Journal: GeoHealth

Article Title: Hawaiian Volcanic Ash, an Airborne Fomite for Nontuberculous Mycobacteria

doi: 10.1029/2023GH000889

Figure Lengend Snippet: Recovery of viable nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) from Kīlauea fine and respirable ash fractions. (a) scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image of Kīlauea ash (198,00× total magnification). (b), (e) Two NTM‐like colonies were cultured from fine (<32 μm) and respirable (<4 μm) ash fractions respectively and visualized on a dissecting microscope (80× total magnification). (c), (f) Acid‐fast bacilli staining of the smooth colonies (1,000× total magnification). (d) The Kīlauea ash isolate shown in b and c was identified as M. avium by rpoB gene sequencing and imaged using SEM (7,500× total magnification). The Kīlauea ash isolate shown in e and f was identified as M. abscessus by rpoB gene sequencing. (g) Species diversity of the eight isolates microbiologically cultured from Kīlauea ash and identified by partial rpoB gene sequencing.

Article Snippet: NTM colony morphologies were imaged on a dissecting microscope at total magnification of 80X (Ken‐A‐Vision).

Techniques: Electron Microscopy, Cell Culture, Microscopy, Staining, Sequencing