Isolation of novel mycobacteria contaminating an aquarium fish tank in a Japanese university hospital.
OBJECTIVE
To better understand nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) contamination in a hospital setting, six freshwater fish gut homogenates and water in an aquarium fish tank placed on the reception counter of a nursing station were cultured for mycobacteria.


RESULTS
By direct sequencing of 16s rRNA, rpoB and hsp65, scotochromogenic and nonchromogenic Mycobacterium szulgai isolates containing hsp65 type II (GenBank accession nos. FJ384762 and FJ384764, respectively), Mycobacterium gordonae isolates containing rpoB clusters B and E (GenBank accession no. FJ384766), and Mycobacterium kansasii isolates containing hsp65 type VI were collected from the gut homogenates and water from the fish tank. However, no isolates were obtained from the tap water used to refill the fish tank. A randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis using a 10-mer primer (5'-TGGTCGCGGC) showed that some NTM from the fish tank water were identical to those obtained from the gut homogenates.


CONCLUSIONS
Fish and water in the tank were contaminated by the novel NTM.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings could help to elucidate infection routes and contamination sources of novel NTM from water sources.
Marumo
K
K
 Department of Clinical Pathology, Showa University Fujigaoka Hospital, Aoba-ku, Yokohama, Japan.| Infection Control Team, Showa University Fujigaoka Hospital, Aoba-ku, Yokohama, Japan.
Nakamura
H
H
 Infection Control Team, Showa University Fujigaoka Hospital, Aoba-ku, Yokohama, Japan.| Division of Central Clinical laboratory, Showa University Fujigaoka Hospital, Aoba-ku, Yokohama, Japan.
Tazawa
S
S
 Infection Control Team, Showa University Fujigaoka Hospital, Aoba-ku, Yokohama, Japan.| Division of Central Clinical laboratory, Showa University Fujigaoka Hospital, Aoba-ku, Yokohama, Japan.
Kazumi
Y
Y
 Bacteriology Division, The Research Institute of Tuberculosis, Japan Antituberculosis Association, Kiyose-shi, Tokyo, Japan.
Kawano
R
R
 Infection Control Team, Showa University Fujigaoka Hospital, Aoba-ku, Yokohama, Japan.| Division of Nursing, Showa University Fujigaoka Hospital, Aoba-ku, Yokohama, Japan.
Shirata
C
C
 Division of Nursing, Showa University Fujigaoka Hospital, Aoba-ku, Yokohama, Japan.
Taguchi
K
K
 Department of Clinical Pathology, Showa University Fujigaoka Hospital, Aoba-ku, Yokohama, Japan.| Infection Control Team, Showa University Fujigaoka Hospital, Aoba-ku, Yokohama, Japan.
Kikuchi
T
T
 Infection Control Team, Showa University Fujigaoka Hospital, Aoba-ku, Yokohama, Japan.| Department of Respiratory Medicine, Showa University Fujigaoka Hospital, Aoba-ku, Yokohama, Japan.
Nagashima
G
G
 Department of Neurosurgery, St. Marianna University School of Medicine Toyoko Hospital, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki, Japan.
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000382:microbiology; D005399:Fishes / Q000382:microbiology*; D006785:Hospitals, University; D007564:Japan; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D009164:Mycobacterium Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D019909:Mycobacterium kansasii / Q000302:isolation & purification; D009170:Nontuberculous Mycobacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019105:Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique