ABSTRACT
Introducci¢n: Los microorganismos del gnero Arcobacter, considerados pat¢genos zoon¢ticos emergentes, son morfol¢gicamente similares a Campylobacter. Los reportes de Arcobacter como agente etiol¢gico de diarrea en humanos en Amrica Latina son escasos. En el Per£ no se ha comunicado su aislamiento en heces de humanos o en animales. Objetivos: Conocer la prevalencia de Arcobacter en heces de ni¤os y adultos con/sin diarrea y en animales: aves, ganado vacuno, porcino, peces y mariscos. Dise¤o: Estudio descriptivo transversal. Instituci¢n: Instituto de Medicina Tropical Daniel A. Carri¢n, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos; Instituto Nacional de Salud del Ni¤o; Instituto Materno Infantil de San Bartolom; y Hospital Arzobispo Loayza, Lima, Per£. Material biol¢gico: Aislamientos bacterianos de muestras de heces de humanos y animales. Intervenciones: B£squeda activa de Arcobacter sp. en heces de humanos y animales, de julio a octubre del 2011. Principales medidas de resultados: Prevalencia de Arcobacter en heces. Resultados: Se encontr¢ Arcobacter sp. en muestras de ni¤os con diarrea (2/100), pero no sin diarrea (0/97); en 52 muestras de adultos con diarrea y 180 sin diarrea; solo se le aisl¢ en una muestra correspondiente a una persona sin diarrea. Entre las especies animales, las especies con mayor prevalencia de Arcobacter sp fueron bovinos (25 por ciento) y porcinos (29,2 por ciento). Entre las especies marinas, las dos especies de mariscos estudiadas presentaron prevalencias altas: choro 24 por ciento (12/50) y langostinos 22 por ciento (11/50). Conclusiones: Arcobacter es un germen zoon¢tico, potencialmente pat¢geno para el ser humano, en particular para los ni¤os. Debe ser estudiado sistem ticamente en especies animales utilizadas para el consumo humano. As¡ mismo, es importante realizar estudios relacionados con aspectos ecol¢gicos, su comportamiento frente a los antimicrobianos y su transmisibilidad al ser humano.
Introduction: Microorganisms of the genre Arcobacter considered emerging zoonotic pathogens are morphologically similar to Campylobacter. Reports of Arcobacteras as etiologic agent of diarrhea in humans in Latin America are scarce. In Peru its isolation in feces of humans or animals has not been reported. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of Arcobacter in feces of children and adults with/without diarrhea and in animals: birds, cattle, pigs, fish and seafood. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Institute of Tropical Medicine Daniel A. Carrion, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos; National Institute of Child Health; Maternal and Child San Bartolome Institute; and Arzobispo Loayza Hospital. Biologic material: Bacterial isolates from stool samples of humans and animals. Interventions: Active search of Arcobacter sp. in human and animal feces, from July to October 2011. Main outcome measures: Prevalence of Arcobacter in feces. Results: Arcobacter sp. was found in samples from children with diarrhea (2/100), but not in those without diarrhea (0/97). In samples of adults with diarrhea (52) and without diarrhea (180), only one sample was isolated from a subject without diarrhea. Among animals, species with higher prevalence of Arcobacter sp were cattle (25 per cent) and swine (29.2 per cent). Among marine species, the two seafood species studied showed high prevalence: choro 24 per cent (12/50) and prawns 22 per cent (11/50). Conclusions: Arcobacter is a zoonotic germ potentially pathogenic to humans, particularly in children. Animal species used for human consumption should be studied systematically. It is important to perform studies on ecological aspects, behavior against antimicrobials and transmissibility to humans.