Background: Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are ubiquitous environmental organisms that have been increasingly associated with human disease, commonly involving the lung. Post menopausal Caucasian women seem particularly predisposed to the development of peripheral nodules and dilated airways (bronchiectasis) associated with these organisms. These women have distinguishing body characteristics of being taller and thinner than age and gender matched controls yet have no identifiable systemic immune defects. There is, however, considerable overlap with genetic disorders of mucociliary clearance such as cystic fibrosis (CF) and primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD). The Genetic Diseases of Mucociliary Clearance Consortium (GDMCC) is one of 10 consortia in the Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network formed under the Office of Rare Diseases in collaboration with NCRR, NICHD, NINDS, NIAMS, NIDDK, NHLBI in response to the Rare Diseases Act of 2002. The GDMCC is comprised of 5 geographically-dispersed clinical research sites that are designed to study rare diseases which involve defects in clearance of mucus secretions from the airways (defective "mucociliary clearance"). These sites will collaborate in diagnostic, genetic, and other studies in patients with impairments of mucociliary clearance, including primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), variant cystic fibrosis (CF), and pseudohypoaldosteronism (PHA). These studies are also applicable to diseases where altered airways clearance may play a primary or contributory role such as nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease, chronic granulomatous disease, and the hyper-IgE syndromes. Disorders such as PCD, CF, and PHA reflect genetic defects in airway host-defense, and typically result in chronic infection of the airways. Patients with these disorders of the conducting airways and sinuses have delayed (or incorrect) diagnoses, because diagnostic tests are not readily available. These patients may also have sub-optimal management of their clinical disease, because the cause of these disorders is not well-defined, and treatment regimens are usually not driven by evidence-based medicine.

Aims: The major aim of this study is to employ a systematic approach to the diagnostic and functional evaluation of these patients with chronic airways disease in individual patients, better define host susceptibility to infections from environmental organisms such as the nontuberculous mycobacteria, and potentially lead to the development of better diagnostic techniques, including genetic testing. In addition, we will compare/contrast clinical features (phenotype) across these disorders. A rigorous cross-sectional comparison of the clinical features will provide better understanding of the clinical disease of these disorders; in turn this will lead not only to a better standard of clinical care, but will also assist in the identification of novel therapeutic approaches.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional diagnostic / mechanistic protocol to investigate airway host-defenses. The patient populations for these studies include individuals with recurring airway infections such as those with nontuberculous mycobacteria lung disease who may have defective airway host defenses as a predisposing factor, individuals carrying a tentative diagnosis of the three known genetic disorders of mucociliary clearance (PCD, variant CF, or PHA), and individuals suspected to have one of these disorders but with inadequate or inconclusive diagnostic tests. Individuals in this latter category must have a preliminary clinical evaluation to evaluate for other more common disorders that may have similar manifestations including classical CF, immunodeficiency, asthma, and severe gastroesophageal reflux. The evaluation will include a detailed assessment of clinical features; specialized laboratory measurements such as nasal potential difference to evaluate the function of chloride and sodium channels associated with CF and PHA, nasal biopsy specimens and nasal nitric oxide measurements to assess cilia structure and function which are abnormal in PCD; and genetic studies to identify disease - causing mutations in genes associated with CF, PCD, and PHA.