Study of the distribution of antimicrobial resistance genes in total DNA from stool of children during their first year of life

• Grant number: 14/00093-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2014
• End date: December 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Carla Romano Taddei
• Grantee: Florenza Edviges dos Santos
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCF). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The establishment of the microbiota in children is subject to interference from external factors, including the use of antibiotics. In addition to application, the duration of administration of antibiotics are primary factors influencing colonization of microbiota in children. Several studies show the relationship between antibiotic use with changes in the composition and decrease in diversity of the microbiota. Among the most commonly used antibiotics, highlight the ² -lactams. The spread of resistance to ²-lactam antibiotics is a problem on the rise worldwide, and the production of the enzyme ²-lactamase is the most common mechanism of resistance, especially by Gram-negative bacteria. Thus, this project aims to detect, using multiplex PCR methodology, the presence of some resistance genes, encoding ²-lactamase enzymes in samples of DNA extracted from children throughout their first year of life and correlate the appearance gene to environmental factors to which the child was exposed during this period, for example, introduction of solid feeding, antibiotic use, residence in nurseries.