Simian Immunodeficiency Virus–Inoculated Macaques Acquire Mycobacterium avium from Potable Water during AIDS

During the terminal stages of AIDS, Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection is the most common disseminated bacterial infection in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) experimentally inoculated with the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). The source of mycobacterial infection in 15 SIV-inoculated rhesus macaques housed in a biolevel 3 containment facility was investigated using a sensitive polymerase chain reaction typing technique. Six animal isolates had banding profiles identical to that of 1 environmental isolate obtained from the facility's water distribution system. An additional 6 isolates had banding profiles differing by the addition or loss of one or two bands from this and 1 other water isolate. These findings indicate that potable water may serve as a significant source of mycobacterial infection in SIV-inoculated macaques and suggest that strategies to prevent exposure to mycobacteria within potable water should be investigated as a method to prevent mycobacteriosis in human immunodeficiency virus-infected persons.