A 33-year-old Australian has been left with a ‘likely incurable’ infection after visiting friends.

In July 2021, Chris Capper from Home Hill in Queensland, Australia went to visit his friends in Mount Elliot in New South Wales.

Since then, the former roofer’s health has deteriorated drastically and he believes it’s as a result of one small mistake he made.

While with his mates, Chris ended up drinking some unfiltered spring water and he thinks this is what has since caused his health to decline.

According to his GoFundMe page, he caught ‘a rare tropical bug’ that ‘ate around a third of [his] lungs’.

Indeed, after visiting multiple doctors who were unable to diagnose him, in July 2023, Chris was told he had probably ingested nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) – which is bacteria found in soil, water and dust.

American Lung Association explains: “Everyone inhales NTM into their lungs as part of daily life, and in most people the organisms do no harm. But in a small number of vulnerable individuals, NTM gets established in the lungs as an infection.

“[…] Everyone comes into contact with NTM, but it usually only causes infection in people with underlying lung disease, such as bronchiectasis or COPD, a weakened immune system or older age.

“[…] Some common symptoms of NTM lung disease are chronic cough, fatigue, weight loss, fever and night sweats.”

And it’s not just Chris’ lungs which have been affected.