Diversity and Spatiotemporal Variation in The Occurrence of Opportunistic Pathogens within a Large Building Water System.

Understanding survival mechanisms within building water systems (BWSs) is challenging due to varying engineering, operational, and water quality characteristics unique to each system. This study aimed to evaluate , mycobacteria, and free-living amoebae occurrence within a BWS over 18-28 months at six locations differing in plumbing material and potable water age, quality, and usage. A total of 114 bulk water and 57 biofilm samples were analyzed. culturability fluctuated seasonally with most culture-positive samples being collected during the winter compared to the spring, summer, and fall months. Positive and negative correlations between and occurrence and other physiochemical and microbial water quality parameters varied between location and sample types. Whole genome sequencing of 19 presumptive isolates, from four locations across three time points, identified nine isolates as serogroup (sg) 1 sequence-type (ST) 1; three as sg5 ST1950 and ST2037; six as ; and one as . Results showed the presence of a diverse population with consistent and sporadic occurrence at four and two locations, respectively. Viewed collectively with similar studies, this information will enable a better understanding of the engineering, operational, and water quality parameters supporting growth within BWSs.