Soil Properties and Moisture Synergistically Influence Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Prevalence in Natural Environments of Hawai’i
Arielle W. Parsons, Stephanie N. Dawrs, Stephen T. Nelson, Grant J. Norton, Ravleen Virdi, Nabeeh A. Hasan, L. Elaine Epperson, Brady Holst, Edward D. Chan, Vianey Leos‐Barajas, Brian J. Reich, James Crooks, Michael Strong, Krishna Pacifici, Jennifer R. Honda
Abstract
Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are ubiquitous in the environment, being found commonly in soils and natural bodies of freshwater. However, little is known about the environmental niches of NTM and how they relate to NTM prevalence in homes and other human-dominated areas. To characterize NTM environmental associations, we collected and cultured 771 samples from 422 geographic sites in natural areas across Hawai'i, the U.S. state with the highest prevalence of NTM pulmonary disease. We show that the environmental niches of NTM are most associated with highly expansive, moist soils containing high levels of iron oxides/hydroxides. Understanding the factors associated with NTM presence in the natural environment will be crucial for identifying potential mechanisms and risk factors associated with NTM infiltration into water supplies, which are ultimately piped into homes where most exposure risk is thought to occur.