Reassessment of inducible clarithromycin resistance inMycobacterium abscessus subsp. abscessus associated with diagnosis, treatment intervention, and sputum culture conversion in patients with Mycobacterium abscessus species pulmonary disease

Abstract This study assessed the characteristics of inducible clarithromycin resistance (IR) in Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. abscessus (MAB) associated with diagnosis, treatment intervention, and sputum culture conversion in patients with M. abscessus species pulmonary disease (MABS-PD). The proportion of patients with non-IR MAB T28 diagnosed with MABS-PDand treatment intervention rateswere lower than those of patients with IR or acquired resistant T28 ( P < 0.05), whereas the sputum culture conversion rate was higher in patients with non-IR MAB T28 ( P < 0.01). Among the 6 patients with C28, 4 (66.7%) of 5 patients with non-IR showed favourable microbiological outcomes.