Resistência a antibióticos e a metais pesados de Escherichia coli isoladas de agua do mar e galerias pluviais / Resistance to antibiotics and heavy metals from Escherichia coli isolated from sea water and pluvial galeries

OBJECTIVE: Test the resistance to antibiotics and heavy metals of E. coli strains isolated from storm sewer water and adjacent seawater samples from three beaches (Meio, Area Preta and Ponta Negra) in the city of Natal/RN/Brazil, and determine the association among those characteristics. METHODS: A total of 98 strains of E. coli, 50 from storm sewers and 48 from the seawater were analyzed resistance to several antimicrobials by disk diffusion and agar dilution and to heavy metals by dilution in plates with aqueous solutions of CuSO4 incorporated to Mueller Hinton agar in concentrations of 100, 150, 200 and 250 ig/mL and HgCl2 in concentrations of 5, 10, 20, 30, and 50 ig/mL. Standard strains were used as control. RESULTS: Among the twelve antimicrobials tested, 28 (28.5%) of E. coli strains showed resistance to different antimicrobials drugs to seven. The greatest resistance rate was to tetracycline (46.4%), ampicillin (39.3%) and cephalothin (32.1%), with the remainder (nitrophurantoine, nalidixic acid, sulfatomexazol-trimethoprin and chloramphenicol) at lower percentages. Among the heavy metals, all the strains (100%) were resistant to zinc and to copper in the largest concentration (250 ig/mL), and 18.4% were resistant to HgCl the 50 ig/mL. Ten (55.5%) of the E. coli strains resistant to Hg were associated to resistance to antibiotics. CONCLUSION: These results suggest the existence of extra chromosomal genes in E. coli strains isolated from storm sewer water and adjacent seawater, which encoders of the resistance to antibiotics and heavy metals.

[The emergence of multiple antimicrobial resistance in Vibrio cholerae isolated from gastroenteritis patients in Ceará, Brazil]. / Emergência da múltipla resistência a antimicrobianos em Vibrio cholerae isolados de pacientes com gastroenterite no Ceará, Brasil.

Of 7058 Vibrio cholerae strains recovered from patients suspected of cholera in the State of Ceará between December 1991 and September 1993, two were resistant to antimicrobials (Ampicillin, erythromycin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline) and to vibriostatic agent O/129 (2,4-diamino-6,7-diisopropylpteridine). From the bacteriological standpoint, one strain was identified as V. cholerae serogroup O:1, biotype El Tor, serovar Inaba, and another as V. cholerae serogroup O:22, biochemically classified as Heiberg type II. It was shown that only in the serogroup O:1 strain, multiple resistance was encoded by a plasmid transferrable by conjugation to Escherichia coli K12 and a sensitive strains of V. cholerae O1 and non-O1, with at a frequency between 8 x 10(-2) and 5 x 10(-6). The plasmid, with a molecular weight of 147 Kb, encoded both multiple resistance to antimicrobials and the vibriostatic compound (O/129), compatible with descriptions reported in other parts of world.

An outbreak of diarrhoea associated with rotavirus serotype 1 in a day care nursery in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Faeces from 17 children less than 1.6 years old and 15 adults more than 22 years old were collected during an outbreak of gastroenteritis in a day care nursery and screened for the presence of adenovirus and rotavirus by enzyme immunoassay (EIARA) and other viruses by electron microscopy (EM) and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Ten samples (58.8%) from children and one (6.7%) from adults were positive for rotavirus and all samples were negative for bacteria and parasites. No other viruses were observed in EM. An enzyme immunoassay test using monoclonal antibodies (MAb-EIA) to determine the subgroup(s) and the serotype(s) of rotavirus was performed and the results showed that all positive samples belong to serotype 1, subgroup II of group A rotaviruses. In PAGE test all samples had the same profile and the 10 and 11 dsRNA segments corresponded to the "long" profile of group A of rotaviruses. These results corroborated the MAb-EIA results and indicate a sole source of infection. The major symptoms observed were: vomiting (60%), fever (70%) and diarrhoea (100%). In previous years (1989 to 1991) we observed only rotavirus serotype 2 in this same day care nursery, but no outbreak was reported.

PIP: Acute gastroenteritis in children under 5 years of age is caused mainly by rotaviruses. Severe dehydration is commonly associated with this condition, which may lead to death if left untreated. Epidemiologic studies have attempted to describe the etiology of acute gastroenteritis caused by rotaviruses; however, much is still not understood. This paper describes a diarrhea outbreak in a children's day care center in Brazil that was caused by rotavirus serotype 1, subgroup II. 17 infants and 15 adults had their feces virologically analyzed. Rotavirus-positive samples were analyzed by enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Bacteriological analysis was performed after culturing. All samples were negative for both parasites and pathogenic bacteria. Rotavirus was found in 10/17 (58.8%) of the infant and in 1/15 (6.7%) of the adult fecal samples tested. The major clinical symptoms observed in rotavirus-positive children were fever (70%), vomiting (60%), and diarrhea (100%).

[Enteropathogens detected in healthy children in 3 low income communities, in Recife, State of Pernambuco, Brazil]. / Enteropatógenos detectados em crianças sadias em três comunidades de baixa renda, em Recife, Estado de Pernambuco, Brasil.

Stools of 646 healthy children between zero and five years of age who live in 3 communities of slightly different economic levels and sanitary conditions were investigated for enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC), Shigella and Salmonella. Cultures were positive for enterophatogens in 82 (12.69%) of the children. EPEC was the most frequent isolate (6.04%) followed by Shigella (4.18%) and Salmonella (2.17%). Invasive E. coli (EIEC) was detected only twice. According to our results, the frequency of isolation of enterophatogenic bacteria decreases where the economic level and sanitary conditions improve. The percentage of 12.69% positive cultures among normal children shows that the healthy carrier plays an important role in the dissemination and maintenance of the agents of the enteric diseases.