The presence of contaminated animals in wildlife rehabilitation centers poses a threat for both animals and humans that come into contact with them or the contaminated environment. The aim of this study was to assess the presence of Staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), as well as studying the biofilm formation capacity of these isolates, Yersinia enterocolitica, Salmonella enterica and Campylobacter spp. in wild animals from a rehabilitation center. During a two-year period, feces were collected from animals that were admitted to a wildlife rehabilitation center (n=324 samples). The pathogens were isolated from 51 (15.7%) animals of different species of mammals, birds and reptiles. Forty isolates (12.3%) were identified as S. aureus, of these, 32 (9.9%) were identified as MRSA and 72.5% were able to form biofilm. Y. enterocolitica was found in five mammals (5.1%), three reptiles (21.43%) and two birds (0.94%). Salmonella and Campylobacter were isolated from one bird each (0.67% and 0.67%, respectively). A wide diversity of animal species in rehabilitation centers, including birds, mammals and reptiles, can carry MRSA and enterobacteria of one health concern and eliminate in the feces. The presence of these pathogens in the gastrointestinal tract of wild animals admitted to a wildlife rehabilitation center shows the importance of microbiological monitoring of animals at the time of their admission and reinforces the need for specific hygienic-sanitary care.

This study assessed the viable and culturable microbial diversity that remained on equipment surfaces after hygiene procedures in Brazilian poultry and fish slaughterhouses. Food-contact surface samples were collected using sterile swabs in poultry (n = 50) and fish (Oreochromis niloticus, n = 50) slaughterhouses. The swab samples were used to prepare culture plates to recover viable and culturable cells. The grown plates were washed, and the total DNA of the cell suspension was extracted with a commercial kit. Sequencing of the total DNA extracted from cultures was targeted at the V3 and V4 regions of the 16S rRNA. DNA reads were analyzed by QIIME2 software, with results expressed in relative frequency (%RF). Alpha and beta diversity indexes were analyzed considering the spots of sample collection, type of industry, surfaces (smooth or modular), and materials (polypropylene, stainless steel, or polyurethane). The results showed that in the poultry slaughterhouse, the most abundant genera were Acinetobacter (27.4%), Staphylococcus (7.7%), and Pseudomonas (5.3%), while for the fish slaughterhouse, there was a higher abundance of Staphylococcus (27.7%), Acinetobacter (17.2%), and Bacillus (12.5%). Surface characteristics influenced the microbial diversity, with Acinetobacter spp. dominating modular surfaces and Staphylococcus spp. prevailing on smooth surfaces. The results obtained indicate there is an important resident microbiota that persists even after hygiene processes, and surface-specific cleaning strategies should be developed.

Listeria monocytogenes is a major foodborne pathogen responsible for listeriosis, a severe disease with high fatality rates that typically requires antimicrobial therapy. This study aimed to characterize antimicrobial resistance and the presence of hypervirulence-associated LIPI-3 and LIPI-4 markers in L. monocytogenes from foods and food-processing environments in southern Brazil, and to evaluate the genetic relatedness of multidrug-resistant (MDR) isolates using Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE). Among 82 isolates, resistance was observed to clindamycin (CLI, 48.7 %), meropenem (MER, 29.3 %), sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (SUT, 29.3 %), rifampicin (RIF, 14.6 %), erythromycin (ERY, 10.9 %), tetracycline (TET, 8.5 %), streptomycin (STR, 7.3 %), and amikacin (AMK, 4.9 %). All tetracycline-resistant isolates carried the tetM gene (7/7), and 85.7 % (6/7) also carried the tetL gene. Among erythromycin-resistant isolates, the ermB gene was detected in 11.1 % (1/9). Fifteen isolates (18.3 %) showed multidrug resistance, with the ERY-CLI-RIF-MER-SUT-TET profile being the most prevalent. Regarding virulence, all 15 MDR isolates harbored LIPI-1 and LIPI-2 genes, whereas 60 % of these isolates carried at least one of the hypervirulence-associated pathogenicity islands, LIPI-3 or LIPI-4, or both. MDR L. monocytogenes showed distinct PFGE patterns (n = 15), indicating high genetic diversity, including among hypervirulent isolates. This study demonstrates the occurrence of L. monocytogenes isolates in foods and food-processing environments in southern Brazil that are resistant to clinically relevant antimicrobials, including multidrug resistance, and that also exhibit hypervirulent genotypes. The coexistence of antimicrobial resistance and hypervirulence in L. monocytogenes underscores the urgent need for continuous monitoring and control strategies to mitigate public health risks.

O estudo tem como objetivo verificar a capacidade de adesão e formação de biofilme de isolados de Salmonella spp. produtores de enzimas beta-lactamases de espectro estendido (ESBL), bem como a resistência de isolados produtores ou não de ESBL, frente às condições gástricas e intestinais simuladas in vitro. Foram utilizados 18 isolados de Salmonella spp. obtidos de cortes de frangos congelados produzidos no Estado do Paraná, Brasil. Os isolados produtores de ESBL foram avaliados de forma fenotípica e genotípica quanto a capacidade de adesão e formação de biofilme em lâminas de polipropileno. Além disso, todos os isolados foram submetidos a avaliação in vitro de resistência às condições gástricas e intestinais e após as simulações, realizadas contagens das células sobreviventes. Com relação à adesão e formação de biofilme, 13 isolados apresentaram essa capacidade. Quanto a tolerância às condições gástricas e intestinais, a quantificação de Salmonella spp. diminuiu (p0,05) na taxa de sobrevivência total. Os resultados demonstram que, apesar da diminuição da contagem de microrganismos conforme a passagem simulada pelos sucos gástricos e intestinais, a taxa de sobrevivência média total dos isolados de Salmonella spp. foi alta, o que permite inferir que os isolados possuem a capacidade de sobreviver às condições gastrointestinais simuladas, e ainda sim permaneceram em número capaz de causar infecção.

The high cost and limited accessibility of conventional culture media highlight the need for alternative formulations based on locally available, nutrient-rich materials, such as palm wine derived from Elaeis guineensis sap. This study aimed to develop and evaluate an alternative microbial culture medium containing palm wine derived from E. guineensis sap. The palm wine-based medium (PWM) was formulated using lyophilized palm sap supplemented with complementary nutrients to support microbial growth. Its performance was evaluated using 11 bacterial strains of food and public health relevance, 7 lactic acid bacteria, and 3 filamentous fungi, as well as microorganisms recovered from environmental samples collected from multiple surfaces. Microbial growth and recovery on PWM were compared with those obtained on plate count agar (PCA) for bacteria, de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe agar (MRS) for lactic acid bacteria, and potato dextrose agar (PDA) for filamentous fungi, according to the requirements of each microbial group. Analysis of variance was used to assess differences in microbial growth, while the two one-sided test procedure was used to assess equivalence within a predefined margin of ±0.5 log10 CFU mL−1. Statistical equivalence was observed between PWM and PCA, as well as between PWM and MRS and between acidified PWM and PDA. These findings indicated that differences in microbial counts between PWM and the respective reference media remained within the predefined equivalence range, supporting the potential of PWM as an alternative to conventional culture media under the conditions evaluated. Its development contributes to the valorization of E. guineensis sap as a locally available biological resource, with potential applications in microbiological analysis and environmental monitoring, particularly in resource-limited settings.