Pseudo-outbreak of Mycobacterium gordonae associated with water from refrigerated fountains.

Between March 1997 and December 1997, acid-fast bacilli (AFB) were detected on sputum and/or gastric aspirates smears from five patients hospitalized in the chest medicine department. These specimens grew M. gordonae. Based on AFB-positive smear and clinical presentation, four out of five patients received antituberculous treatment until species identification was known. Epidemiological investigation revealed a heavy contamination of water collected from refrigerated fountains located on the same floor as the patient cases. Strains isolated from four patients and the refrigerated fountain exhibited the same pulsed gel electrophoresis pattern (using DraI and XbaI enzymes) suggesting that positive smears were related to drinking water from the refrigerated fountain. This cluster of pseudo-infections underlines the necessity for a proper maintenance of water supply equipment in order to avoid inappropriate decisions deleterious for patients.