ABSTRACTA nosocomial polyclonal outbreak associated to bacteremia caused by differentBurkholderia cepacia complex (BCC) species and clones is reported. Molecular characterization identified Burkholderia stabilis, Burkholderia contaminans, and Burkholderia ambifaria among BCC isolates obtained from patients in neonatal and adult intensive care units. BCC was also isolated from an intrinsically contaminated ultrasound gel, which constituted the presumptive BCC source. Prior BCC outbreak related to contaminated ultrasound gels have been described in the setting of transrectal prostate biopsy. Outbreak caused strains and/or clones of BCC have been reported, probably because BCC are commonly found in the natural environment; most BCC species are biofilm producers, and different species may contaminate an environmental source. The finding of multiple species or clones during the analysis of nosocomial BCC cases might not be enough to reject an outbreak from a common source.

Eight quinolone resistant Campylobacter jejuni strains isolated from humans with diarrheal disease were compared with 23 isolates from chicken and from laying hens. Samples were cultured on selective agar in microaerophilia, identified by conventional tests, and conserved in 17% glycerol at -70 °C. Clones were determined by RAPD-PCR employing the 1254 primer (Stern NJ). Five patterns were obtained. Patterns I, II, and V were found in both poultry and human isolates. Pattern I was obtained from poultry in a domestic henhouse. Pattern III was only obtained from humans whereas pattern IV was only obtained from poultry. A 95.3% of clones were found in both, humans and poultry. According to these results colonization by quinolone resistant strains could be the origin of this human infection, acquired by ingestion.

Se compararon 8 aislamientos de Campylobacter jejuni provenientes de humanos con enfermedad diarreica aguda, con 23 aislamientos de cloaca de gallinas y pollos obtenidos de zonas próximas a la ciudad de Rosario, todos resistentes a la ciprofloxacina. Las muestras se sembraron en agar selectivo y se incubaron en microaerofilia a 42 °C. Las colonias se identificaron con el método tradicional. Los aislamientos se conservaron a -70 °C en caldo cerebro corazón con 17% v/v de glicerina. La clonalidad se determinó por RAPD-PCR, utilizando el primer 1254 (Stern NJ). Se interpretaron los aislamientos como clones distintos cuando diferían en una banda de amplificación. Se obtuvieron 5 clones diferentes. Los patrones I, II y V fueron aislados en criaderos industriales de pollos y en humanos (el II también en un establecimiento de gallinas ponedoras de huevos). En un gallinero familiar se obtuvo el patrón I. El patrón III sólo se obtuvo de humanos. El patrón IV se halló en uno de los criaderos pero no en humanos. Se pudo determinar que 93.5% de las cepas se aislaron tanto de animales como de humanos, por lo que se considera posible que la colonización de criaderos con cepas resistentes a los antimicrobianos pudiera ser el origen de la infección de humanos.

Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) have emerged as important pathogenic bacteria all over the world. The first outbreak of infections due to VRE occurred in Rosario in 2000 due to Enterococcus faecium with the Van-A phenotype. As the use of contact isolation precautions for VRE-colonized and infected patients was recommended in order to prevent the spread of vancomycin resistance, a study to determine the level of fecal colonization among patients hospitalized in critical areas was conducted. Samples of rectal swabs were obtained from patients hospitalized in intensive care units of four hospitals in Rosario looking for VRE. Sixty-four cases of colonized patients with VRE were detected among the 565 patients studied. Sixty E. faecium, and two Enterococcus faecalis with the Van-A phenotype, and two Enterococcus gallinarum with the Van-C phenotype were isolated. All the E. faecium and E. faecalis isolates showed MIC > 256 ug/mL against vancomycin, and were susceptible to Linezolid.

Los enterococos vancomicina resistentes (EVR) han emergido como importantes patógenos en todo el mundo. En Rosario, se produjo un brote en 2000, luego de lo cual se los ha detectado en distintos centros hospitalarios de la ciudad. La mayoría de los aislados presentaron el fenotipo Van-A y correspondieron a Enterococcus faecium aunque se ha aislado también Enterococcus faecalis. Es posible la trasmisión nosocomial de estas bacterias por las manos o guantes a partir de pacientes infectados o colonizados. El objetivo del trabajo fue determinar el nivel de colonización fecal de pacientes hospitalizados en áreas críticas de cuatro instituciones asistenciales de esta ciudad. Se tomaron muestras de materia fecal o hisopado anal de pacientes con riesgo de colonización, internados en áreas críticas. Se aislaron 60 E. faecium y 2 E. faecalis con el fenotipo Van-A y 2 Enterococcus gallinarum con resistencia constitutiva, con el fenotipo Van-C. Todos los aislamientos de E faecium y E faecalis mostraron CIMs para vancomicina > 256 ug/mL y fueron sensibles a Linezolid.