Abstract

This study aimed to determine the occurrence of Mycobacterium avium complex and other nontuberculous mycobacteria in drinking-water in Basra governorate, Iraq and their susceptibility to several antibiotics and the effect of 0.5 mg/L of chlorine on their survival. A total of 404 samples of drinking-water were collected from 33 different districts of the governorate from November 2006 to August 2007. Filtered samples were incubated for 7 days or less in a monophasic-biphasic culture setup of tuberculosis broth and Lowenstein-Jensen agar. The 252 isolates were identified as M. avium complex (21), M. marinum (15), M. kansasii (30), M. simiae (20), M. szulgai (19), M. xenopi (16), M. malmoense (11), M. fortuitum (37), M. chelonae (50) and M. abscessus (33). Isolates were tested for antibiotic susceptibility as well as their ability to tolerate chlorine at a concentration of 0.5 mg/L. The presence of these pathogenic bacteria in drinking-water renders the water unfit for human consumption.

Links

Aggregator Full Text

Authors

Al-Sulami AA, Al-Taee AM, Wida'a QH

Institution

'Department of Biology, College of Education, University of Basra, Basra, Iraq. Aminabdulah@yahoo.com

Source

Eastern Mediterranean health journal = La revue de santé de la Méditerranée orientale = al-Majallah al-ṣiḥḥīyah li-sharq al-mutawassiṭ 18:3 2012 Mar pg 274-8

MeSH

Anti-Bacterial Agents
Bacterial Typing Techniques
Chlorine
Drinking Water
Drug Resistance, Bacterial
Humans
Iraq
Mycobacterium avium Complex
Water Purification

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article

Language

eng

PubMed ID

22574483