As doenças de veiculação alimentar representam um problema de ordem global. No Brasil, o patógeno mais prevalente em surtos de intoxicação alimentar é a Salmonella sp. (14,4%), seguido pelo Staphylococcus aureus (7,7%), Escherichia coli (6,5%) e Bacillus cereus (3,1%). Com o objetivo de realizar uma análise regional detalhada da intoxicação alimentar, examinamos os relatórios de 253 surtos, notificados à equipe de Vigilância de Alimentos da Coordenadoria Geral de Vigilância em Saúde de Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, entre 2003 e 2013. Ao contrário do que é notificado no Brasil, em Porto Alegre, identificamos como principal agente etiológico, o Bacillus cereus (32,2%) e de acordo com os sintomas dos pacientes, a maioria dos casos esteve associada à produção de enterotoxina. A maioria dos surtos foram associados à ingestão de alimentos que continham cereais ou molhos mantidos à temperatura ambiente durante o armazenamento ou preparação. O uso compulsório de ovos pasteurizados em Porto Alegre pode explicar a relativa escassez de surtos de Salmonella sp. no município.

Foodborne diseases are a global concern. In Brazil, the most prevalent pathogen found in foodborne outbreaks is Salmonella sp. (14.4%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (7.7%), Escherichia coli (6.5%), and Bacillus cereus (3.1%). With the aim to perform a regional detailed analysis of foodborne intoxication, we analyzed 253 outbreaks’ profile reports to Food Surveillance team of the General Secretariat of Health Surveillance of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul State, between 2003 and 2013. In contrast to what was most notified in Brazil, in Porto Alegre the main outbreak agent identified was Bacillus cereus (32.2%) and, based on the patient symptoms, most cases were linked to enterotoxin production. The majority of the outbreaks were linked to the ingestion of food containing cereals or sauces poorly kept at environment temperature during the stock or preparation. We believe that, due to the compulsory use of pasteurized eggs in our city, Salmonella sp. outbreaks are less important here.

Las enfermedades transmitidas a través de la comida son una preocupación de carácter global. En Brasil, el patógeno encontrado de forma más prevalente en los brotes de epidemias alimentarias es la Salmonella sp. (14,4%), seguida por el Staphylococcus aureus (7,7%), Escherichia coli (6,5%), y el Bacillus cereus (3,1%). Con el fin de realizar un análisis regional detallado de los brotes de infecciones alimentarias, analizamos el perfil de 253 brotes, registrados por el servicio de Vigilancia Alimentaria de la Secretaría General de Vigilancia en Salud de Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, entre 2003 y 2013. En contraste con lo que fue más notificado en Brasil, en Porto Alegre el principal agente causante de brotes fue identificado como el Bacillus cereus (32.2%) y, basado en los síntomas del paciente, la mayoría de los casos estaban relacionados con la producción de la enterotoxina. Muchos de los brotes estaban relacionados con la ingesta de comida que contenía cereales o salsas mal conservadas a temperatura ambiente durante el almacenaje o la preparación. Creemos que, debido a la utilización obligatoria de huevos pasteurizados en nuestra ciudad, los brotes de Salmonella sp. son menos relevantes aquí.

As doenças de veiculação alimentar representam um problema de ordem global. No Brasil, o patógeno mais prevalente em surtos de intoxicação alimentar é a Salmonella sp. (14,4%), seguido pelo Staphylococcus aureus (7,7%), Escherichia coli (6,5%) e Bacillus cereus (3,1%). Com o objetivo de realizar uma análise regional detalhada da intoxicação alimentar, examinamos os relatórios de 253 surtos, notificados à equipe de Vigilância de Alimentos da Coordenadoria Geral de Vigilância em Saúde de Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, entre 2003 e 2013. Ao contrário do que é notificado no Brasil, em Porto Alegre, identificamos como principal agente etiológico, o Bacillus cereus (32,2%) e de acordo com os sintomas dos pacientes, a maioria dos casos esteve associada à produção de enterotoxina. A maioria dos surtos foram associados à ingestão de alimentos que continham cereais ou molhos mantidos à temperatura ambiente durante o armazenamento ou preparação. O uso compulsório de ovos pasteurizados em Porto Alegre pode explicar a relativa escassez de surtos de Salmonella sp. no município.

Foodborne diseases are a global concern. In Brazil, the most prevalent pathogen found in foodborne outbreaks is Salmonella sp. (14.4%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (7.7%), Escherichia coli (6.5%), and Bacillus cereus (3.1%). With the aim to perform a regional detailed analysis of foodborne intoxication, we analyzed 253 outbreaks’ profile reports to Food Surveillance team of the General Secretariat of Health Surveillance of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul State, between 2003 and 2013. In contrast to what was most notified in Brazil, in Porto Alegre the main outbreak agent identified was Bacillus cereus (32.2%) and, based on the patient symptoms, most cases were linked to enterotoxin production. The majority of the outbreaks were linked to the ingestion of food containing cereals or sauces poorly kept at environment temperature during the stock or preparation. We believe that, due to the compulsory use of pasteurized eggs in our city, Salmonella sp. outbreaks are less important here.

Las enfermedades transmitidas a través de la comida son una preocupación de carácter global. En Brasil, el patógeno encontrado de forma más prevalente en los brotes de epidemias alimentarias es la Salmonella sp. (14,4%), seguida por el Staphylococcus aureus (7,7%), Escherichia coli (6,5%), y el Bacillus cereus (3,1%). Con el fin de realizar un análisis regional detallado de los brotes de infecciones alimentarias, analizamos el perfil de 253 brotes, registrados por el servicio de Vigilancia Alimentaria de la Secretaría General de Vigilancia en Salud de Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, entre 2003 y 2013. En contraste con lo que fue más notificado en Brasil, en Porto Alegre el principal agente causante de brotes fue identificado como el Bacillus cereus (32.2%) y, basado en los síntomas del paciente, la mayoría de los casos estaban relacionados con la producción de la enterotoxina. Muchos de los brotes estaban relacionados con la ingesta de comida que contenía cereales o salsas mal conservadas a temperatura ambiente durante el almacenaje o la preparación. Creemos que, debido a la utilización obligatoria de huevos pasteurizados en nuestra ciudad, los brotes de Salmonella sp. son menos relevantes aquí.

Abstract Acinetobacter baumannii is widely recognized as an important pathogen associated with nosocomial infections. The treatment of these infections is often difficult due to the acquisition of resistance genes. A. baumannii presents a high genetic plasticity which allows the accumulation of these resistance determinants leading to multidrug resistance. It is highlighted the importance of the horizontal transfer of resistance genes, through mobile genetic elements and its relationship with increased incidence of multidrug resistant A. baumannii in hospitals. Considering that resistance to carbapenems is very important from the clinical and epidemiological point of view, the aim of this article is to present an overview of the current knowledge about genetic elements related to carbapenem resistance in A. baumannii such as integrons, transposons, resistance islands and insertion sequences.

Burkholderia cenocepacia may cause serious infections in patients with cystic fibrosis, and this microorganism can be highly transmissible. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis is widely used to study the dynamics of strain spread in cystic fibrosis patients. The aim of this work was to perform pulsed-field gel electrophoresis-based molecular typing of B. cenocepacia isolates to evaluate the epidemiology of this species at our hospital. A total of 28 isolates from 23 cystic fibrosis patients were analyzed. Initially, we compared isolates obtained from the same patient at different periods of time. We then compared the pulsed-field gel electrophoresis profiles of 15 IIIA isolates, and in a third analysis, evaluated the genetic profile of 8 IIIB isolates from different patients. The pulsed-field gel electrophoresis profiles of isolates from the same patient indicated that they are genetically indistinguishable. Analysis of isolates from different patients revealed the presence of multiple clonal groups. These results do not indicate cross-transmission of a unique clone of B. cenocepacia among cystic fibrosis patients, although this has been observed in some patients. Our findings highlight the importance of adequate patient follow-up at cystic fibrosis centers and adherence to management and segregation measures in cystic fibrosis patients colonized with B. cenocepacia.

Descrevemos a ocorrência dos genes de metalo-beta-lactamases (MBL) blaSPM-1 e blaIMP-1 em isolados clínicos de Pseudomonas aeruginosa resistentes ao imipenem e/ou ceftazidima obtidos em três hospitais universitários de Porto Alegre, Brasil. A produção de MBL foi observada através de técnica fenotípica e os genes foram detectados pelo método de PCR.

We described the ocurrence of metallo-beta-lactamases (MBL) genes blaSPM-1 and blaIMP-1 in clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa resistant to imipenem and/or ceftazidime obtained from three universitary hospitals in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil. The MBL production was screened by phenotypic test and the genes were detected by PCR.