Vibrio vulnificus: um fator de risco para a saúde do consumidor de camarões

Over the last 30 years, a number of Vibrio species found in the aquatic environment have been indicated as cause of disease in human beings. Vibrio vulnificus is an emergent pathogen, an invasive and lethal marine bacterium related to wound infection and held accountable for gastroenteritis and primary septicemia. It occurs quite frequently in marine organisms, mainly in mollusks. This study aimed at isolating and identifying strains of V. vulnificus based upon the analysis of twenty samples of seabob shrimp, Xiphopenaeus kroyeri (Heller), purchased at the Mucuripe fish market (Fortaleza, Brazil). TCBS agar was used to isolate suspect strains. Seven of twenty-nine strains isolated from six different samples were confirmed as such by means of biochemical evidence and thus submitted to biological assays to determine their virulence. The susceptibility of the V. vulnificus strains to a number of antibiotics was tested. None of the V. vulnificus strains showed signs of virulence during a 24-hour observation period, possibly due to the shedding of the capsules by the cells. As to the results of the antimicrobial susceptibility tests, the seven above-mentioned V. vulnificus strains were found to be sensitive to nitrofurantoin (NT), ciprofloxacin (CIP), gentamicin (GN) and chloramphenicol (CO) and resistant to clindamycin (CI), penicillin (PN) and ampicillin (AP).Nos últimos 30 anos várias espécies de Vibrio que vivem em ambientes aquáticos têm sido proclamadas como vetor de doenças que atingem o ser humano. Vibrio vulnificus é um patógeno de origem marinha, com potencial invasor, podendo ser letal. Tem sido relacionado com feridas infeccionadas e responsável por incontáveis casos de gastrenterites e septicemia primária. Sua frequência em organismos marinhos é considerada alta, principalmente em moluscos. Este trabalho objetivou isolar e identificar cepas de Vibrio vulnificus a partir de 20 amostras de camarão sete- barbas, Xiphopenaeus kroyeri (Heller), comercializado na feira de pescado do Mucuripe, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brasil. O ágar TCBS foi usado para isolamento primário e as cepas confirmadas através de provas bioquímicas eram submetidas a testes de virulência em camundongos. Posteriormente as cepas identificadas como Vibrio vulnificus foram testadas em relação à susceptibilidade a antimicrobianos. De 29 cepas, isoladas de 20 amostras, sete (35%), originadas de sete diferentes amostras, foram confirmadas como Vibrio vulnificus, significando alta percentagem de amostras contaminadas. Nenhuma das cepas apresentou virulência após 24 horas de observação, possivelmente devido à perda das cápsulas pela célula. As sete cepas de Vibrio vulnificus mostraram-se sensíveis a nitrofurantoína (NT), ciprofloxacina (CIP), Gentamicina (GN), Cloranfenicol (CO), mas resistentes a Clindamicina (CI), Penicilina (PN) e a Ampicilina (AP)

Vibrio vulnificus as a health hazard for shrimp consumers

Over the last 30 years, a number of Vibrio species found in the aquatic environment have been indicated as cause of disease in human beings. Vibrio vulnificus is an emergent pathogen, an invasive and lethal marine bacterium related to wound infection and held accountable for gastroenteritis and primary septicemia. It occurs quite frequently in marine organisms, mainly in mollusks. This study aimed at isolating and identifying strains of V. vulnificus based upon the analysis of twenty samples of seabob shrimp, Xiphopenaeus kroyeri (Heller), purchased at the Mucuripe fish market (Fortaleza, Brazil). TCBS agar was used to isolate suspect strains. Seven of twenty-nine strains isolated from six different samples were confirmed as such by means of biochemical evidence and thus submitted to biological assays to determine their virulence. The susceptibility of the V. vulnificus strains to a number of antibiotics was tested. None of the V. vulnificus strains showed signs of virulence during a 24-hour observation period, possibly due to the shedding of the capsules by the cells. As to the results of the antimicrobial susceptibility tests, the seven above-mentioned V. vulnificus strains were found to be sensitive to nitrofurantoin (NT), ciprofloxacin (CIP), gentamicin (GN) and chloramphenicol (CO) and resistant to clindamycin (CI), penicillin (PN) and ampicillin (AP)