Mycobacterium lentiflavum in drinking water supplies, Australia

Emerg Infect Dis. 2011 Mar;17(3):395-402. doi: 10.3201/eid1703.090948.

Abstract

Mycobacterium lentiflavum, a slow-growing nontuberculous mycobacterium, is a rare cause of human disease. It has been isolated from environmental samples worldwide. To assess the clinical significance of M. lentiflavum isolates reported to the Queensland Tuberculosis Control Centre, Australia, during 2001-2008, we explored the genotypic similarity and geographic relationship between isolates from humans and potable water in the Brisbane metropolitan area. A total of 47 isolates from 36 patients were reported; 4 patients had clinically significant disease. M. lentiflavum was cultured from 13 of 206 drinking water sites. These sites overlapped geographically with home addresses of the patients who had clinically significant disease. Automated repetitive sequence-based PCR genotyping showed a dominant environmental clone closely related to clinical strains. This finding suggests potable water as a possible source of M. lentiflavum infection in humans.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Drinking*
  • Female
  • Fresh Water / microbiology*
  • Genotype
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Mycobacterium / classification*
  • Mycobacterium / genetics
  • Mycobacterium / isolation & purification*
  • Mycobacterium Infections / epidemiology
  • Mycobacterium Infections / microbiology
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Queensland / epidemiology
  • Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid
  • Water Supply*