Recovery of Mycobacteria from Heavily Contaminated Environmental Matrices

For epidemiology studies, a decontamination method using a solution containing 4.0% NaOH and 0.5% tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TDAB) represents a relatively simple and universal procedure for processing heavily microbially contaminated matrices together with increase of mycobacteria yield and elimination of gross contamination. A contamination rate only averaging 7.3% (2.4% in Cluster S; 6.9% in Cluster R and 12.6% in Cluster E) was found in 787 examined environmental samples. Mycobacteria were cultured from 28.5% of 274 soil and water sediments samples (Cluster S), 60.2% of 251 samples of raw and processed peat and other horticultural substrates (Cluster R), and 29.4% of 262 faecal samples along with other samples of animal origin (Cluster E). A total of 38 species of slow and rapidly growing mycobacteria were isolated. M. avium ssp. hominissuis, M. fortuitum and M. malmoense were the species most often isolated. The parameters for the quantitative detection of mycobacteria by PCR can be significantly refined by treating the sample suspension before DNA isolation with PMA (propidium monoazide) solution. This effectively eliminates DNA residue from both dead mycobacterial cells and potentially interfering DNA segments present from other microbial flora. In terms of human exposure risk assessment, the potential exposure to live non-tuberculous mycobacteria can be more accurately determined

Mycobacteria in Water Used for Personal Hygiene in Heavy Industry and Collieries: A Potential Risk for Employees

Environmental mycobacteria (EM) constitute a health risk, particularly for immunocompromised people. Workers in heavy industry and in collieries represent an at-risk group of people as their immunity is often weakened by long-term employment in dusty environments, frequent smoking and an increased occurrence of pulmonary diseases. This study was concerned with the presence of EM in non-drinking water used for the hygiene of employees in six large industrial companies and collieries. Over a period of ten years, 1096 samples of surface water treated for hygiene purposes (treated surface water) and treated surface water diluted with mining water were examined. EM were detected in 63.4 and 41.5% samples of treated surface water and treated surface water diluted with mining water, respectively. Mycobacterium gordonae, M. avium-intracellulare and M. kansasii were the most frequently detected species. Adoption of suitable precautions should be enforced to reduce the incidence of mycobacteria in shower water and to decrease the infectious pressure on employees belonging to an at-risk group of people

Avian Mycobacteriosis: Still Existing Threat to Humans

The nontuberculous mycobacteria are typically environmental organisms residing in soil and water. These microorganisms can cause a wide range of clinical diseases; pulmonary disease is most frequent, followed by lymphadenitis in children, skin and soft tissue disease, and rare extra pulmonary or disseminated infections. Mycobacterium avium complex is the second most common cause of pulmonary mycobacterioses after M. tuberculosis. This review covers the clinical and laboratory diagnosis of infection caused by the members of this complex and particularities for the treatment of different disease types and patient populations

Clinical Relevance and Environmental Prevalence of <i>Mycobacterium fortuitum</i> Group Members. Comment on Mugetti et al. Gene Sequencing and Phylogenetic Analysis: Powerful Tools for an Improved Diagnosis of Fish Mycobacteriosis Caused by <i>Mycobacterium fortuitum</i> Group Members. <i>Microorganisms</i> 2021, <i>9</i>, 797

Mycobacterium fortuitum group (MFG) members are able to cause clinical mycobacteriosis in fish and other animals including humans. M. alvei, M. arceuilense, M. brisbanense, M. conceptionense, M. fortuitum, M. peregrinum, M. porcinum, M. senegalense, M. septicum, and M. setense were isolated from fish with mycobacteriosis. In other animals only three MFG species have been isolated: M. arceuilense from camels’ milk, M. farcinogenes from cutaneous infections often described as “farcy”, and M. fortuitum from different domestic and wild mammals’ species. Out of 17, only 3 MFG species (M. arceuilense, M. lutetiense and M. montmartrense) have never been reported in humans. A total of eight MFG members (M. alvei, M. brisbanense, M. conceptionense, M. fortuitum subsp. acetamidolyticum, M. houstonense, M. peregrinum, M. porcinum, and M. septicum) have been isolated from both pulmonary and extrathoracic locations. In extrathoracic tissues five MFG species (M. boenickei, M. farcinogenes, M. neworleansense, M. senegalense, and M. setense) have been diagnosed and only one MFG member (M. fortuitum subsp. acetamidolyticum) has been isolated from pulmonary infection

Nontuberculous Mycobacteria: Ecology and Impact on Animal and Human Health

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) represent an important group of environmentally saprophytic and potentially pathogenic bacteria that can cause serious mycobacterioses in humans and animals. The sources of infections often remain undetected except for soil- or water-borne, water-washed, water-based, or water-related infections caused by groups of the Mycobacterium (M.) avium complex; M. fortuitum; and other NTM species, including M. marinum infection, known as fish tank granuloma, and M. ulcerans infection, which is described as a Buruli ulcer. NTM could be considered as water-borne, air-borne, and soil-borne pathogens (sapronoses). A lot of clinically relevant NTM species could be considered due to the enormity of published data on permanent, periodic, transient, and incidental sapronoses. Interest is currently increasing in mycobacterioses diagnosed in humans and husbandry animals (esp. pigs) caused by NTM species present in peat bogs, potting soil, garden peat, bat and bird guano, and other matrices used as garden fertilizers. NTM are present in dust particles and in water aerosols, which represent certain factors during aerogenous infection in immunosuppressed host organisms during hospitalization, speleotherapy, and leisure activities. For this Special Issue, a collection of articles providing a current view of the research on NTM&mdash;including the clinical relevance, therapy, prevention of mycobacterioses, epidemiology, and ecology&mdash;are addressed

Clinical Relevance and Environmental Prevalence of Mycobacterium fortuitum Group Members. Comment on Mugetti et al. Gene Sequencing and Phylogenetic Analysis: Powerful Tools for an Improved Diagnosis of Fish Mycobacteriosis Caused by Mycobacterium fortuitum Group Members. Microorganisms 2021, 9, 797

Mycobacterium fortuitum group (MFG) members are able to cause clinical mycobacteriosis in fish and other animals including humans. M. alvei, M. arceuilense, M. brisbanense, M. conceptionense, M. fortuitum, M. peregrinum, M. porcinum, M. senegalense, M. septicum, and M. setense were isolated from fish with mycobacteriosis. In other animals only three MFG species have been isolated: M. arceuilense from camels’ milk, M. farcinogenes from cutaneous infections often described as “farcy”, and M. fortuitum from different domestic and wild mammals’ species. Out of 17, only 3 MFG species (M. arceuilense, M. lutetiense and M. montmartrense) have never been reported in humans. A total of eight MFG members (M. alvei, M. brisbanense, M. conceptionense, M. fortuitum subsp. acetamidolyticum, M. houstonense, M. peregrinum, M. porcinum, and M. septicum) have been isolated from both pulmonary and extrathoracic locations. In extrathoracic tissues five MFG species (M. boenickei, M. farcinogenes, M. neworleansense, M. senegalense, and M. setense) have been diagnosed and only one MFG member (M. fortuitum subsp. acetamidolyticum) has been isolated from pulmonary infection

Nontuberculous Mycobacteria as Sapronoses: A Review

Mycobacteria are a unique group of microorganisms. They are characterised by exceptional adaptability and durability. They are capable of colonisation and survival even in very unfavourable conditions. In addition to the well-known obligate human pathogens, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. leprae, more than 200 other species have been described. Most of them form a natural part of the microflora of the external environment and thrive in aquatic and soil environments especially. For many of the mycobacterial species associated with human disease, their natural source has not yet been identified. From an ecological point of view, mycobacteria are saprophytes, and their application in human and animal diseases is opportunistic. Most cases of human disease from saprophytic mycobacteria occur in immunocompromised individuals. This adaptability and resilience to environmental pressures makes treatment of mycobacterial diseases (most often sapronoses and less often zoonoses) and permanent eradication of mycobacteria from the environment very difficult. Saprophytic mycobacterial diseases (sapronoses) are chronic and recurrent due to the fact of repeated endogenous or exogenous re-exposure. Therefore, knowledge regarding their occurrence in soil and dust would aid in the prevention of saprophytic mycobacterioses. In conjunction, their presence and ecological significance in the environment can be revealed

MALDI Spectra Database for Rapid Discrimination and Subtyping of Mycobacterium kansasii

Contains fulltext : 190719.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Nontuberculous mycobacteria in the environment of Hranice Abyss, the world’s deepest flooded cave (Hranice karst, Czech Republic)

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are widely distributed in the environment. On one hand, they are opportunistic pathogens for humans and animals, and on the other hand, they are effective in biodegradation of some persistent pollutants. Following the recently recorded large abundance of NTM in extreme geothermal environments, the aim of the study was to ascertain the occurrence of NTM in the extreme environment of the water zone of the Hranice Abyss (HA). The HA mineral water is acidic, with large concentrations of free CO2, and bacterial slimes creating characteristic mucilaginous formations. Both culture and molecular methods were used to compare the mycobacterial diversity across the linked but distinct ecosystems of HA and the adjacent Zbrašov Aragonite Caves (ZAC) with consideration of their pathogenic relevance. Six slowly growing NTM species (M. arupense, M. avium, M. florentinum, M. gordonae, M. intracellulare) and two rapidly growing NTM species (M. mucogenicum, M. sediminis) were identified in the water and in the dry zones at both sites. Proteobacteria were dominant in all the samples from both the HA and the ZAC. The bacterial microbiomes of the HA mineral water and HA slime were similar, but both differed from the microbiome in the ZAC mineral water. Actinobacteria, a phylum containing mycobacteria, was identified in all the samples at low proportional abundance. The majority of the detected NTM species belong among environmental opportunistic pathogens