ABSTRACT Introduction Clostridium difficile is an important cause of diarrhoea, particularly in patients receiving antibiotic therapy. Recent studies have shown that a substantial proportion of C. difficile infections are acquired in the community, as a zoonotic disease. Brazil is a large exporter of meat and so far no study has evaluated meat contamination with C. difficile spores. Methods Here we analysed 80 retail meat products purchased from local supermarkets in a Brazilian metropolis (Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil). Samples from these products were grown in anaerobic conditions, and tested with a real time polymerase chain reaction test. Results Contamination with C. difficile spores was not found in the study. Bacteria isolated from meat included Streptococcus gallolyticus, Lactobacillus plantarum, Enterococcus gallinarum and Pediococcus acidilactici. Discussion Close vigilance is required in order to guarantee the quality of Brazilian retail meat in the long term.

RESUMO Introdução: O complexo Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-baumannii (ABC) inclui cinco espécies, sendo A. baumannii a mais importante clinicamente por carrear muitos mecanismos de resistência aos carbapenêmicos, sobretudo as oxacilinases. Objetivos: Os objetivos deste estudo foram identificar as espécies do complexo ABC, avaliar o perfil de suscetibilidade e investigar a presença de oxacilinases em isolados resistentes aos carbapenêmicos provenientes de quatro estados brasileiros. Métodos: No período do estudo, foram coletados 92 isolados do Rio Grande do Sul (RS), do Rio de Janeiro (RJ), do Paraná (PR) e de São Paulo (SP). Os isolados foram identificados por matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of fight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) e sequenciamento do gene gyrB. A avaliação da suscetibilidade foi realizada por disco-difusão e microdiluição de caldo. A presença de oxacilinases foi realizada por reação em cadeia da polimerase (PCR) multiplex in house. Resultados: Noventa e um (99%) isolados foram identificados como A. baumannii por MALDI-TOF e pelo sequenciamento. A maioria dos isolados (56; 61%) apresentou resistência aos seis agentes antimicrobianos testados. Três isolados foram resistentes à polimixina B [concentração inibitória mínima (CIM) ≥ 4 µg/ml). Oitenta (87%) isolados foram positivos para OXA-23 e 12, (13%) para OXA-24. Conclusão: Nossos resultados confirmam a disseminação do gene blaOXA-23 no Brasil e sugerem a recente emergência e disseminação do gene blaOXA-24, uma vez que ele foi identificado em três dos quatro estados amostrados.

ABSTRACT Introduction: The Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-baumannii (ABC) complex includes five species, and the A. baumannii is the most important of them because it carries mechanisms of carbapenems resistance, especially the oxacillinases. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to identify the species of the ABC complex, to evaluate the susceptibility profile and to investigate the presence of oxacillinases in carbapenems-resistant isolates from four Brazilian States. Methods: In the study period, 92 isolates from Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Paraná (PR) and São Paulo (SP) were collected. The isolates were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of fight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and sequencing of gyrB gene. Evaluation of susceptibility was performed by disk diffusion and broth microdilution. The presence of oxacillinases was performed by in-house multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: Ninety-one (99%) isolates were identified as A. baumannii by MALDI-TOF and sequencing. The majority of isolates (56; 61%) showed resistance to the six antimicrobial agents tested. Three isolates were resistant to polymyxin B [minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ≥ 4 µg/ml). Eighty (87%) isolates were positive to OXA-23-like, and twelve (13%) isolates to OXA-24-like. Conclusion: Our findings confirm the knowledge about the dissemination of the blaOXA-23 gene in Brazil and suggest the recent emergence and spread of blaOXA-24 gene, since it was identified in three of the four sampled states.

Over the last decade, Acinetobacter baumannii resistant to carbapenems has emerged in many medical centres and has been commonly associated with high morbimortality. In Brazil, this resistance is mainly attributed to the spread of OXA-23-producing clones and, to a lesser extent, to OXA-143-producing clones. Here, we describe, for the first time, two OXA-72-producing A. baumannii isolates in southern Brazil to a broad spectrum of antibiotics, except polymyxin B and tigecycline. Molecular typing by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) demonstrated that both OXA-72-producing isolates belong to a new sequence type (ST), ST730, which was recently identified in OXA-23-producing A. baumannii isolates in São Paulo, Brazil. We demonstrate that the two A. baumannii ST730 isolates carrying blaOXA-72share a common ancestral origin with the blaOXA-23producers in Brazil. This observation reinforces the importance of strain-typing methods in order to clarify the dynamics of the emergence of new clones in a geographic region.

O objetivo do trabalho foi verificar, através de medidas de consumo e utilização de alimento natural, a existência de raças de Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) nas culturas do milho e do arroz irrigado no Rio Grande do Sul. Foram coletadas quatro populações: uma em Santa Rosa, região tradicionalmente produtora de milho; uma em Uruguaiana, região tradicionalmente produtora de arroz; e duas em Pelotas, região que produz milho e arroz lado a lado (uma em milho e outra em arroz). Individualizaram-se 20 lagartas de cada população (segunda geração) em placas de Petri, mantidas em BOD à temperatura de 25ºC, UR 70 ± 10% e fotofase de 14h. As lagartas foram alimentadas com folhas de seus respectivos hospedeiros, o híbrido de milho BRS 8330 e a cultivar de arroz irrigado Embrapa 6-Chuí. As folhas de ambos hospedeiros foram submetidas a análise bromatológica. Foram determinados o peso seco da lagarta no máximo desenvolvimento, do alimento consumido, e das fezes eliminadas, e calculados os índices nutricionais: taxa de consumo relativo (RCR), taxa metabólica relativa (RMR), taxa de crescimento relativo (RGR), digestibilidade aproximada (AD), eficiência de conversão do alimento ingerido (ECI), eficiência de conversão do alimento digerido (ECD) e custo metabólico (100 - ECD). O arroz apresentou-se mais adequado para a alimentação dos insetos, pois foi ingerido em menor quantidade, apresentando menor 100 - ECD, e maior ECI e ECD. Evidencia-se forte possibilidade de existirem duas raças de S. frugiperda no Rio Grande do Sul, a "raça do milho" e a "raça do arroz", morfologicamente iguais e fisiologicamente diferentes.

The goal of this work was to determine by means of consumption and utilization of natural food, the existence of strains of Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith)in different areas of corn and irrigated rice in Rio Grande do Sul. Four populations were collected: one in Santa Rosa, traditional area of corn cropping; one in Uruguaiana, traditional area of rice; and two in Pelotas, where corn and rice are planted side by side. In the laboratory, 20 larvae were individualized (second generation) and kept in petri dishes, in BOD, at 25ºC temperature, 70 ± 10% RH and 14h photophase. The larvae were fed on leaves of their respective hosts, hybrid of corn BRS 8330 and the cultivar of irrigated rice Embrapa 6-Chuí. The leaves of both hosts were submitted to bromatological analysis. The dry weight of the larva at maximum development, food consumed and feces eliminated were determined and the nutritional ratios were calculated: relative consumption ratio (RCR), relative metabolic ratio (RMR), relative growth ratio (RGR), approximate digestibilidade (AD), efficiency of conversion of ingested food (ECI), efficiency of conversion of digested food (ECD) and the metabolic cost (100 - ECD). Rice was more suitable as food for S. frugiperda; it was ingested in smaller amount, presented smaller 100 - ECD and larger ECI and ECD. A strong possibility of existence of two strains of S. frugiperda is evidenced in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, the corn and rice strains, which are morphologically similar but physiologically different.