Intense P.1 (Gamma) diversification followed by rapid Delta substitution in Southern Brazil: a SARS-CoV-2 genomic epidemiology study.

The analyses of genetic traits, dispersion patterns and phylogenomics are essential for understanding the evolutionary forces driving SARS-CoV-2 viruses in these three years of COVID-19 pandemics. Brazil is one of the most affected countries in the world and not sufficient genomic studies have been performed. The emergence of P.

PCR-RLFP characterization of Leishmania spp. in domestic animals from the south-western border of Brazil.

The aim of this study was to characterize Leishmania spp. from canine and feline samples using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)- Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP). It was conducted in the southern region of Brazil, located at border crossings to Argentina and Uruguay.

Comparative Genomics and Characterization of SARS-CoV-2 P.1 (Gamma) Variant of Concern From Amazonas, Brazil.

Background: P.1 lineage (Gamma) was first described in the State of Amazonas, northern Brazil, in the end of 2020, and has emerged as a very important variant of concern (VOC) of SARS-CoV-2 worldwide. P.

Predominance of the SARS-CoV-2 Lineage P.1 and Its Sublineage P.1.2 in Patients from the Metropolitan Region of Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil in March 2021.

Almost a year after the COVID-19 pandemic had begun, new lineages (B.1.1.

Mutation hotspots and spatiotemporal distribution of SARS-CoV-2 lineages in Brazil, February 2020-2021.

The COVID-19 pandemic has already reached more than 110 million people and is associated with 2.5 million deaths worldwide. Brazil is the third worst-hit country, with approximately 10.

E484K as an innovative phylogenetic event for viral evolution: Genomic analysis of the E484K spike mutation in SARS-CoV-2 lineages from Brazil.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has affected millions of people since its beginning in 2019. The propagation of new lineages and the discovery of key mechanisms adopted by the virus to overlap the immune system are central topics for the entire public health policies, research and disease management. Since the second semester of 2020, the mutation E484K has been progressively found in the Brazilian territory, composing different lineages over time.

Genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in Esteio, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Background: Brazil is the third country most affected by Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), but viral evolution in municipality resolution is still poorly understood in Brazil and it is crucial to understand the epidemiology of viral spread. We aimed to track molecular evolution and spread of Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Esteio (Southern Brazil) using phylogenetics and phylodynamics inferences from 21 new genomes in global and regional context. Importantly, the case fatality rate (CFR) in Esteio (3.

Analysis of tRNA-derived RNA fragments (tRFs) in Cryptococcus spp.: RNAi-independent generation and possible compensatory effects in a RNAi-deficient genotype.

Small RNAs (sRNAs) are key factors in the regulation of gene expression. Recently, a new class of regulatory sRNAs derived from tRNAs was described, the tRNA-derived RNA fragments (tRFs). Such RNAs range in length from 14 to 30 nucleotides and are produced from both mature and primary tRNA transcripts, with very specific cleavage sites along the tRNA sequence.

Zrg1, a cryptococcal protein associated with regulation of growth in nutrient deprivation conditions.

Cryptococcus gattii is one of the causes of cryptococcosis, a life-threatening disease generally characterized by pneumonia and/or meningitis. Zinc is an essential element for life, being required for the activity of many proteins with catalytic and structural roles. Here, we characterize ZRG1 (zinc-related gene 1), which codes a product involved in zinc metabolism.

Molecular detection of Leishmania spp. in Brazilian cross-border south region mammalian hosts.

Visceral leishmaniasis is an endemic zoonotic disease identified especially in developing territories. Brazil's northeast, southeast and midwest have been endemic for several years; currently, the infection is spreading to the south. Dogs are the main reservoirs; however, other mammal species have also been infected.

A Predicted Mannoprotein Participates in Capsular Structure.

The yeast-like pathogen is an etiological agent of cryptococcosis. The major cryptococcal virulence factor is the polysaccharide capsule, which is composed of glucuronoxylomannan (GXM), galactoxylomannan (GalXM), and mannoproteins (MPs). The GXM and GalXM polysaccharides have been extensively characterized; however, there is little information about the role of mannoproteins in capsule assembly and their participation in yeast pathogenicity.

Modulation of Zinc Homeostasis in as a Possible Antifungal Strategy against .

is a basidiomycetous yeast that can be found in the environment and is one of the agents of cryptococcosis, a life-threatening disease. During its life cycle, cryptococcal cells take hold inside environmental predators such as amoebae. Despite their evolutionary distance, macrophages and amoebae share conserved similar steps of phagocytosis and microbial killing.

Transcriptional Analysis Allows Genome Reannotation and Reveals that Cryptococcus gattii VGII Undergoes Nutrient Restriction during Infection.

is a human and animal pathogen that infects healthy hosts and caused the Pacific Northwest outbreak of cryptococcosis. The inhalation of infectious propagules can lead to internalization of cryptococcal cells by alveolar macrophages, a niche in which cells can survive and proliferate. Although the nutrient composition of macrophages is relatively unknown, the high induction of amino acid transporter genes inside the phagosome indicates a preference for amino acid uptake instead of synthesis.

sRNAs as possible regulators of retrotransposon activity in Cryptococcus gattii VGII.

Background: The absence of Argonaute genes in the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus gattii R265 and other VGII strains indicates that yeasts of this genotype cannot have a functional RNAi pathway, an evolutionarily conserved gene silencing mechanism performed by small RNAs. The success of the R265 strain as a pathogen that caused the Pacific Northwest and Vancouver Island outbreaks may imply that RNAi machinery loss could be beneficial under certain circumstances during evolution. As a result, a hypermutant phenotype would be created with high rates of genome retrotransposition, for instance.