MYCOBACTERIA ISOLATED FROM SOIL

Abstract

As part of an epidemiologic study on unclassified mycobacterial infection in Houston, Texas, soil samples were collected from the home environment of elementary school students with a positive skin test to PPD-B (group III antigen) and examined for the presence of mycobacteria.Mycobacteria (101 strains) were isolated from 77 of 92 soil samples. Of 93 strains studied, 57 resembled known Mycobacterium species as follows: 48, M. fortuitum; 5, M. smegmatis, and 4, M. peregrinum. If distributed among the four groups of "unclassified mycobacteria", none appeared in group I; 5 in group II; 3 in group III; and 85 in group IV.