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This study aimed to evaluate the contamination by Salmonella sp. in the Capinzal River, to determine the prevalent serovars, patterns of antimicrobial resistance, and the genetic relationships between the serovars identified. A total of 108 samples were collected from 2016 to 2018. The isolation of Salmonella spp. was conducted according to International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards. The antimicrobial resistance profile of the Salmonella isolates was evaluated, and isolates were selected for serotyping and verification of genetic similarity using the Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) Technique. Of the 108 samples collected, 35 (32.4%) were positive for Salmonella; 17.2% of the isolates were from the rural area; and 88.6% were from the urban area. Salmonella was isolated from all collect points along the river, with a higher incidence at the beginning of the urban area, indicating that contamination starts in the rural area and intensifies in the urban area of the city. A percentage of 35.1% of the Salmonella isolates were resistant to at least two antibiotics, while 18.9% were considered multidrugresistant (resistant to at least two antibiotics of different classes). Seven serovars were distinguished from the serotyped isolates, with a prevalence rate of 23.5% for S. Infantis, S. Orion, and S. Javiana; 11.8% for S. Senfterberg, and 5.9% for S. Montevideo, S. Heidelberg, and S. enterica subsp. enterica (O: 6.8). The variability in specific restriction sites generated by PFGE resulted in 10 pulsotypes, separating mainly different serotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discovered in the eighteenth century by physicist Justinus Kerner, the botulinum toxin at the time considered a poison, caused an outbreak of deaths due to the ingestion of food contaminated by the toxin, years later, a new outbreak happened in a Belgian village, that was then, Emile Van Ermengem isolated the pathogen Clostridium botulinum, responsible for producing the toxin that causes botulism. The bacterium is capable of producing 7 botulinum toxin serotypes, classified as A to G, being type A more potent and capable of being used for therapeutic purposes after purification. The first studies of the toxin for therapeutic purposes happened by the doctor Alan Scott, in the 80's, when it was tested in patients with strabismus. In general, the toxin acts on the nerve endings blocking the calcium channels, inhibiting the release of acetylcholine by paralyzing the muscle. The action of the toxin has an average duration of approximately 6 months, with the peak being the highest action until the third and fourth months, and gradually the function is restored. Botulinum toxin type A is also used as a therapeutic method in chronic migraine and hyperhidrosis, being a therapeutic alternative to the surgical method in certain pathologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]