Abstract

Marine outfalls contribute to the environmental protection of coastal zones. However, these structures may serve as vehicles for microbiological contamination. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in water samples collected from 67 stations located in nearby areas of the ocean outfall in Fortaleza, Brazil. 81 Enterococcus strains were isolated, identified and distributed in the following groups of species: Enterococcus faecalis (n = 37; 45.7%), Enterococcus faecium (n = 30; 37%), Enterococcus mundtii (n = 9; 11.1%), Enterococcus raffinosus (n = 2; 2.5%), Enterococcus dispar (n = 2; 2.5%) and Enterococcus durans (n = 1; 1.2%). Antimicrobial resistance was observed in 47 (58%) of the strains, and the most predominant profile was the concurrent resistance to ampicillin, clindamycin, penicillin and vancomycin. In 31 strains were detected phenotypically, plasmid resistance factors. The data reported in this study should serve as an alert to public health authorities, since they suggest that the area near the submarine outfall in Fortaleza may contribute to antimicrobial-resistant enterococci spread.

Key words: Enterococci, seawater, multidrug-resistant bacteria, public health.