Sanitary Waters: Is It Worth Looking for Mycobacteria?
The freshwater environment is suitable for nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTMs) growth. Their high adaptability represents a considerable risk for sanitary water systems, which are a potential vector for NTMs transmission. This study investigated the occurrence of NTMs, such as <i>Mycobacterium saskatchewanense</i>, in hospital water systems to support the surveillance and control of potentially pathogenic NTMs. We analyzed 722 ultrapure dialysis fluid samples from Emilia Romagna Dialysis Services. Among these, 35 samples were found to be positive for <i>M. saskatchewanense</i>. The strains were characterized using whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and variability analysis was carried out along the whole <i>M. saskatchewanense</i> genome. This investigation revealed the exclusive presence of <i>M. saskatchewanense</i> in these dialysis machines, with low genetic variability among all strains (with a low number of different alleles: <15). The strong similarity among the strain groups was also confirmed in the WGS-based ML tree, with very few significant nodes, and no clusters were identified. This research highlights the necessity of implementing surveillance protocols and investigating any potential link to human infections, as well as stressing the urgency of enhancing surveillance and infection control measures.
Authors
- Francesco Messina (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8076-7217)
- Giorgio Dirani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7554-9653)
- Tiziana Lazzarotto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3093-363X)
- Giuseppe Diegoli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7658-7579)
- Carla Fontana (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2198-1947)
- Giulia Gatti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1907-8791)
- Paola Dal Monte (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2326-7464)
- Ornella Butera
- Silvia Zannoli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6296-505X)
- Vittorio Sambri (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5012-7355)
- Angela Cannas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8286-2127)
- Carla Nisii (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5369-0437)
- Giovanna Mattei
- Enrico Girardi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8182-5896)
- Elena De Vecchi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9781-8607)
- Francesco Bisognin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3254-9239)
- Gian Luigi Belloli
- V. C. A. Ferraro
- Antonio Santoro
Institutions
- Ministero della Salute (IT)
- Istituto Nazionale per le Malattie Infettive Lazzaro Spallanzani (IT)
- Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale Della Romagna (IT)
- Azienda USL di Bologna (IT)
- Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IT)
- University of Bologna (IT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Microorganisms
- Published
- 2024-09-27
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12101953
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Mycobacterium research and diagnosis
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.55
Funders
- European Commission
- Ministero della Salute