Question: Is Mycobacterium avium less susceptible to antibiotics than Mycobacterium tuberculosis?

Context:
The prevalence of MAC lung infection in two inner city hospitals was four times higher than that of TB.
Most patients with combined infection were clinically consistent with MTB and responded to anti MTB treatment alone.
The triplex PCR developed by us could be used to detect and differentiate M. tuberculosis, M. avium and other mycobacteria in a single reaction tube.
Twelve (15%) of the 80 blood cultures were positive for mycobacteria, with Mycobacterium avium being identified in 7 (8.8%) samples and M. tuberculosis in 5 (6.2%). 
The antimycobacterial activities of RS-112997, RS-124922 and RS-118641, three capuramycin analogues that inhibit phospho-N-acetylmuramyl-pentapeptide translocase, were tested against clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium intracellulare
The MIC50/90 (mg/L) results for RS-118641 were: M. tuberculosis, 1/2; multidrug-resistant (MDR) M. tuberculosis, 0.5/2; M. avium, 4/8; and M. intracellulare, 0.06/0.5
These results suggest that capuramycin analogues exhibit strong antimycobacterial potential and should be considered for further evaluation in the treatment of M. tuberculosis and M. avium-M. intracellulare complex infections in humans.
Mycobacterium avium causes disseminated infection in patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
Overall incidences of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) and Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) were 0.8 and 1.4 cases/100 person-years of follow-up (PYF), decreasing from 1.8 (TB) and 3.5 cases/100 PYF (MAC) before September 1995 to 0.3 and 0.2 cases/100 PYF after March 1997.
Because M tuberculosis disease is preventable and curable and yet communicable, physicians should maintain a high degree of suspicion for tuberculosis in HIV-infected adults. In comparison, the goal of treating M avium complex in patients with advanced HIV disease is to reduce constitutional symptoms and improve survival.
MAC pulmonary disease should be considered in the differential diagnosis of SPNs, even when encountered in geographic regions with a high prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis.
From April 2001 to February 2002, 80 blood samples from patients who were suspected to have disseminated mycobacterial infection, presenting fever and (preferably) a CD4 T cell count<100.0 cell/mL were investigated
IL-10 underlies distinct susceptibility of BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice to Mycobacterium avium infection and influences efficacy of antibiotic therapy.
Clinical utility of rifabutin 1 (RBT), a potent antibiotic used in multidrug regimens for tuberculosis (TB) as well as for infections caused by Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), has been hampered due to dose-limiting toxicity. 
Effective therapeutic regimens exist that are limited by the emergence of drug resistance and the inability of antibiotics to kill dormant organisms. 
Clinical utility of rifabutin 1 (RBT), a potent antibiotic used in multidrug regimens for tuberculosis (TB) as well as for infections caused by Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), has been hampered due to dose-limiting toxicity.
a potent antibiotic used in multidrug regimens for tuberculosis (TB) as well as for infections caused by Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC),
Clinical utility of rifabutin 1 (RBT), a potent antibiotic used in multidrug regimens for tuberculosis (TB) as well as for infections caused by Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), has been hampered due to dose-limiting toxicity.
tuberculosis appear to have different genetic mechanisms for resisting the effects of these antibiotics, with pks12 playing a relatively more significant role in MAC.

Answer: Mycobacterium avium causes disseminated infection in patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome. M tuberculosis disease is preventable and curable and yet communicable, physicians should maintain a high degree of suspicion for tuberculosis in HIV-infected adults. In comparison, the goal of treating M avium complex in patients with advanced HIV disease is to reduce constitutional symptoms and improve survival. Patients who were suspected to have disseminated mycobacterial infection, presenting fever and (preferably) a CD4 T cell count<100.0 cell/mL were investigated. Twelve (15%) of the 80 blood cultures were positive for mycobacteria, with Mycobacterium avium being identified in 7 (8.8%) samples and M. tuberculosis in 5 (6.2%).  The antimycobacterial activities of RS-112997, RS-124922 and RS-118641, three capuramycin analogues that inhibit phospho-N-acetylmuramyl-pentapeptide translocase, were tested against clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium intracellulare. The MIC50/90 (mg/L) results for RS-118641 were: M. tuberculosis, 1/2; multidrug-resistant (MDR) M. tuberculosis, 0.5/2; M. avium, 4/8; and M. intracellulare, 0.06/0.5
Exact answer: yes