In the current study, a total of 71 (48%) isolates including 30 rapidly growing and 41 slowly growing mycobacteria were recovered from 148 water samples of Iranian hospital environments.

The study showed that the hospital water resources, drinking or non-drinking can be the reservoir of a diverse range of mycobacteria.

Our findings reaffirmed the fact that these organisms due to intrinsic resistance to common antiseptic and disinfectant solutions persist in hospitals and might create a threat to the patient’s health and in particular to those that suffer from weakness of immunity.