Salmonella Alachua: causative agent of a foodborne disease outbreak

Objectives: The aim of this study is to report the occurrence of the first outbreak of food poisoning caused by Salmonella Alachua in Brazil, as well as the antimicrobial susceptibility and the genetic relatedness of Salmonella Alachua strains isolated from clinical and food samples. Material and methods: To elucidate the outbreak, an epidemiological investigation was carried out, and two samples of common food were tested - mayonnaise salad and galinhada (a traditional Brazilian dish of chicken and rice) - according to the Compendium of methods for the microbiological examination of foods. Five stool samples were tested employing classic methods for the isolation and identification of enterobacteria. Strains of Salmonella were characterized for antibiotic susceptibility according to the Clinical and Laboratory Stan- dards Institute guidelines (2013), and submitted to pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis, performed according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention PulseNet protocol. Results: A total of 94 people were interviewed after ingesting the food, 66 of whom had become ill. A 60-year old female patient who was hospitalized in a serious condition, developed septic shock and died two days after consuming the food. The presence of Salmonella Alachua was confirmed in all the analyzed stool samples, and in the two types of food. The five strains showed higher than minimum inhibitory concentration values of nalidixic acid (≥256 µg/mL) and reduced ciprofloxacin susceptibility (minimum inhibitory concentration = 0.5 µg/mL). The pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis revealed indistinguishable patterns in Salmonella Alachua strains isolated from clinical and food samples. Conclusion: The data presented herein confirm the foodborne disease outbreak. They also allowed for the identification of the source of infection, and suggest that products from poultry are potential reservoirs for this serotype, reinforcing the ...

Pseudomonas aeruginosa: ocorrência e suscetibilidade aos agentes antimicrobianos de isolados de amostras de água tratada utilizada em solução de diálise / Pseudomonas aeruginosa: the occurrence and the antimicrobial susceptibility of bacteria isolates from treated water samples utilized for preparing dialysis solution

A pesquisa de Pseudomonas aeruginosa foi realizada em amostras de água tratada utilizada na solução de diálise de oito Unidades de Terapia Renal Substitutiva (UTRS) em quatro municípios do noroeste do estado de São Paulo e o perfil de resistência aos agentes antimicrobianos das cepas isoladas foi avaliado por teste de sensibilidade (TSA). Entre 2000 e 2009 foram analisadas 508 amostras seguindo-se a metodologia descrita no Standard Methods forthe Examination of Water and Waste water (2005) e 43 (8,5 por cento) evidenciaram contaminação por P. aeruginosa. Dessas amostras, 55,8 por cento, 23,3 por cento e 20,9 por cento foram, respectivamente, oriundas da sala branca, ponto de pós-osmose/de ionizador e sala amarela das diferentes UTRS. A frequência de isolamento da bactéria foi maior em amostrasda UTRS A (53,5 por cento) e em 2004 houve a detecção de maior número de amostras contaminadas (16,7 por cento). Dos 43 isolados, 38 foram analisados pelo TSA, sendo identificadas resistência intermediária a gentamicina em um(2,6 por cento) e resistência a aztreonam e ticarcilina/ácido clavulânico em outro isolado (2,6 por cento). Pelas implicações da P. aeruginosa em saúde pública, sua investigação no monitoramento de qualidade da água para diálise constituimedida necessária e sua ocorrência indica as possíveis deficiências no controle da rede de distribuição da água.