| Abstract: | The evaluation of workers as potential reservoirs and disseminators of pathogenicbacteria has been described as a strategy for the prevention and control ofhealthcare-associated infections (HAIs). The aim of this study was to evaluate thepresence of Enterobacteriaceae in the oral cavity of workers at anoncology hospital in the Midwest region of Brazil, as well as to characterize thephenotypic profile of the isolates. Saliva samples of 294 workers from the hospital’shealthcare and support teams were collected. Microbiological procedures wereperformed according to standard techniques. Among the participants, 55 (18.7%) werecolonized by Enterobacteriaceae in the oral cavity. A total of 64bacteria were isolated, including potentially pathogenic species. The most prevalentspecies was Enterobacter gergoviae (17.2%). The highest rates ofresistance were observed for β-lactams, and 48.4% of the isolates were consideredmultiresistant. Regarding the enterobacteria isolated, the production of ESBL and KPCwas negative. Nevertheless, among the 43 isolates of the CESP group, 51.2% wereconsidered AmpC β-lactamase producers by induction, and 48.8% were hyper-producingmutants. The significant prevalence of carriers ofEnterobacteriaceae and the phenotypic profile of the isolatesrepresents a concern, especially due to the multiresistance and production of AmpCβ-lactamases. |
