Perfil de resistência a antimicrobianos de estirpes de Enterococcus spp. isoladas do entorno da pluma do emissário submarino de Fortaleza – CE

Abstract

Fortaleza's Oceanic Disposal of Sewage system (SDOES) is responsible for the treatment and final disposal of a part of the sewage generated in the area. The efficiency of the system is due to the high capacity of sea water to treat waste released into it through dilution, dispersion and decay of pollutents in the waste. The submarine outfall pipe receives and throws away at depths of 12 meters and at a distance of 3,204 m, from the beaches of the East Coast, domestic sewage which suffered only one pre-treatment, consisting of a screening process to remove solids. The bacterias of genus Enterococcus spp. by living longer in seawater than faecal coliforms are considered the most accurate indicator of recent faecal contamination of the marine environment and transmission of diseases to humans by contact with water. The objective of this work was to identify strains of Enterococcus spp. isolated from the surrounding marine outfall plume, determine the susceptibility profile of the antimicrobial, Ampicillin – AMP (10 μg), Clindamycin – CLI (2μg), Chloranphenicol – CLO (30 μg), Streptomycin – SM (300 μg), Gentamicin – GM (10 μg), Penicillin G – PEN (10 U.I.), Tetracycline – TET (30 μg) e Vacomycin – VAN (30 μg), usually employed in diseases where these microorganisms are involved, the plasmidial cure of antimicrobial-resistant strains and verify the occurrence of virulence factors by producing gelatinase, hemolysin, aggregation substance and surface proteins. The results showed the occurrence of seven distinct species: Enterococcus durans (n=2), E. faecalis (n=18), E. faecium (n=9), E. hirae (n=29), E. mundtii (n=14), E. pseudoavium (n=3) and E. raffinosus (n=5). About 61.25% of the strains showed resistance to at least one of the drugs tested and 30% with multidrug-resistant variation of Multiple Resistance index (MAR) between 0.33 and 0.5. The highest rates of resistance were related to the drugs CLI (61.2%), (27.5%) SM and TET (13.8%), while CLO, PEN and VAN were 100% efficient. It was also noted the occurrence of strains producing gelatinase (n=16), hemolysins with activities β-hemolytic (n=14), aggregation substance (n=5) and surface biofilm-forming proteins (n=30). The occurrence of antimicrobial resistance and multidrug resistance in the aquatic environment is a cause for concern, suggesting that Enterococcus spp. may be reservoirs of genes of resistance.