Cannas Angela, Messina Francesco, Dal Monte Paola, Bisognin Francesco, Dirani Giorgio, Zannoli Silvia, Gatti Giulia, Butera Ornella, Ferraro Vincenzo, Nisii Carla, Vecchi Elena, Mattei Giovanna, Diegoli Giuseppe, Santoro Antonio, Belloli Gian Luigi, Girardi Enrico, Lazzarotto Tiziana, Sambri Vittorio, Fontana Carla
National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani" IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy.
Microbiology Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
Microorganisms. 2024 Sep 27;12(10):1953. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms12101953.
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 , 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 . The strains were characterized using whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and variability analysis was carried out along the whole genome. This investigation revealed the exclusive presence of 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.
淡水环境适合非结核分枝杆菌（NTMs）生长。它们的高适应性对卫生供水系统构成了相当大的风险，而卫生供水系统是NTMs传播的潜在媒介。本研究调查了医院供水系统中NTMs（如 ）的出现情况，以支持对潜在致病性NTMs的监测和控制。我们分析了来自艾米利亚-罗马涅透析服务中心的722份超纯透析液样本。其中，35份样本被检测出 呈阳性。使用全基因组测序（WGS）对菌株进行了表征，并对整个基因组进行了变异性分析。这项调查揭示了这些透析机中仅存在 ，所有菌株之间的遗传变异性较低（不同等位基因数量较少：<15）。基于WGS的ML树也证实了菌株组之间的高度相似性，只有极少数显著节点，未发现聚类。本研究强调了实施监测方案以及调查与人类感染的任何潜在联系的必要性，同时强调了加强监测和感染控制措施的紧迫性。
