You have read my mind. I have wondered the same thing. November 2024 to April 2025 was testing positive for MABC. April 2025 count was super low and NJH took me off the antibiotics I had just started 3 weeks prior (ordered by local). Count was about 30 and NJH told me over 400 is high. Then negatives up through August 2025 cultures. November 2025, I got a positive but count was only 22. That is super low. I also wondered if it's original infection just so deep down there (covered by macrophages) or was it because of an environmental exposure? Just sent in January 26 sample and so far nothing growing as of today, which leads me to another question. NTMs and MTB are gram positive rods, which have appeared in the microscopic analyses when I test positive for NTM but do not show up in when I have tested negative. So wondering if I can predict whether or not the culture would be positive or not? Or at least the AFB smear.