Isolation of non-tuberculous mycobacteria from hospital cockroaches (Periplaneta americana).

This study attempted to isolate mycobacteria from hospital and household cockroaches from 90 hospitals and 40 households in Kaohsiung City and Kaohsiung County, South Taiwan. Among 203 cockroaches (139 Periplaneta americana and 64 Blattella germanica) collected from the hospitals, six Mycobacterium spp. were isolated and identified by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. In 12 cockroaches (P. americana): four Mycobacterium kansaii, three Mycobacterium xenopi, two Mycobacterium gordonae, one Mycobacterium hemophilium, one Mycobacterium fortuitum, and one Mycobacterium avium. However, no mycobacteria were obtained form the hospital B. germanica or 226 household cockroaches (123 P. americana and 103 B. germanica). As cockroach infestation occurs commonly in the hospital environment, they may potentially be implicated as a cause of hospital-acquired infections due to non-tuberculous mycobacteria.