Outcomes of HIV-positive patients with non-tuberculous mycobacteria positive culture who received anti-tuberculous treatment in Botswana: Implications of using diagnostic algorithms without non-tuberculous mycobacteria.

While the higher unfavorable outcome was non statistically significant, the impact of inappropriate treatment among NTM patients should not be overlooked. Our findings suggest that Xpert has the potential to rapidly rule-out NTM and avoid sub-optimal treatment; further research is needed to evaluate such potential.