Nontuberculous mycobacterium diversity in hospital water supply system. Mycobacterium

The building water supply system in healthcare facilities may serve as a suitable reservoir for waterborne NTM, thus the waterborne NTM have been the major control target in the healthcare-associated infection via water use. Chlorine-resistant NTM are persistent and have the potential to regrow in the premise plumbing and point of uses in hospital environment, in part because the suitable water temperature and complex water use structure of hospital water systems. The waterborne outbreaks can pose serious threat to the population in hospital buildings who are mostly the immunologically vulnerable people. However, the contamination of waterborne NTM in healthcare-associated water systems was not well revealed. Our study aims to identify NTM community developed in the hospital water supply system.