In vitro drug susceptibility of Mycobacterium other than tubercle bacilli.

MOTT were isolated from clinical specimens from the Division of Mycobacteriology, Department of Microbiology, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, and also from natural sources, namely water and soil in the Bangkok area from January to December, 1987. The strains isolated were as follows: 30 M. fortuitum fortuitum, 5 M. fortuitum peregrinum 3 M. fortuitum 3 rd. biovariant complex, 3 M. chelonae chelonae, 7 M. chelonae abscessus. Of these, 5 strains were isolated from clinical specimens and the other 43 were from the environment. The pattern of drug susceptibility to antituberculous and antimicrobial agents revealed that they were resistant to antituberculous agents but susceptible to aminoglycosides (which contain a central ring of 2-deoxystreptamine) such as amikacin (83% of cultures), netilmicin (83%), gentamicin (77%) and kanamycin (75%). Some strains were sensitive to tetracyclines (35%), but all were resistant to penicillins and cephalosporins.

Mycobacterium other than tubercle bacilli in various environments in Bangkok.

This research was designed to isolate Mycobacterium other than tubercle bacilli in various environments in the Bangkok area, in 1987. The results were as follows, one hundred samples of soil yielded 1 Mycobacterium gordonae, 2 M. chelonei, 57 M. fortuitum, 1 Nocardia asteroides, one hundred samples of natural water from the Chao Phraya River and the canals of Chao Phraya River yielded 2 M. chelonei, 18 M. fortuitum, 1 N. asteroides and 1 N. brasiliensis, thirty samples of tap water yielded 3 M. gordonae. But thirty samples of water from swimming pools were negative for Mycobacterium.