OCORRÊNCIA DE COLIFORMES TERMOTOLERANTES E SUA RESISTÊNCIA A ANTIBIÓTICOS EM SOLOS DA SUB-BACIA DO RIO MAROMBAS - SC

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the main health problems worldwide, as it leads to difficult-to-treat diseases and often death. Resistant bacteria are found in hospital environments, water and food, but their occurrence in soil remains unexplored. The present work evaluated the occurrence of thermotolerant coliforms and their resistance to three antibiotics in soils in the Marombas River Sub-Basin – SC. Samples were collected over a year, and the concentration of thermotolerant coliforms was determined by serial dilution and plating on MacConkey Agar. Antibiotic resistance was determined by antibiogram. Data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn tests. Higher concentrations of coliforms were observed in Rio Correntes, while the lowest values ​​were recorded in Rio das Pedras. The highest percentages of resistant isolates occurred in relation to ampicillin, reaching 80% and were obtained even in the absence of feces in the environment, which suggests widespread and frequent soil contamination. The data highlights the worrying contamination of the soil, which can also affect rivers and wells if the bacteria are carried by rain, compromising the quality of water resources and generating animal and human health problems.