In a four-year period (July/2001-June/2005), 410 Haemophilus spp. isolates were studied. Those were isolated from sputum at Hospital Nossa Senhora da Conceição (NSC) in Porto Alegre city (RS). beta-lactamase enzyme was detected in 113 (27.6%) of isolates through chromogenic cephalosporin method. Fifty-eight (51.3%) of them showed sensibility to ampicillin through disc-diffusion method using Haemophilus Test Medium (HTM) by NCCLS criteria. In 297 (72.4%) isolates beta-lactamase was not detected by chromogenic cephalosporin method. Five (1.7%) of them were resistant and 1 (0.3%) intermediate to ampicillin using disc-diffusion method. The authors emphasized the importance of Haemophilus spp. resistance to ampicillin research in clinical laboratories routine and the use of more than one method for this analysis was proposed, due to different resistance mechanisms in Haemophilus spp.

Este relato descreve o primeiro caso documentado de endocardite por E. rhusiopathiae na América Latina. O paciente tinha 51 anos de idade, era alcoólatra moderado, com uma história prévia de insuficiência aórtica. Ele costumava pescar e cozinhar como hobby e feriu sua mão esquerda com uma espinha-de-peixe. A doença começou com a forma erisipelóide e evoluiu para septicemia e endocardite. Ele foi tratado com antibióticos e cirurgia para troca da válvula aórtica. Até hoje forma relatados apenas 46 casos de endocardite por E. rhusiopathiae. Os autores questionam se muitos outros casos ocorrem sem que sejam relatados por falta de correto diagnóstico microbiológico laboratorial.

This report describes the first documented case of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae endocarditis in Latin America. The patient was a 51-years-old male, moderate alcoholic, with a previous history of aortic failure. He was used to fishing and cooking as a hobby and had his left hand wounded by a fish-bone. The disease began with erysipeloid form and developed to septicemia and endocarditis. He was treated with antibiotics and surgery for aortic valve replacement. There are only 46 cases of E. rhusiopathiae endocarditis reported to date. The authors wonder if several other cases might go unreported for lack of microbiological laboratorial diagnosis.