[The emergence of multiple antimicrobial resistance in Vibrio cholerae isolated from gastroenteritis patients in Ceará, Brazil]

Of 7058 Vibrio cholerae strains recovered from patients suspected of cholera in the State of Ceará between December 1991 and September 1993, two were resistant to antimicrobials (Ampicillin, erythromycin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline) and to vibriostatic agent O/129 (2,4-diamino-6,7-diisopropylpteridine). From the bacteriological standpoint, one strain was identified as V. cholerae serogroup O:1, biotype El Tor, serovar Inaba, and another as V. cholerae serogroup O:22, biochemically classified as Heiberg type II. It was shown that only in the serogroup O:1 strain, multiple resistance was encoded by a plasmid transferrable by conjugation to Escherichia coli K12 and a sensitive strains of V. cholerae O1 and non-O1, with at a frequency between 8 x 10(-2) and 5 x 10(-6). The plasmid, with a molecular weight of 147 Kb, encoded both multiple resistance to antimicrobials and the vibriostatic compound (O/129), compatible with descriptions reported in other parts of world.

An outbreak of diarrhoea associated with rotavirus serotype 1 in a day care nursery in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Faeces from 17 children less than 1.6 years old and 15 adults more than 22 years old were collected during an outbreak of gastroenteritis in a day care nursery and screened for the presence of adenovirus and rotavirus by enzyme immunoassay (EIARA) and other viruses by electron microscopy (EM) and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Ten samples (58.8%) from children and one (6.7%) from adults were positive for rotavirus and all samples were negative for bacteria and parasites. No other viruses were observed in EM. An enzyme immunoassay test using monoclonal antibodies (MAb-EIA) to determine the subgroup(s) and the serotype(s) of rotavirus was performed and the results showed that all positive samples belong to serotype 1, subgroup II of group A rotaviruses. In PAGE test all samples had the same profile and the 10 and 11 dsRNA segments corresponded to the "long" profile of group A of rotaviruses. These results corroborated the MAb-EIA results and indicate a sole source of infection. The major symptoms observed were: vomiting (60%), fever (70%) and diarrhoea (100%). In previous years (1989 to 1991) we observed only rotavirus serotype 2 in this same day care nursery, but no outbreak was reported.

[Enteropathogens detected in healthy children in 3 low income communities, in Recife, State of Pernambuco, Brazil]

Stools of 646 healthy children between zero and five years of age who live in 3 communities of slightly different economic levels and sanitary conditions were investigated for enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC), Shigella and Salmonella. Cultures were positive for enterophatogens in 82 (12.69%) of the children. EPEC was the most frequent isolate (6.04%) followed by Shigella (4.18%) and Salmonella (2.17%). Invasive E. coli (EIEC) was detected only twice. According to our results, the frequency of isolation of enterophatogenic bacteria decreases where the economic level and sanitary conditions improve. The percentage of 12.69% positive cultures among normal children shows that the healthy carrier plays an important role in the dissemination and maintenance of the agents of the enteric diseases.