We report an outbreak of conjunctivitis due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa involving seven infants admitted in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Uberlândial Federal University Hospital between March and September 2001. Three infants developed systemic complications (01 sepsis and 02 pneumonias). Ten isolates were obtained from conjunctival cultures and all were resistant to ceftazidime and aminoglycosides. Fast identification of the organism and treatment with imipenem were important in containing the outbreak of P. aeruginosa.

Foram coletadas amostras de fezes de aves durante um ciclo de criação (45 dias) e analisadas quantitativamente quanto à presença de Escherichia coli e de Enterobacteriaceae lactose-negativa (ELN). As contagens de colônias lactose-positivas e negativas foram realizadas em placas de ágar MacConkey e os isolados foram submetidos ao teste de susceptibilidade aos antimicrobianos in vitro, pela técnica de difusão em gel. Os números desses microrganismos estabilizaram-se na faixa de 10(6) UFC/g de fezes para E. coli, e de 10(5) UFC/g de fezes para ELN. A resistência e a multirresistência aos antimicrobianos de isolados de E. coli foram observadas em 98,6% e 65,7%, e nos de ELN em 98,1% e 84,6%, respectivamente. Os espectros de resistência de E. coli e ELN foram: 52 e 57% ao cloranfenicol, 51 e 67% à cefalotina, 48 e 84% à tetraciclina, 45 e 74% ao ácido nalidíxico, 42 e 57% à ampicilina, 28 e 55% a sulfametoxazol + trimetoprim e 26 e 22% à gentamicina, respectivamente. O estudo demonstrou que os frangos de corte podem funcionar como reservatórios de genes de resistência a antibióticos importantes em medicina veterinária e humana.

In this investigation samples of broiler chicken faeces were collected, during one breeding cycle (45 days). The samples were quantitatively analyzed regarding the presence of Escherichia coli and of Enterobacteriaceae lactose negative (ELN). The positive and negative lactose colony counting were carried out in agar MacConkey plates and the isolates were submitted to in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility tests, by agar disk diffusion method. For E. coli the number of these microrganisms stabilized around 10(6) CFU/g of faeces, and of 10(5) CFU/g for ELN. The resistance and multirresistance results to antimicrobials of E. coli isolates were observed in 98.6% and 65.7%, and 98.1% and 84.6% to ELN, respectively. The E. coli and ELN resistance rates were: 52 and 57% to chloramphenicol, 51 and 67% to cephalothin, 48 and 84% to tetracycline, 45 and 74% to nalidixic acid, 42 and 57% to ampicillin, 28 and 55% to sulphametoxazole + trimethoprim and 26 and 22% to gentamicin, respectively. The study demonstrated that broiler chickens may act as important antibiotic resistant gene reservoirs for veterinary and human medicine.