Abstract

ALCALDE-VAZQUEZ, Raúl; GONZALEZ-Y-MERCHAND, Jorge A.; MEDINA-JARITZ, Nora Beatriz  and  OLVERA-RAMIREZ, Roxana. Nontuberculous mycobacteria from mexican archaeological sites. TIP [online]. 2019, vol.22, e181.  Epub Mar 04, 2020. ISSN 1405-888X.  https://doi.org/10.22201/fesz.23958723e.2019.0.2019.0.181.

We examined several buildings of nine archaeological sites in Mexico for the presence of mycobacteria and we could isolate forty-five nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). These were isolated from biofilms using selective media containing different antibiotics and dyes. Identification of the isolated mycobacteria was carried out, first, by a molecular identification by means of a mycobacteria-specific PCR using bacterial lysates of the acid-fast bacilli followed by species identification by comparing of three molecular markers: genes rrs (16SrRNA), hsp65 and rpoB. Furthermore, the physiographic data of the archaeological zones under study was related to the number of acid-fast microorganisms using a univariate analysis of variance. From the 45 isolated mycobacteria, 21 were Mycobacteroides chelonae; seven, Mycobacteroides abscessus; five, Mycolicibacterium flavescens; four, Mycobacterium alvei; two, Mycobacterium fortuitum; and six, Mycobacterium sp. Most NTM were isolated from two archaeological sites: 25 from Guachimontones (Jalisco), and 13 from Atetelco (Estado de México). The statistical analysis showed that environmental factors such as climate and the temperature-humidity-precipitation interaction had the greatest influence on the presence of NTM in these archaeological zones.

Keywords : environmental nontuberculous mycobacteria; biofilms; archaeological sites.