Objective:

To characterize the host susceptibility spectrum underlying pediatric NTM infection and the diagnostic role of targeted next-generation sequencing (tNGS).

Approach:

Key Findings:

• Cohort included 5 children aged 7 months to 12 years.
• Pathogenic species identified were Mycobacterium abscessus (n = 4) and Mycobacterium paragordonae (n = 1).
• Infection sites included lungs (n = 3), cervical lymph nodes (n = 1), and parotid gland (n = 1).
• Predisposing factors included bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, congenital airway anomalies, and systemic immunodeficiency.
• All patients improved after individualized multidrug therapy.

Interpretation:

Pediatric NTM infection is associated with a broad spectrum of predisposing factors, and tNGS has significant diagnostic value in identifying NTM species.

Limitations:

• Small sample size of only five patients.
• Retrospective nature may limit the generalizability of findings.

Conclusion:

tNGS has significant diagnostic value in identifying NTM species when conventional methods are insufficient.

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