Abstract

VANEGAS, María Consuelo; RUGELES, Laura Cristina  and  MARTINEZ, Aída Juliana. Isolation and identification of Enterobacter sakazakii in milk feeders of Bogotá, D. C. Infect. [online]. 2009, vol.13, n.1, pp.36-42. ISSN 0123-9392.

Introduction: Enterobacter sakazakii is an emergent opportunistic pathogen of high risk responsible of severe meningitis and necrotizing enterocolitis in neonates and infants with underlying medical conditions. One of the principal transmission vehicles for the transmission of these bacteria, is the infant dehydrated formula after exposing them to the heating treatment. Objective: To identify strains of E. sakazakii in milk feeders’ samples from Bogotá. Materials and methods: 222 samples from 9 milk feeders including sterile and non sterile surfaces, utensils used for the formula preparation and food handlers were analyzed. Total coliforms counts and identification of E. sakazakii was done using the FDA protocol and the automatic system Bax ® Dupont Qualicon. Results: From de 222 samples collected from hospitals in Bogotá, it was reported that 27.4% (61) had total coliforms, and the presence of E. sakazakii was detected in 3.6% (8) from one feeding bottle and surfaces. Conclusion: The presence of E. sakazakii strains was reported in Colombian milk feeders. Because this microorganism is a high risk opportunistic pathogen for newborn infants, usually associated with hygiene practices in milk feeders, the information of this research could be useful to develop preventive measurements to reduce the risk of contamination in the infant population and provides important public health information.

Keywords : Enterobacter sakazakii; infant dehydrated; formula products; milk feeders; neonates; total coliforms; Bogotá, D.C.

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