title: Non-tuberculous mycobacteria and microbial populations in drinking water distribution systems.
abstract: Data on the occurrence of non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), in parallel with those obtained for bacterial indicators and amoebae, are presented with the aim to collect information on the spread of NTM in drinking water distribution systems in Italy. Samples were collected from taps of hospitals and households in Central and Southern Italy. The concentration values obtained for the more traditional microbial parameters complied with the mandatory requirements for drinking water. Conversely, moderate-to-high microbial loads (till 300 CFU/L) were observed for the NTM. Positive samples were obtained from 62% of the investigated water samples. Analogous results were observed for amoebae showing a higher percentage of positive samples (76%). In terms of public health, the presence of mycobacteria in water distribution systems may represent a potential risk especially for vulnerable people such as children, the elderly or immunocompromised individuals.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Ambiente e Connessa Prevenzione Primaria, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Rossella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Briancesco
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Semproni
authors.forename: Simonetta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Della Libera
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sdanganelli
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bonadonna
mesh_terms: D058491:Bacterial Load; D006761:Hospitals; D007558:Italy; D009161:Mycobacterium; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry; D014871:Water Microbiology; D014881:Water Supply / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014867:Water