Nontuberculous mycobacteria in drinking water systems - the challenges of characterization and risk mitigation

Katherine Dowdell; Sarah-Jane Haig; Lindsay J Caverly; Yun Shen; John J LiPuma; Lutgarde Raskin

doi:10.1016/j.copbio.2019.03.010

Nontuberculous mycobacteria in drinking water systems - the challenges of characterization and risk mitigation

Curr Opin Biotechnol. 2019 Jun:57:127-136. doi: 10.1016/j.copbio.2019.03.010. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Authors

Katherine Dowdell¹, Sarah-Jane Haig², Lindsay J Caverly³, Yun Shen¹, John J LiPuma³, Lutgarde Raskin⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
² Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
³ Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
⁴ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. Electronic address: raskin@umich.edu.

Abstract

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) pulmonary infections are a growing concern worldwide, with a disproportionate incidence in persons with pre-existing health conditions. NTM have frequently been found in municipally-treated drinking water and building plumbing, leading to the hypothesis that an important source of NTM exposure is drinking water. The identification and quantification of NTM in environmental samples are complicated by genetic variability among NTM species, making it challenging to determine if clinically relevant NTM are present. Additionally, their unique cellular features and lifestyles make NTM and their nucleic acids difficult to recover. This review highlights a recent work focused on quantification and characterization of NTM and on understanding the influence of source water, treatment plants, distribution systems, and building plumbing on the abundance of NTM in drinking water.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Review

MeSH terms

Drinking Water / microbiology*
Nontuberculous Mycobacteria / isolation & purification*
Phylogeny
Risk Assessment*
Water Microbiology*
Water Purification

Substances

Drinking Water

Grants and funding

K23 HL136934/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States