@article {D{\textquoteright}AntonioPA2682, author = {Salvatore D{\textquoteright}Antonio and Daniela Orazi and Elisabetta Magini and Alfonso Altieri and Mario Giuseppe Alma and Giovanni Puglisi and Isabella Sanguigni and Rita De santis and Gregorino Paone}, title = {Non tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) contamination in a hospital water supply network: Association with pulmonary infection in respiratory wards}, volume = {46}, number = {suppl 59}, elocation-id = {PA2682}, year = {2015}, doi = {10.1183/13993003.congress-2015.PA2682}, publisher = {European Respiratory Society}, abstract = {Background: A worldwide increase in prevalence of Non tuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) infection has been observed over the past decades. There is no evidence of human-to-human transmission and human disease may be acquired from environmental exposures.Aim: We started a survey to identify NTM in sputa from patients from the Respiratory wards of S. Camillo-Forlanini Hospital in Rome and to test NTM presence in the hospital water supply network .Methods: From January 2011 to December 2014 sputa were collected from each individual referred to the respiratory wards and tested for Mycobacterium presence . Positive samples were examined by INNO-Lipa Mycobacteria v2 assay for subtypes identification.Samples from respiratory wards tap water and showers were also collected .Results: Sputa analysis confirmed an increase in NTM infection: in 2011 27.5\% of 190 acid fast bacilli (AFB) positive patients were NTM positive NTM, while in 2013 we observed 240 AFB positive patients 60\% positive for NTM (p\<0.0001).Survey on the water supply network of the Respiratory Department pointed out a significant NTM presence.In 2014, following water decontamination a significant decrease of NTM presence in respiratory wards pipeline was observed and only 3.5 \% of 209 positive sputa were positive for NTM (p\<0.0001).Conclusions: We showed a NTM increase in sputa from respiratory wards patients associated with NTM hospital water pipeline contamination.These findings are important because NTM infection of patients with lung diseases may be life-threatening. We believe that prompt water network surveys and decontamination should be taken to reduce this source of infection.}, issn = {0903-1936}, URL = {https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/46/suppl_59/PA2682}, eprint = {https://erj.ersjournals.com/content}, journal = {European Respiratory Journal} }