Characterization and Technological Features of Autochthonous Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci as Potential Starters for Portuguese Dry Fermented Sausages.

The manufacture of dry fermented sausages is an important part of the meat industry in Southern European countries. These products are usually produced in small shops from a mixture of pork, fat, salt, and condiments and are stuffed into natural casings. Meat sausages are slowly cured through spontaneous fermentation by autochthonous microbiota present in the raw materials or introduced during manufacturing.

Characterization and optimization of the haemozoin-like crystal (HLC) assay to determine Hz inhibiting effects of anti-malarial compounds.

Background: The haem-haemozoin biocrystallization pathway is an attractive target where several efficacious and safe anti-malarial drugs act. Consequently, in vitro haemozoin (Hz) inhibition assays have been developed to identify novel compounds. However, results may differ between assays and often require complex methods or sophisticated infrastructure.

Assessing anti-malarial drug effects ex vivo using the haemozoin detection assay.

Background: In vitro sensitivity assays are crucial to detect and monitor drug resistance. Plasmodium falciparum has developed resistance to almost all anti-malarial drugs. Although different in vitro drug assays are available, some of their inherent characteristics limit their application, especially in the field.

Light depolarization measurements in malaria: A new job for an old friend.

The use of flow cytometry in malaria research has increased over the last decade. Most approaches use nucleic acid stains to detect parasite DNA and RNA and require complex multi-color, multi-parameter analysis to reliably detect infected red blood cells (iRBCs). We recently described a novel and simpler approach to parasite detection based on flow cytometric measurement of scattered light depolarization caused by hemozoin (Hz), a pigment formed by parasite digestion of hemoglobin in iRBCs.