Nontuberculous Mycobacteria and Volcanic Ash from the Kilauea Volcano, Hawai’i

Honda, Jennifer R.; Dawrs, Stephanie N.; Virdi, Ravleen; Norton, Grant J.; Elias, Tamar; Epperson, E.; Hasan, Nabeeh A.; Glickman, Cody; Crooks, James; Chan, Edward D.; Strong, Michael; Damby, David E.

doi:10.1164/ajrccm-conference.2019.199.1_meetingabstracts.a1037

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…It is possible, however, that the contact between vanadium and NTM is not a result of soil directly, but rather from the fractured basalt where the magnetite and ilmenite minerals are already weathered. In addition, NTM have been isolated from volcanic ash samples in HI 49 ; it should be noted basaltic volcanic ash is inherently vanadium-rich. 33 We hypothesize that these metals stimulate NTM growth, metabolism, and numbers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vanadium in groundwater aquifers increases the risk of MAC pulmonary infection in O’ahu, Hawai’i

Lipner

French

Nelson

et al. 2022

Environmental Epidemiology

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Rationale: Hawai’i has the highest prevalence of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) pulmonary disease in the United States. Previous studies indicate that certain trace metals in surface water increase the risk of NTM infection. Objective: To identify whether trace metals influence the risk of NTM infection in O’ahu, Hawai’i. Methods: A population-based ecologic cohort study was conducted using NTM infection incidence data from patients enrolled at Kaiser Permanente Hawai’i during 2005–2019. We obtained sociodemographic, microbiologic, and geocoded residential data for all Kaiser Permanente Hawai’i beneficiaries. To estimate the risk of NTM pulmonary infection from exposure to groundwater constituents, we obtained groundwater data from three data sources: (1) Water Quality Portal; (2) the Hawai’i Department of Health; and (3) Brigham Young University, Department of Geological Science faculty. Data were aggregated by an aquifer and were associated with the corresponding beneficiary aquifer of residence. We used Poisson regression models with backward elimination to generate models for NTM infection risk as a function of groundwater constituents. We modeled two outcomes: Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) species and Mycobacterium abscessus group species. Results: For every 1-unit increase in the log concentration of vanadium in groundwater at the aquifer level, infection risk increased by 22% among MAC patients. We did not observe significant associations between water-quality constituents and infection risk among M. abscessus patients. Conclusions: Concentrations of vanadium in groundwater were associated with MAC pulmonary infection in O’ahu, Hawai’i. These findings provide evidence that naturally occurring trace metals influence the presence of NTM in water sources that supply municipal water systems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vanadium in groundwater aquifers increases the risk of MAC pulmonary infection in O’ahu, Hawai’i

Lipner

French

Nelson

et al. 2022

Environmental Epidemiology

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“…An SEM image of Kīlauea ash is shown in Figure 2a. The sample was previously characterized for soluble compounds (Damby et al, 2018;Tomasek et al, 2021) following established volcanic ash leaching methods (Stewart et al, 2020). Two size fractions were isolated from the bulk sample for analysis: a fine (<32 μm) fraction, obtained by sieving through a series of mesh sieves of decreasing size, and a respirable (<4 μm) fraction, obtained by aerodynamic separation as previously described (Tomasek et al, 2016).…”

Section: Ambient Dust and Volcanic Ash Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hawaiian Volcanic Ash, an Airborne Fomite for Nontuberculous Mycobacteria

Dawrs,

Virdi,

Norton

et al. 2023

GeoHealth

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Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are environmentally acquired opportunistic pathogens that can cause chronic lung disease. Within the U.S., Hawai'i shows the highest prevalence rates of NTM lung infections. Here, we investigated a potential role for active volcanism at the Kīlauea Volcano located on Hawai'i Island in promoting NTM growth and diversity. We recovered NTM that are known to cause lung disease from plumbing biofilms and soils collected from the Kīlauea environment. We also discovered viable Mycobacterium avium, Mycobacterium abscessus, and Mycobacterium intracellulare subsp. chimaera on volcanic ash collected during the 2018 Kīlauea eruption. Analysis of soil samples showed that NTM prevalence is positively associated with bulk content of phosphorus, sulfur, and total organic carbon. In growth assays, we showed that phosphorus utilization is essential for proliferation of Kīlauea‐derived NTM, and demonstrate that NTM cultured with volcanic ash adhere to ash surfaces and remain viable. Ambient dust collected on O'ahu concurrent with the 2018 eruption contained abundant fresh volcanic glass, suggestive of inter‐island ash transport. Phylogenomic analyses using whole genome sequencing revealed that Kīlauea‐derived NTM are genetically similar to respiratory isolates identified on other Hawaiian Islands. Consequently, we posit that volcanic eruptions could redistribute environmental microorganisms over large scales. While additional studies are needed to confirm a direct role of ash in NTM dispersal, our results suggest that volcanic particulates harbor and can redistribute NTM and should therefore be studied as a fomite for these burgeoning, environmentally acquired respiratory infections.

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Nontuberculous Mycobacteria and Volcanic Ash from the Kilauea Volcano, Hawai’i

Cited by 2 publications

References 0 publications

Vanadium in groundwater aquifers increases the risk of MAC pulmonary infection in O’ahu, Hawai’i

Vanadium in groundwater aquifers increases the risk of MAC pulmonary infection in O’ahu, Hawai’i

Hawaiian Volcanic Ash, an Airborne Fomite for Nontuberculous Mycobacteria

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