This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Lumb, R.
Right arrow Articles by Bastian, I.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Lumb, R.
Right arrow Articles by Bastian, I.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Lumb, R.
Right arrow Articles by Bastian, I.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, August 2004, p. 4906-4910, Vol. 70, No. 8
0099-2240/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.70.8.4906-4910.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Investigation of Spa Pools Associated with Lung Disorders Caused by Mycobacterium avium Complex in Immunocompetent Adults

Richard Lumb,1 Richard Stapledon,2 Andrew Scroop,3 Peter Bond,4 David Cunliffe,4 Allan Goodwin,1 Robyn Doyle,1 and Ivan Bastian1*

Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science,1 South Australian Tuberculosis Services, Royal Adelaide Hospital,2 Adelaide Respiratory Specialists,3 Environmental Health Branch, Department of Human Services, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia4

Received 17 December 2003/ Accepted 5 May 2004

Three cases of Mycobacterium avium complex-related lung disorders were associated with two poorly maintained spa pools by genotypic investigations. Inadequate disinfection of the two spas had reduced the load of environmental bacteria to less than 1 CFU/ml but allowed levels of M. avium complex of 4.3 x 104 and 4.5 x 103 CFU/ml. Persistence of the disease-associated genotype was demonstrated in one spa pool for over 5 months until repeated treatments with greater than 10 mg of chlorine per liter for 1-h intervals eliminated M. avium complex from the spa pool. A fourth case of Mycobacterium avium complex-related lung disease was associated epidemiologically but not genotypically with another spa pool that had had no maintenance undertaken. This spa pool contained low numbers of mycobacteria by smear and was culture positive for M. avium complex, and the nonmycobacterial organism count was 5.2 x 106 CFU/ml. Public awareness about the proper maintenance of private (residential) spa pools must be promoted by health departments in partnership with spa pool retailers.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Mycobacterium Reference Laboratory, Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, Box 14, Rundle Mall, Adelaide 5000, South Australia, Australia. Phone: 61 8 8222 3579. Fax: 61 8 8222 3543. E-mail: ivan.bastian{at}imvs.sa.gov.au.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, August 2004, p. 4906-4910, Vol. 70, No. 8
0099-2240/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.70.8.4906-4910.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Pfaller, S. L., Aronson, T. W., Holtzman, A. E., Covert, T. C. (2007). Amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis of Mycobacterium avium complex isolates recovered from southern California. J Med Microbiol 56: 1152-1160 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Field, S. K., Cowie, R. L. (2006). Lung Disease Due to the More Common Nontuberculous Mycobacteria. Chest 129: 1653-1672 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»