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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, June 2007, p. 3787-3797, Vol. 73, No. 12
0099-2240/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.02934-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Diversity of Environmental Mycobacterium Isolates from Hemodialysis Water as Shown by a Multigene Sequencing Approach ^,

Àrea Microbiologia, Departament de Biologia, Universitat de les Illes Balears, and Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats (CSIC-UIB), 07122 Palma de Mallorca, Illes Balears, Spain,¹ Servei de Microbiologia, Hospital Universitari Son Dureta, 07014 Palma de Mallorca, Illes Balears, Spain²

Received 19 December 2006/ Accepted 15 April 2007

Here we used a multigene sequencing approach for the identification and molecular typing of environmental mycobacteria of the fast-growing subgroup. Strains were isolated from hemodialysis water and clinical samples. Eleven type strains of related species of the genus were also included in this study. To gain further insight into the diversity of the environmental mycobacteria, we analyzed several housekeeping genes (16S rRNA, ITS1, gyrB, hsp65, recA, rpoB, and sodA). No individual phylogenetic tree allowed good discrimination of all of the species studied. However, a concatenated and a consensus analysis, combining the genes, allowed better discrimination of each strain to the species level, and the increase in sequence size also led to greater tree robustness. This approach is useful not only for the discrimination and identification of environmental mycobacteria but also for their molecular typing and studies of population genetics. Our results demonstrate high genetic diversity among the isolates obtained, which are probably new species of the genus.

Published ahead of print on 20 April 2007.

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