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ABSTRACT
Scuba divers typically rinse equipment in communal tanks. Studies show these tanks are contaminated with bacteria, but the types of bacteria have not been studied. We sought to identify bacteria in rinse tanks at a dive facility at San Pedro, Belize, to determine the origin of the bacteria and determine whether the bacteria represented potential threats to human health. The identity of bacteria was investigated using reverse line blot (RLB) assays based on 28 different rDNA probes designed to detect known pathogens of sepsis, as well as by sequencing 23 S rDNA from isolates and performing VITEK identification of several isolates. Based on the identities of bacteria in divers' rinse tanks, many likely originate from the ocean, and others likely originate from the divers themselves. None of the bacteria identified would be considered overt human pathogens. However, some of the bacteria found in the tanks are known to be associated with unsanitary conditions and can cause opportunistic infections, which may pose health problems to some individuals. Rinsing scuba equipment in communal tanks has the potential to transmit disease among some divers. Equipment, especially regulators and masks, should be rinsed/cleaned individually and not be placed in communal tanks.
INTRODUCTION
Recreational scuba divers typically rinse equipment in "communal" freshwater rinse tanks after diving. The equipment includes wetsuits, booties, buoyancy control devices (BCDs), fins, masks and regulators with mouthpieces. On a number of occasions, divers have complained of becoming sick during or after dive trips and speculated that illness may be spread among divers via communal rinse tanks.
The first study to investigate microbial contamination of scuba diver rinse tanks reported that water samples taken from two communal rinse tanks at a dive facility in Roatan, Honduras, indeed harbored many bacteria (1). Based on morphologies and swimming patterns, many different types of bacteria appeared to inhabit the rinse tanks. However, it was not possible to determine whether bacteria were introduced into tanks by rinsing equipment or by the water used to fill the rinse tanks, or if any of the bacteria were human pathogens.
Recently a report documented an outbreak of conjunctivitis among recreational scuba divers at Viru Levu Island, Fiji (2). Twenty-nine individuals had been scuba diving from two boats. Of the 29 divers,...