosis ( p = 0.010), with the best predictor of MDR-TB lesions being the presence of a nodule. The lesion locations related to MDR-TB were the upper right and left lung ( p = 0.00). There were no specific lesions present in NTM infection ( p p p = 0.01), and the lesion extent was also correlated ( p Conclusions Chest X-ray lesion characteristics of MDR-TB show significant correlation among cavities, nodules, and fibrosis. There were no specific lesions that could differentiate NTM infection from MDR-TB; however, the most common lesion location in NTM infection was the medial aspect of the left lung.