Screening of Candida spp. in wastewater in Brazil during COVID-19 pandemic: workflow for monitoring fungal pathogens.

Fungal diseases are often linked to poverty, which is associated with poor hygiene and sanitation conditions that have been severely worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, COVID-19 patients are treated with Dexamethasone, a corticosteroid that promotes an immunosuppressive profile, making patients more susceptible to opportunistic fungal infections, such as those caused by Candida species. In this study, we analyzed the prevalence of Candida yeasts in wastewater samples collected to track viral genetic material during the COVID-19 pandemic and identified the yeasts using polyphasic taxonomy.

Feline Leishmaniasis: Evidence-based Treatments and Challenges to be Solved.

Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by protozoa parasites from the Leishmania genus. Vertebrate hosts acquire the infection through the bite of a female sandfly, initiating a complex parasite development cycle. Contrary to previous beliefs regarding cats' resistance, these animals have recently been identified as potential reservoirs for leishmaniasis.

Remarkable antibiofilm activity of ciprofloxacin, cefoxitin, and tobramycin, by themselves or in combination, against enteroaggregative Escherichia coli in vitro.

Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC), a biofilm forming pathogen, causes acute and persistent diarrhea worldwide, requiring antimicrobial therapy in severe or persistent cases. To determine the susceptibility of EAEC biofilm to antimicrobials, as single-agent or combined therapy, biofilm formation was investigated using EAEC clinical strains via peg lid. Of the 78 initially analyzed strains, 35 could form biofilms, 15 (42.

Oxidative damage by 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione and its silver and copper complexes lead to apoptotic-like death in Trichomonas vaginalis.

Trichomoniasis is a neglected, parasitic, sexually transmitted infection. Resistance to the only approved drugs is increasing worldwide, leaving millions of people without alternative medications. Thus, the search for new therapeutic options against this infection is necessary.

Environmentally friendly rhamnolipid production for petroleum remediation.

Biosurfactants have potential applications in the remediation of petroleum-contaminated sites. Several strategies can be used to reduce the production costs of these surfactants and make the process more environmentally friendly. In this study, we combined some of these strategies to produce the rhamnolipid-type biosurfactant, including the use of the genetically modified strain Pseudomonas aeruginosa-estA, an industrial coproduct as a carbon source, a simple and low-cost medium, and a simple downstream process.

Anti-Trichomonas vaginalis activity of 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione-based metallodrugs and synergistic effect with metronidazole.

Trichomonas vaginalis is responsible for the most common non-viral, sexually transmitted infection, human trichomoniasis, and is associated with an increased susceptibility to HIV. An escalation in resistance (2.5-10%) to the clinical drug, metronidazole (MTZ), has been detected and this compound also has adverse side-effects.

Sabellaria and Lygdamis (Polychaeta: Sabellariidae) from reefs off northeastern Brazil including a new species of Sabellaria.

Members of the polychaete taxon Sabellariidae Johnston, 1865 are known to live in sand tubes cemented onto rocky substrata, mollusk shells, or sea grasses. Of 37 known Sabellaria species, only nine were reported for the Brazilian coast, in all cases being associated with aggregates of other species. The genus is considered cosmopolitan.

Evidence that a laminin-like insect protein mediates early events in the interaction of a Phytoparasite with its vector's salivary gland.

Phytomonas species are plant parasites of the family Trypanosomatidae, which are transmitted by phytophagous insects. Some Phytomonas species cause major agricultural damages. The hemipteran Oncopeltus fasciatus is natural and experimental host for several species of trypanosomatids, including Phytomonas spp.

Development of a ligand blot assay using biotinylated live cells.

Adhesive interactions between cells are critical to a variety of processes, including host-pathogen relationships. The authors have developed a new technique for the observation of binding interactions in which molecules obtained from excised tissues are resolved by gel electrophoresis and transferred to a membrane. Biotinylated live cells are then kept in contact with that membrane, and their interactions with proteins of interest are detected by peroxidase-labeled streptavidin, followed by a biotin-streptavidin detection system.

Insights into the role of gp63-like proteins in lower trypanosomatids.

Any actual understanding of trypanosomatids in general requires a comprehensive analysis of the less-specialized species as thorough as our knowledge of the more specialized Leishmania and Trypanosoma. In this context, we have shown by antibody cross-reactivity that purified extracellular metallopeptidases from Phytomonas françai, Crithidia deanei (cured strain) and Crithidia guilhermei share common epitopes with the leishmanial gp63. Flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy analyses indicated the presence of gp63-like molecules on the cell surface of these lower trypanosomatids.

Herpetomonas samuelpessoai: dimethylsulfoxide-induced differentiation is influenced by proteinase expression.

In this study, we analyzed the influence of proteinase expression on the cellular differentiation of Herpetomonas samuelpessoai. Along cellular differentiation, which was induced by dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), the trypanosomatids secreted several molecules with variable proteolytic activity. All of them were inhibited by 10 m M 1,10-phenanthroline, suggesting that they are zinc-metalloproteinases.

Detection of sialoglycomolecules in five plant trypanosomatids and in an insect phytophagous isolate.

The sialoglycoprotein profiles of five plant trypanosomatids (Phytomonas spp.) and of one flagellate (Herpetomonas sp.) isolated from the salivary gland of a phytophagous insect (Phthia picta) were analyzed by Western blotting using three distinct lectins (LFA, SNA and MAA), which recognize specifically sialic acid residues in glycoconjugates.