Can physics principles help explain why non-tuberculous mycobacterial lung disease is more severe in the right middle lobe and lingula?

Chronic lung disease due to non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM)—most often due to organisms belonging to the Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC)—is increasingly prevalent in the United States and many parts of the world. In the non-cystic fibrosis population, NTM lung disease disproportionately affects middle-aged and elderly individuals, and is often recalcitrant to treatment.