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Abundance of M ycobacterium avium ssp. hominissuis in soil and dust in Germany – implications for the infection route
Author(s) -
Lahiri A.,
Kneisel J.,
Kloster I.,
Kamal E.,
Lewin A.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
letters in applied microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.698
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1472-765X
pISSN - 0266-8254
DOI - 10.1111/lam.12243
Subject(s) - nontuberculous mycobacteria , biology , mycobacterium , microbiology and biotechnology , biofilm , pathogen , abundance (ecology) , soil microbiology , bacteria , ecology , soil water , genetics
The nontuberculous mycobacteria ( NTM ) are a heterogeneous group of bacteria found in soil, water and dust. The spread of NTM infection depends on the exposure to reservoirs with high proportions of mycobacteria, the virulence of the NTM strains, the enhanced sensitivity to infections such as those of immune‐compromised hosts and patient risk factors such as C ystic F ibrosis. Since several decades, NTM lung disease has been increasingly observed in slender postmenopausal women. The most important NTM in G ermany is M ycobacterium avium ssp. hominissuis ( MAH ). The routes of MAH infection are in almost all cases unknown, but water is often suspected as source of infection. We wanted to examine this hypothesis by determining the frequency of MAH in environmental samples of water, biofilms, soil and dust originating from Germany. We found MAH in 33% of the dust samples and 20% of the soil samples. No MAH could be isolated from water and biofilm. Dust and soil clearly presented more abundance of MAH in comparison with water and biofilms. Therefore, more attention should be paid to soil and dust in G ermany as an important source of M yco. avium infections. Significance and Impact of the Study This study was conducted to investigate the ecological abundance of the most prominent clinical nontuberculous mycobacteria ( NTM ) in G ermany, the M ycobacterium avium ssp. hominissuis ( MAH ). Examination of soil, water, dust and biofilm samples revealed that MAH in G ermany was predominant in soil and dust. No MAH was identified in water and biofilms. Our finding contributes to the identification of the environmental niche of this opportunistic pathogen and proposes soil and dust as sources of MAH infection in G ermany.