Mycobacterium phocaicum in therapy pool water.

Area of Science:

• Environmental microbiology
• Clinical microbiology
• Bacteriology

Background:

• Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are increasingly recognized as opportunistic pathogens.
• Certain NTM species are commonly associated with aquatic environments.
• Respiratory and bloodstream infections caused by NTM can pose significant clinical challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the species of Mycobacterium isolated from a therapy pool water sample.
• To characterize the genetic profile of the isolated Mycobacterium species.
• To assess the potential role of the identified species as a water-borne pathogen.

Main Methods:

• Isolation and culture of bacteria from therapy pool water.
• Identification of Mycobacterium species using 16S rDNA sequencing.
• Confirmation of species identification and genotyping using rpoB sequencing and phylogenetic analysis.

Main Results:

• Mycobacterium phocaicum was successfully isolated from the therapy pool water.
• Genetic analysis confirmed the isolate as genotype 4 of M. phocaicum.
• This species is rarely reported in clinical samples, particularly from the respiratory tract and blood.

Conclusions:

• Therapy pool water can serve as a reservoir for Mycobacterium phocaicum.
• M. phocaicum should be recognized as a potential water-borne pathogen.
• The findings contribute to the understanding of environmental sources of NTM infections.