Profile of antibiotic susceptibility from isolated strains of the oral cavity of Bothrops jararaca snakes, Bothrops jararacussu

AC29

Alessandra Satie Araki Yassui (1) – lesatie@butantan.gov.br, Kathleen Fernandes Grego (2), Myriam Elizabeth Velloso Callefo (2), Fan Hui Wen (3), Ceila M. S. Malaque (3), Osvaldo Augusto B. Sant’Anna (4), Marcia Regina Franzolin (1)

 (1) Laboratório de Bacteriologia; (2) Laboratório de Herpetologia; (3) Hospital Vital Brazil; (4) Laboratório de Imunoquímica, Instituto Butantan, SP, Brasil.

Introduction: Besides the normal microbiota of the skin of patients, the bacteria present in the oral cavity and prey of snakes may penetrate the skin and subcutaneous tissue, finding favorable conditions for your proliferation. The snakes have in its oral cavity, a variety of bacteria that may be potential pathogens for a secondary infection on bite site. The environmental conditions and form of the collect of the snakes could be a variable in determining these bacteria in oral cavity of snakes. The identification and characterization of microbiota of these snakes have fundamental importance in both the specific guidance of antimicrobials, as the mapping of the agents present in the environment and its reservoirs. Objective: In this study, we evaluated the profile of antibiotic susceptibility of bacteria isolated from the oral cavity of 76 Bothrops jararaca snakes (caught in the metropolitan area of São Paulo), 17 strains from Bothrops jararacussu, and the oral cavity of 19 snakes from other genus (Colubrids). Methods: The bacteria were tested by the Kirby-Bauer method for antimicrobial susceptibility, utilizing commercially available sensitivity discs. Results: The bacteria tested were Gram-negative bacilli, mainly Enterobacteriaceae, and the isolated strains from snakes Bothrops jararaca were sensitive to antibiotics: amikacin, amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, cotrimoxazole and gentamicin. Resistance was seen to cephalothin (50%) and ampicillin (32%). There were observed samples with intermediate sensitivity (22%) and samples resistant (15%) to the antibiotic tetracycline. The bacterial strains isolated from Bothrops jararacussu were sensitive to antibiotics: amikacin, ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, cotrimoxazole, gentamicin and tetracycline, presenting resistance to cephalothin (76%), ampicillin (65%), amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (24%) and cotrimoxazole (24%). The isolated bacterial strains from the oral cavity of other genus presented sensitivity to antibiotics: amikacin, ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, cotrimoxazole, gentamicin and tetracycline, as well as resistance to ampicillin (25%) and cephalothin (56%). There were not found multiresistent strains. Discussion: These results showed the variable antimicrobial susceptibility of aerobic gram-negative bacillus. Isolated strains from other genus of snakes have a high index of antimicrobial resistance to ampicillin and cephalothin, as well as those of B. jararaca. In contrast, strains isolated from oral cavity of B. jararacussu showed high resistance to cephalothin and ampicillin, and lowest level of resistance to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and cotrimoxazole. Strains of other genus and B. jararacussu will be collected to compare with isolated strains from B. jararaca. In the cases of secondary infection after snakebite accidents, it is important to know the predominant bacteria commonly found in the oral cavity of snakes and the antimicrobial susceptibility profile of bacteria strains, as well as in the case of others captivity animals unlike from Bothrops ssp, because these bacteria may act how potential pathogens to these animals.