Can equids be a reservoir of Leishmania braziliensis in endemic areas?

In this study, we detected Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis infection in equids living in endemic regions of cutaneous leishmaniasis. To determine the role of these animals in the Leishmania cycle, we used two approaches: serological and molecular methods. Antibodies to the parasite were assayed using the Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA).

Pretreatment of reed by wet oxidation and subsequent utilization of the pretreated fibers for ethanol production.

Common reed (Phragmites australis) is often recognized as a promising source of renewable energy. However, it is among the least characterized crops from the bioethanol perspective. Although one third of reed dry matter is cellulose, without pretreatment, it resists enzymatic hydrolysis like lignocelluloses usually do.

A new look at xylanases: an overview of purification strategies.

Interest in xylanases from different sources has increased markedly in the past decade, in part because of the application of these enzymes in the pulp and paper industry. Purity and purification costs are becoming important issues in modern biotechnology as the industry matures and competitive products reach the marketplace. Thus, new paths for successful and efficient xylanase recovery have to be followed.

Enzymatic properties of a neutral endo-1,3(4)-beta-xylanase Xyl II from Bacillus subtilis.

A Bacillus sp. CCMI 966, characterised as Bacillus subtilis, has a duplication time of about 24 min. It produces at least two extracellular xylanases, Xyl I and Xyl II.