Antibiotic Resistance and Presence of Persister Cells in the Biofilm-like Environments in .

This study investigated antibiotic resistance and presence of persister cells in strains belonging to capsular types Ia/ST-103, III/ST-17, and V/ST-26 in biofilm-like environments. strains were susceptible to penicillin, clindamycin, and erythromycin. Resistance genes were associated with M (80%), O (20%), B (80%), and B (40%).

Production of flavor-active compounds and physiological impacts in immobilized Saccharomyces spp. cells during beer fermentation.

Yeast immobilization in beer fermentation has recently regained attention, due to the expansion of the craft beer market and the diversification of styles and flavors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physiological differences between immobilized and free yeast cells with a focus on flavor-active compounds formation. Three strains of Saccharomyces spp.

Fibronectin-binding molecules of Scedosporium apiospermum: focus on adhesive events.

Scedosporium apiospermum is a widespread, emerging, and multidrug-resistant filamentous fungus that can cause localized and disseminated infections. The initial step in the infection process involves the adhesion of the fungus to host cells and/or extracellular matrix components. However, the mechanisms of adhesion involving surface molecules in S.

Anti-cryptococcal activity of ethanol crude extract and hexane fraction from Ocimum basilicum var. Maria bonita: mechanisms of action and synergism with amphotericin B and Ocimum basilicum essential oil.

Context: Ocimum basilicum L. (Lamiaceae) has been used in folk medicine to treat headaches, kidney disorders, and intestinal worms.

Objective: This study evaluates the anti-cryptococcal activity of ethanol crude extract and hexane fraction obtained from O.

Dataset of differentially regulated proteins in HUVECs challenged with wild type and UGM1 mutant Aspergillus fumigatus strains.

Invasive aspergillosis is the primary opportunistic invasive fungal infection described in neutropenic hematologic patients, caused by the angioinvasive pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus. The molecular mechanisms associated with A. fumigatus infection in the vascular endothelium are poorly understood.

Modifications to the composition of the hyphal outer layer of Aspergillus fumigatus modulates HUVEC proteins related to inflammatory and stress responses.

Unlabelled: Aspergillus fumigatus, the main etiologic agent causing invasive aspergillosis, can induce an inflammatory response and a prothrombotic phenotype upon contact with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). However, the fungal molecules involved in this endothelial response remain unknown. A.

Overview of chemical imaging methods to address biological questions.

Chemical imaging offers extensive possibilities for better understanding of biological systems by allowing the identification of chemical components at the tissue, cellular, and subcellular levels. In this review, we introduce modern methods for chemical imaging that can be applied to biological samples. This work is mainly addressed to the biological sciences community and includes the bases of different technologies, some examples of its application, as well as an introduction to approaches on combining multimodal data.

Comparative genomics of the major fungal agents of human and animal Sporotrichosis: Sporothrix schenckii and Sporothrix brasiliensis.

Background: The fungal genus Sporothrix includes at least four human pathogenic species. One of these species, S. brasiliensis, is the causal agent of a major ongoing zoonotic outbreak of sporotrichosis in Brazil.

Three-dimensional chemical mapping by EFTEM-TomoJ including improvement of SNR by PCA and ART reconstruction of volume by noise suppression.

Electron tomography is becoming one of the most used methods for structural analysis at nanometric scale in biological and materials sciences. Combined with chemical mapping, it provides qualitative and semiquantitative information on the distribution of chemical elements on a given sample. Due to the current difficulties in obtaining three-dimensional (3D) maps by energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM), the use of 3D chemical mapping has not been widely adopted by the electron microscopy community.

Ezrin regulates microvillus morphogenesis by promoting distinct activities of Eps8 proteins.

The mechanisms that regulate actin filament polymerization resulting in the morphogenesis of the brush border microvilli in epithelial cells remain unknown. Eps8, the prototype of a family of proteins capable of capping and bundling actin filaments, has been shown to bundle the microvillar actin filaments. We report that Eps8L1a, a member of the Eps8 family and a novel ezrin-interacting partner, controls microvillus length through its capping activity.

L-DOPA accessibility in culture medium increases melanin expression and virulence of Sporothrix schenckii yeast cells.

Melanin is a complex polymer widely distributed in nature and has been described as an important virulence factor in several pathogenic fungi, including Sporothrix schenckii. The aim of the present work was to investigate the presence of melanin on the surface of S. schenckii yeast cells which showed differences in their virulence depending on the culture conditions under which they were grown.

Melanin in Fonsecaea pedrosoi: a trap for oxidative radicals.

Background: The pathogenic fungus Fonsecaea pedrosoi constitutively produces the pigment melanin, an important virulence factor in fungi. Melanin is incorporated in the cell wall structure and provides chemical and physical protection for the fungus.We evaluated the production of nitric oxide (NO) in macrophages, the oxidative burst and the inducible nitric oxide synthase (i-NOS) activity in interactions between activated murine macrophages and F.

The Aspergillus fumigatus transcription factor Ace2 governs pigment production, conidiation and virulence.

Aspergillus fumigatus causes serious and frequently fatal infections in immunocompromised patients. To investigate the regulation of virulence of this fungus, we constructed and analysed an A. fumigatus mutant that lacked the transcription factor Ace2, which influences virulence in other fungi.

Identification, antifungal susceptibility and scanning electron microscopy of a keratinolytic strain of Rhodotorula mucilaginosa: a primary causative agent of onychomycosis.

Onychomycosis is a dermatological problem of high prevalence that mainly affects the hallux toenail. Onychomycosis caused by the yeast Rhodotorula mucilaginosa was identified using colony morphology, light microscopy, urease and carbohydrate metabolism in a 57-year-old immunocompetent patient from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. High-resolution scanning electron microscopy of nail fragments, processed by a noncoating method, led to the observation with fine detail of the structures of both nail and fungus involved in the infection.

Ultrastructural characterization of melanosomes of the human pathogenic fungus Fonsecaea pedrosoi.

Melanin is a complex polymer widely distributed in nature and has been described as an important virulence factor in pathogenic fungi. In the majority of fungi, the mechanism of melanin formation remains unclear. In Fonsecaea pedrosoi, the major etiologic agent of chromoblastomycosis, melanin is stored in intracellular vesicles, named melanosomes.

Effects of tricyclazole (5-methyl-1,2,4-triazol[3,4] benzothiazole), a specific DHN-melanin inhibitor, on the morphology of Fonsecaea pedrosoi conidia and sclerotic cells.

The influence of tricyclazole (5-methyl-1,2,4-triazol[3,4]benzothiazole), a specific DHN-melanin inhibitor, on the cell walls and intracellular structures of Fonsecaea pedrosoi conidia and sclerotic cells was analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), deep-etching, and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The treatment of the fungus with 16 microg mL(-1) of tricyclazole (TC) did not significantly affect fungal viability, but electron microscopy observations showed several important morphological differences between TC-treated and non-TC treated cells. Control sclerotic cells presented patched granules, with an average diameter of 47 nm, on the cell surface, which were absent in TC-treated cells.

Inhibition of melanin synthesis pathway by tricyclazole increases susceptibility of Fonsecaea pedrosoi against mouse macrophages.

Fonsecaea pedrosoi produces melanin, a pigment related to virulence in pathogenic fungi. To understand the involvement of melanin in the protection of fungi, the authors used tricyclazole to inhibit the melanin pathway in F. pedrosoi.