Profile of antimicrobial resistance of bacteria isolated from cockroaches (Periplaneta americana) in a Brazilian health care institution

Prado, Marinésia Aparecida do; Gir, Elucir; Pereira, Milca Severino; Reis, Cleômenes; Pimenta, Fabiana Cristina

doi:10.1590/s1413-86702006000100006

Cited by 29 publications

(28 citation statements)

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“…Insecta. Public Health.Some non-biting flying insects, particularly the common housefly (Musca domestica), have sporadically been described as possible mechanical vectors of agents of nosocomial infections because they may carry human pathogens and also due to their ubiquity including in the hospital environments 1-4 .In Brazil, there are some reports showing that ants and cockroaches harbor pathogens in hospitals 5,6 , but there is no report on non-biting flying insects. Therefore, our aim was to investigate the presence of potentially pathogenic bacteria on the external surface of flying insects collected inside a Brazilian health care institution.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Non-biting flying insects as carriers of pathogenic bacteria in a Brazilian hospital

Kappel

Oliveira

Silva

et al. 2013

Rev. Soc. Bras. Med. Trop.

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Introduction: Insects have been described as mechanical vectors of nosocomial infections. Methods: Non-biting flying insects were collected inside a pediatric ward and neonatal-intensive care unit (ICU) of a Brazilian tertiary hospital. Results: Most (86.4%) of them were found to carry one or more species of bacteria on their external surfaces. The bacteria isolated were Gram-positive bacilli (68.2%) or cocci (40.9%), and Gram-negative bacilli (18.2%). Conclusions: Insects collected inside a hospital were carrying pathogenic bacteria; therefore, one must consider the possibility they may act as mechanical vectors of infections, in especially for debilitated or immune-compromised patients in the hospital environments where the insects were collected.Keywords: Microorganisms. Insecta. Public Health.Some non-biting flying insects, particularly the common housefly (Musca domestica), have sporadically been described as possible mechanical vectors of agents of nosocomial infections because they may carry human pathogens and also due to their ubiquity including in the hospital environments 1-4 .In Brazil, there are some reports showing that ants and cockroaches harbor pathogens in hospitals 5,6 , but there is no report on non-biting flying insects. Therefore, our aim was to investigate the presence of potentially pathogenic bacteria on the external surface of flying insects collected inside a Brazilian health care institution.Flying insects were randomly collected in eight rooms of a pediatric ward and a neonatal intensive care unit (neonatal-ICU) of a Brazilian tertiary-care teaching hospital that has 290 beds. The insects were caught during their flight during different nights. Each insect collected was placed alive on to a 5% sheep blood agar plate, allowing contact of its external surface with the culture medium. After removing the insect using sterile forceps, the plate was incubated at 37 o C under aerobic conditions and was examined daily for bacterial growth. The insect samples were preserved in alcohol and subjected to entomological examination.The morphology of isolated bacteria was observed using Gram staining. The Gram-positive cocci (GPC) or Grampositive bacilli (GPB) were separately cultured on sheep blood agar and the Gram-negative bacilli (GNB) on MacConkey agar for further identification in species by using standard bacteriological procedures.A total of 22 flying insects were collected: 5 (22.7%) were caught inside the neonatal-ICU and 17 (77.3%) in different rooms of the pediatric ward. They belonged to Diptera Linné,

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confidence: 99%

“…In Brazil, there are some reports showing that ants and cockroaches harbor pathogens in hospitals 5,6 , but there is no report on non-biting flying insects. Therefore, our aim was to investigate the presence of potentially pathogenic bacteria on the external surface of flying insects collected inside a Brazilian health care institution.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-biting flying insects as carriers of pathogenic bacteria in a Brazilian hospital

Kappel

Oliveira

Silva

et al. 2013

Rev. Soc. Bras. Med. Trop.

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“…As cockroaches are the exclusive hosts of A. compressa larvae, representing both their food source and microenvironment, the wasp larvae need effective defense mechanisms against competitive, putrefactive, and pathogenic microbes (8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13). In this study, we found clear evidence that A. compressa larvae are capable of coping with antagonistic microbes inside their P. americana hosts by using a mixture of antimicrobials present in their oral secretion.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…S. marcescens (Enterobacteriaceae) is a ubiquitous, Gram-negative bacterium and a common colonizer of cockroaches (10)(11)(12)(13). It is responsible for food contamination (26) and causes disease in plants (27), invertebrates (4,26,28), and vertebrates, including humans (29).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In particular, cockroaches, such as the peridomestic American cockroach Periplaneta americana (Blattaria, Blattidae), are suspected vectors of food spoilage and pathogenic microbes (6,7). Owing to their unsanitary lifestyle, they can pick up, carry, and transfer a plethora of bacteria and fungi (6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14) and hence represent a potential health problem to humans, as well as wild and domestic animals.…”

Section: γ-Lactones and Isocoumarins With (R)-(-)-mellein [(R)-(-)-3mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Larvae of the parasitoid wasp Ampulex compressa sanitize their host, the American cockroach, with a blend of antimicrobials

Herzner

Schlecht

Dollhofer

et al. 2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Food resources contaminated with spoilage or pathogenic microorganisms pose severe problems to all higher organisms. Here, we describe a food-hygienic strategy of the emerald cockroach wasp Ampulex compressa . The wasp larvae develop on and inside the American cockroach Periplaneta americana , a host that can harbor various putrefactive microbes, as well as human and insect pathogens. From P. americana , we isolated the Gram-negative bacterium Serratia marcescens , which is a potent entomopathogen that can rapidly kill insect larvae. It is also known as a food contaminant and as an opportunistic human pathogen. Using behavioral observations and chemical analyses, we demonstrated that A. compressa larvae impregnate their cockroach hosts from inside with large amounts of an oral secretion containing a blend of γ-lactones and isocoumarins with ( R )-(-)-mellein [( R )-(-)-3,4-diydro-8-hydroxy-3-methylisocoumarin] and micromolide [(4 R ,9 Z )-octadec-9-en-4-olide] as dominant components. We fractionated hexane extracts of the secretion and investigated the antimicrobial properties of the fraction containing the lactones and isocoumarins, as well as of synthetic ( R )-(-)-mellein and micromolide, against S. marcescens and a Gram-positive bacterium, Staphylococcus hyicus , in broth microdilution assays. The test fraction inhibited growth of both tested bacteria. The activity of the fraction against S. marcescens was explained by ( R )-(-)-mellein alone, and the activity against S. hyicus was explained by the combined action of ( R )-(-)-mellein and micromolide. Our data suggest that the specific combination of antimicrobials in the larval secretion provides an effective frontline defense against the unpredictable spectrum of microbes that A. compressa larvae may encounter during their development inside their cockroach hosts.

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Insects As Vectors Of Foodborne Pathogens

Zurek

Gorham

2008

Wiley Handbook of Science and Technology for Homeland Security

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Many of the numerous species of insects that are attracted to food and to food‐contact surfaces carry on or within their bodies a plethora of bacteria and other microbes, some of which are capable of causing disease in humans and domestic animals. Strict adherence to standard sanitation practices and constant vigilance at all levels of the food chain are the primary lines of defense against incidents of foodborne disease. Flies and cockroaches are notable for their habits of indiscriminately visiting both pathogen‐laden substrates and food destined for human or domestic animal consumption. Ants that enter buildings are both indefatigable foragers and reliable carriers and disseminators of any pathogens they happen to acquire. The moths and beetles that live in dry cereal foods are capable of transporting fungal spores within the food material. It is not possible to prevent all instances of contamination of food by pathogens carried by insects. However, that eventuality can be minimized by implementing a four‐pronged program, AIM=F: anticipate—document all possible scenarios by which insects might contaminate food; inform—train all persons associated with the food chain to recognize danger when they see it; mitigate—develop and practice protocols to quickly deal with any actual or potential incident of food contamination by insects; frustrate—utilizing the first three action measures will neutralize or minimize any deliberate attempt to effect a bioterror incident.

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Profile of antimicrobial resistance of bacteria isolated from cockroaches (Periplaneta americana) in a Brazilian health care institution

Cited by 29 publications

References 8 publications

Non-biting flying insects as carriers of pathogenic bacteria in a Brazilian hospital

Non-biting flying insects as carriers of pathogenic bacteria in a Brazilian hospital

Larvae of the parasitoid wasp Ampulex compressa sanitize their host, the American cockroach, with a blend of antimicrobials

Insects As Vectors Of Foodborne Pathogens

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