Márcia Araujo Van Der Boor,Júlio César Reis da Silva,Raimundo Rodrigues dos Santos Filho,Helenice Araújo Costa,Patrícia de Maria Silva Figueirêdo,Valério Monteiro Neto, FUNDACÃO NACIONAL DE SAEDE, DEPARTAMENTO DE SAEDE AMBIENTAL, marcia.boor@funasa.gov.br
Escherichia coli is naturally found in both the human as well as many animal intestinal tracks. However, there are strains of E. Coli that can provoke diseases in both humans and animals. An estimated 88% of all human diarrheic illnesses in the world are caused by the consumption of contaminated water. The objective of this research is to detect and characterize the virulence factors of E. coli found in water used for human consumption in municipalities and indigenous villages in the interior of the state of Maranhão. The detection of E. coli and the coliform count were performed using the Chromogenic Subtraction method. Afterwards hemolytic (hemolysin) and enzymatic (lipase) activity tests, biofilm production tests and tests to measure antimicrobial sensibility were performed. Of the 75 samples that were tested, 57 (76%) were positive for lipolysis, 62 (82%) for haemolysis in sheep’s blood, and 38 (51%) for the production of biofilm. The most resistant antibiotics were AMP (with 65% resistance) and the highest sensibility rates were found in IPM and CIPRO (both 100%).
PALAVRA-CHAVE: E. coli, água, virulência.