Journal
ARCHIVES OF MICROBIOLOGY
Volume 178, Issue 4, Pages 311-314Publisher
SPRINGER-VERLAG
DOI: 10.1007/s00203-002-0455-x
Keywords
starvation; Mycobacterium avium; desiccation; stress survival; mycolic acids
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Funding
- NCRR NIH HHS [G12 RR08124] Funding Source: Medline
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Mycobacterium avium grew in media at 14-37 degreesC, and persisted at 4degreesC and 42degreesC. The bacteria lost approximately 90% viability after 3 months in reverse-osmosis deionized water at 4-37degreesC. Cooler temperatures lowered the death rate. Death rates also decreased after a 5- to 10-day starvation adaptation period. Alterations of the steady-state levels of different mycolic acid classes, presumably to facilitate thermoadaptation, were found. Following desiccation, M. avium lost viability at a constant rate (half-life of 2.3 days). This implies that bacilli contaminating dry medical surfaces would persist for short periods of time. The remarkable stress survival exhibited by M. avium further suggests persistence in a range of environmental and clinical settings.
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