A MULTIDRUG RESISTANCE IN VIBRIO FURNISSII STRAINS ISOLATED FROM ENVIRONMENTAL SOURCES

Cintia Carolina da Silva Mayer (USP); Milena Dropa (USP); Elisabeth Mendes Martins Moura (USP); Kélvilin Anahi Gonzales Sábio (USP); Cristiane Macegoza Marques da Silva (USP); Fabiana Bispo Martins (USP); Maria Helena Matté (USP); Glavur Rogério Matté (USP)

Introduction: Vibrio furnissii was initially described as an aerogenic biogroup of V. fluvialis. It is widely distributed in natural waters, especially in estuarine environments. Despite it has already been isolated from patients with diarrhea and/or gastroenteritis in various regions, its role in such cases is not well understood yet. But, in recent years, infections caused by microorganisms formerly considered non-pathogenic has increased, demonstrating that environmental bacteria are a potential risk to public health. Another concern is the development of resistance to antimicrobials, a factor that interferes in the choice of a drug to an appropriate treatment. Bacteria found in aquatic environments are prone to develop resistance to antibiotics because these places are at risk of being contaminated by sewage, which may contain drugs that will act selectively. The aim of this work was to evaluate the susceptibility to antibiotics of this Vibrio species from environmental samples. Materials and Methods: 26 environmental strains were isolated and identified as V. furnissii by PCR. Disk-diffusion test was used to evaluate sensitivity and the possible development of resistance to beta-lactams, sulfonamides, aminoglycosides, tetracycline, chloramphenicol and quinolones. Results and Conclusions: We obtained the following percentages of resistance: 23.1% ampicillin, 50% cephalotin, 7.7% cefepime, 3.8% cefotaxime, 11.5% cefoxitin, 15.4% gentamicin, 11.5% streptomycin and 3.8% nalidixic acid, while 7.7% ampicillin and 3.8% streptomycin were intermediate. For other antibiotics (meropenem, ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, tetracycline and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole), 100% of strains showed sensitivity. These results indicate the importance of this microorganism to public health, demonstrating that environmental strains may express resistance to antibiotics widely used in clinical routine and, therefore, a surveillance scheme is necessary due to the possibility of its involvement in human infections. Furthermore, it is important to stimulate research on this bacterium to improve understanding of its mechanisms of pathogenicity and, thus, achieving effective prevention and control.