Identificação de portadores de Staphylococcus enterotoxigênicos e avaliação da sensibilidade a antimicrobianos / Identification of enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus carriers and antimicrobial susceptibility evaluation

ABSTRACT

This study identified Staphylococcus aureus carriers among students of nutrition course, evaluating the capacity of producing staphylococcal enterotoxins (VIDAS Kit) and also the antimicrobial susceptibility (Kirby-Bauer method) of the isolates. Among 173 students sampled, 62 (35.8%) were detected as carriers of S. aureus, being 38 (61.3%) in nostrils; nine (14.5%) on the hands, and 15 (24.2%) in both sites. The production of staphylococcal toxins was detected in 71.4% of the positive-coagulase pools and in 7.1% of the negative-coagulase pools. Even though considerable resistance had been observed with azithromycin (38%), erithromycin (36%), and tetracycline (14%); cephalothin, cefoperazone, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, imipenem, and oxacillin were effective to inhibit the microorganism growth. The high score of healthy carriers was alarming; however, many of the isolated Staphylococcus showed sensitive to most of the antimicrobial tested. The production of toxins was also relevant, mainly by strains that the current Brazilian legislation consider harmless.