Profile of antimicrobial resistance of bacteria isolated from cockroaches (Periplaneta americana) in a Brazilian health care institution

Cockroaches carry microorganisms to sterilized materials, equipment and non-contaminated food in hospitals and in homes. Hence, they are regarded as major microbial vectors. We isolated and identified microorganisms from living cockroaches captured from a Brazilian health care institution and we determined the antimicrobial susceptibility profile of the isolates. Following collection, cockroaches were immobilized at 4°C for 10 to 20 minutes, immersed in 0.8 percent saline solution and then homogenized. Next, the suspension was seeded in culture media: brain and heart agar infusion, MacConkey agar, Naito agar, and they were incubated for up to 48 hours at 37°C. Sabouraud agar cultures were incubated at ambient temperature. The microbial colonies were analyzed with a stereomicroscope to count and phenotypically identify the colony-forming units (cfu). The discdiffusion method was used to determine the profile of susceptibility to antimicrobials. Among the 103 cockroaches analyzed, fungi were found in 97 percent, enterobacteria in 74.6 percent and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) in 25.40 percent. Among the enterobacteria, 96 percent were resistant to gentamicin, 84 percent to ampicillin, 75.3 percent to caphalothin, 66.7 percent to ampicillin-sulbactam, 50 percent to aztreonam and 30 percent to chloramphenicol. Among the CNS, 61 percent were resistant to oxacillin. We concluded that cockroaches carry organisms associated with nosocomial infections and that are resistant to antimicrobials. This fact contributes to the epidemiological chain, complicating therapeutics, and consequently, medical costs are increased.

Evaluation of the common cockroach Periplaneta americana (L.) as carrier of medically important bacteria.

The bacterial flora associated with external body parts, stomach and intestine of male and female Periplaneta americana inhabitating students' halls, teachers' residences and houses of low-paid employees in Jahangirnagar, University Campus were examined and analysed qualitatively and quantitatively. The qualitative study in P. americana revealed the presence of 31 species of bacteria belonging to 16 genera. Most of these bacteria are pathogenic to man and domestic animals. The total viable bacterial counts (TVBC/g) in students' halls, teachers' residences and houses of low-paid employees were 1.27 x 10(8), 6.04 x 10(7) and 1.65 x 10(8) respectively in the male and 1.43 x 10(8), 5.83 x 10(7) and 1.63 x 10(8) respectively in the female cockroaches. The highest prevalence of bacterial flora both in number and types occurred in stomach followed by intestine and the external body parts.

Revisión taxonómica de las cucarachas (Blattaria, Dictioptera) de Venezuela / Taxonomic review of the cockroaches (Blattaria Dictiopera) in Venezuela

Se introduce la obra con una exposición cronológica detallada de los estudios sobre taxonomía y clasificación de los blátidos que se han llevado a cabo hasta el presente. Se acompaña la revisión con laves para subórdenes, familias y géneros; además se incluyen claves gráficas para identificar las cucarachas más comunes en el domicilio y peridomicilio. Hasta ahora, en Venezuela se han señalado un total de 75 especies de cucarachas selváticas, 5 peridomésticas y 5 domésticas, que comprenden a su vez 40 géneros, 6 subfamilias, 12 familias y 4 subordenes