ABSTRACT
Thirty water samples were collected, at two week intervals, from the estuary of the River Cocó. The aim was to characterize the presence, distribution and types of Aeromonas spp, in the estuary of the River Cocó, Ceara, Brazil (03º46'28.83''S e 38º26'36.52''S). Aeromonas were identified in 19 (63 percent) samples analyzed by plating and CFU counts. Presence/absence tests were positive for 11 (37 percent) of the samples resulting in the detection of Aeromonas in a total of 23 (77 percent) of samples. CFU counts varied from < 10 to 1.4 x 10(4) CFU mL-1 . From the isolated strains seven species of Aeromonas were identified: A. caviae (29/69), A. veronii bv. sobria (13/69), A. veronii bv. veronii (8/69), A. trota (6/69), A. media (5/69), A. sobria (4/69) and A. hydrophila and Aeromonas sp. (2/69). Of the 38 strains tested, 23 (60 percent) showed resistance to at least one of the eight antimicrobials. Multiple resistance to antibiotics was observed in A. caviae, A. media, A. sóbria and A. veronii bv. sobria. Aeromonas caviae showed the highest multiple resistance, being resistant to four antibiotics. The presence of those microorganisms may contribute to the occurrence of gastroenteritis, mainly in children, since they are considered opportunists.