MOLECULAR MARKERS FOR THE INVESTIGATION OF MYCOBACTERIUM-GORDONAE EPIDEMICS

Mycobacterium gordonae was isolated as a light growth from bronchoalve olar aspirates from nine patients over 12 months. All patients were in one hospital, and had been bronchoscoped for suspected malignancy. No ne of the patients had symptoms or radiographic findings of mycobacter ial infection. The isolates were characterized by biochemical tests an d molecular hybridization. Random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis ( RAPD) was used to test whether the strains had a common origin. All th e isolates generated four to eight fragments, and almost all presented distinct RAPD patterns. Antimicrobial resistance patterns to six agen ts confirmed that the isolates were unrelated. Thus epidemiologically unrelated strains of M. gordonae can exist as contaminants in the same department over a relatively short time frame. RAPD analysis is easy to perform, gives rapid results, and can be used for epidemiological a nalysis of M. gordonae isolates.