The Potential of Digital Polymerase Chain Reaction for Improving Diagnostic Yield of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Pulmonary Disease

INTRODUCTION: Many patients with nontuberculous mycobacteria pulmonary disease are asymptomatic. The disease diagnosis is confirmed in only a small proportion of patients with radiological findings suspicious for nontuberculous mycobacteria pulmonary disease. Thus, many patients remained undiagnosed. Here, we evaluated the diagnostic value of digital polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in nontuberculous mycobacteria pulmonary disease. METHODS: We prospectively evaluated 123 patients with radiological findings suspicious for nontuberculous mycobacteria pulmonary disease. Digital PCR was performed using bronchial lavage fluid, sputum, saliva, blood, and urine. RESULTS: The culture of bronchial washing fluid was positive for nontuberculous mycobacteria in 53 patients and negative in 70. The positive detection rate of nontuberculous mycobacteria by digital PCR in patients with positive culture (n = 53) was as follows: bronchial lavage fluid 100%, sputum 62.9%, saliva 41.5%, blood 7.5%, and urine 3.8%. All patients with two or more positive partitions for nontuberculous mycobacteria in the digital PCR of bronchial lavage fluid showed nontuberculous mycobacteria growth in the bronchial lavage fluid culture. The digital PCR analysis of the bronchial lavage fluid showed a high sensitivity (100%), specificity (85.7%), positive predictive value (84.1%), negative predictive value (100%), and a high concordance rate (91.9%) with the bronchial lavage fluid culture results. In addition, the culture of bronchial lavage fluid was positive for nontuberculous mycobacteria in patients with two or more positive partitions in the digital PCR of sputum and saliva with a combined positive predictive value of 81.1%. CONCLUSION: Digital PCR analysis of nontuberculous mycobacteria in bronchial lavage fluid shows a high concordance rate with the bronchial lavage fluid culture results and a high positive predictive value using both sputum and saliva, suggesting the potential usefulness of dPCR for diagnosis of nontuberculous mycobacteria pulmonary disease in clinical practice.