Anais do Simpósio Latino Americano de Ciências de Alimentos
Anais do 14 SLACA - Simpósio Latino Americano de Ciência de Alimentos

Abstract: Klebsiella spp. are opportunistic bacteria commonly found in the environment and in the gastrointestinal tract of animals and humans. They have been isolated from various foods, including dehydrated infant foods. These microorganisms can cause several diseases in neonates such as bloodstream infections, meningitis, endocarditis, pneumonia, urinary tract infection and necrotizing enterocolitis. K. pneumoniae and K. oxytoca were included in the FAO/WHO hazard identification category B in powdered infant formulas, which indicate a plausible but not yet demonstrated causality associated with consumption of this food and illness in infants. Despite reports of the presence of Klebsiella spp. in powdered infant formulas, this microorganism can also be present in other infant foods. Thus, the objective of this study is to verify the antibiotic resistance of some species of Klebsiella spp. found in dehydrated infant cereals. A total of 10 Klebsiella spp. isolated from 4 dehydrated infant cereal samples were identified by MALDI-TOF/MS and tested for antibiotic resistance profile using the Gram-negative Phoenix panel interpreted following the standards of CLSI (2020). The antibiotics tested were aztreonam (0.5-1632µg/mL), chloramphenicol (4-32µg/mL), cephalexin (4-32µg/mL), fosfomycin (16-64µg/mL), nitrofurantoin (32-126µg/mL), cefoxitin (4-32µg/ml), tobramycin (1-8µg/ml), norfloxacin (0.25-8µg/ml), tetracycline (2-16µg/ml), tigecycline (0.5-4µg/ml), ticarcillin/clavulanate (4/2-64/2µg/ml) and trimethoprim (1-8µg/ml). Of the 10 isolates, 3 were identified as K. variicola (K8, K15 and K31), 6 as K. pneumoniae (K68, K72, K74, K75, K76 and K77) and 1 as K. oxytoca (K118). Isolates K68, K72, and K118 showed resistance to fosfomycin and nitrofurantoin, which can represent a problem in treatment of Klebsiella infection, as they are widely used clinically. Isolates K74 and K77 were resistant to tobramycin. The other isolates were sensitive to all antibiotics tested. Previous studies have shown K. pneumoniae isolates that developed resistance to antibiotics increased their virulence, which can represent a risk when contaminated foods are consumed.