Perfil de suscetibilidade e detecção de marcadores genéticos de resistência em Streptococcus agalactiae isolados de amostras animais e humanas

Abstract

Streptococcus agalactiae, also referred as group B streptococci (GBS) are commensals microorganisms adapted to asymptomatic colonization of the mammalians gut and genitourinary tract. Initially, this specie was recognized as a major etiologic agent for bovine mastitis but has becoming a leading cause of invasive infections in human neonates. The reasons behind the prompt and persistent emergence of GBS neonatal disease have not been completely elucidated, once human and bovine GBS populations are assumed be distinct and unrelated by divergence on their own physiological characters. Aiming to contribute for the characterization of the two S. agalactiae sub-populations that are in a proximal coexistence in the Rio de Janeiro state, this study evaluated phenotypic and genotypic diversity aspects of regional groups of GBS. The first made up of 50 isolates obtained from human specimens whilst the other group was constituted of 36 isolates from milk of dairy cows presenting clinical or sub clinical mastitis. Phenotypic characterization was based on physiological and serological tests, antimicrobial susceptibility assays were carried out by the disk standard procedure and microdilution method. The genetic aspect was assessed by PCR for detection of genes associated with resistance to tetracycline. According to the results of physiologic tests, β-hemolysis was a faculty shared by about 28% of bovine isolates and 100% of human isolates. GBS bovine isolates also shows different profile of sensitivity to bacitracin, only 33% of them were susceptive to the antibiotic, regardless of the whole human isolates set had demonstrated a 100% susceptive pattern to this substance. A 100% sensitivity percentual to penicillin was shared by all isolates assayed in this study corroborating the general procedure for antibiotic therapy of GBS infection. Otherwise, and in an overall view, bovine isolates showed higher resistance rates to a set of antibiotics, including cephoxitin, erytromicin, clyndamicin, sulphamethoxazole, azithromycin and ciprofloxacin than in their human counterparts. In a similar sense, it was observed in this study that 13,9% of the animal GBS isolates expressed cMLSB and 2,8 % M phenotypes. The M phenotype was expressed in 6% of the human related isolates as the unique MLSB parameter. Genetical assays performed detected 13,8% (5/36) and 14% (7/50) for tet (M), and 30,5% (11/36) and 10% (5/50) for de tet (O), respectively, in bovine and human isolates. These genes are implicated in tetracycline resistance by ribosome protection mechanism through enzymatic structural modification.