RESUMO
The presence of antibiotic-resistant Gram negative bacilli has been investigated in samples of sea water and shellfish from the bay of Concepción, Chile. Different amonts of resistant microorganisms were found in samples of water. Aulacomya ater and Tagelus dombeii. The most frequent bacterial species were Pseudomonas fluorescens, Escherichia coli, and Aeromonas hydrophila. Most of these microorganisms exhibited resistanc eto B-lactam antibiotics. B-lactamases produced by fecal E. coli strains behaved similarly to TEM-like enzymes. It is suggested that resistant bacil, are discharged into the sea through the sewage, they are supposed to be filtered by shellfish and in this way these bacteria may return to the human intestine thus completing an hypothetical recycling. Untreated shellfish may behave as important sources of antibiotic-resistant bacteria when are collected in areas polluted with resistant bacteria