Symptomatology and IgG Levels before and after SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Breakthrough Infections in Vaccinated Individuals.

(1) Background: After the COVID-19 pandemic, there is concern regarding the immunity of the population to SARS-CoV-2 variants, particularly the Omicron variant and its sub-lineages. (2) Methods: The study involved analyzing the immune response and symptomatology of 27 vaccinated individuals who were subsequently infected by Omicron sub-lineages. Blood samples were collected for serological analysis, including the detection of IgG antibodies reactive to the Nucleocapsid (N) and Spike (S) antigens of SARS-CoV-2.

Real-world effectiveness of original BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 against symptomatic Omicron infection among children 5-11 years of age in Brazil: A prospective test-negative design study.

Objective: To estimate original wild-type BNT162b2 effectiveness against symptomatic Omicron infection among children 5-11 years of age.

Methods: This prospective test-negative, case-control study was conducted in Toledo, southern Brazil, from June 2022 to July 2023. Patients were included if they were aged 5-11 years, sought care for acute respiratory symptoms in the public health system, and were tested for SARS-CoV-2 using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.

Dissemination of NDM-producing bacteria in Southern Brazil.

Background: The dissemination of NDM-1 carbapenemases (New Delhi Metallo-β-lactamase) is a global public health problem, mainly in developing countries. The aim of this study was to characterize the spread of NDM-producing bacteria in the Southern Brazilian states analyzing epidemiological, molecular, and antimicrobial susceptibility aspects.

Methods: A total of 10,684 carbapenem-resistant isolates of Enterobacterales, Pseudomonas spp.

Infection of SARS-CoV-2 in domestic dogs associated with owner viral load.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-positive pet owners are reported to be a risk factor for infection of their pets; however, the influence of the viral load and associated risks has not been fully established. This study aimed to assess potential association of viral load in owners with the presence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in their dogs. Of 20 SARS-CoV-2-positive pet owners from 13 families in Curitiba, Brazil, 5 of 22 (22.

SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron Variants Surge in Curitiba, Southern Brazil, and Its Impact on Overall COVID-19 Lethality.

Screening efforts and genomic surveillance are essential tools to evaluate the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and assist the public healthcare system in dealing with an increasing number of infections. For the analysis of COVID-19 cases scenarios in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil, we performed a diagnosis of positive cases, coupled with genotyping, for symptomatic and asymptomatic members of the Federal University of Paraná. We achieved over 1000 samples using RT-qPCR for diagnosis.

Re-emergence of Gamma-like-II and emergence of Gamma-S:E661D SARS-CoV-2 lineages in the south of Brazil after the 2021 outbreak.

Background: We report a genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 lineages circulating in Paraná, southern Brazil, from March 2020 to April 2021. Our analysis, based on 333 genomes, revealed that the first variants detected in the state of Paraná in March 2020 were the B.1.

The microbiome of a shell mound: ancient anthropogenic waste as a source of Streptomyces degrading recalcitrant polysaccharides.

Metagenome amplicon DNA sequencing and traditional cell culture techniques are helping to uncover the diversity and the biotechnological potential of prokaryotes in different habitats around the world. It has also had a profound impact on microbial taxonomy in the last decades. Here we used metagenome 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing to reveal the microbiome composition of different layers of an anthropogenic soil collected at a shell mound Sambaqui archeological site.

The plastome sequence of Bactris gasipaes and evolutionary analysis in tribe Cocoseae (Arecaceae).

The family Arecaceae is distributed throughout tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Among the five subfamilies, Arecoideae is the most species-rich and still contains some ambiguous inter-generic relationships, such as those within subtribes Attaleinae and Bactridineae. The hypervariable regions of plastid genomes (plastomes) are interesting tools to clarify unresolved phylogenetic relationships.

Plastid genome evolution in Amazonian açaí palm (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) and Atlantic forest açaí palm (Euterpe edulis Mart.).

The plastomes of E. edulis and E. oleracea revealed several molecular markers useful for genetic studies in natural populations and indicate specific evolutionary features determined by vicariant speciation.

Genome-based reclassification of Sp245 as the type strain of sp. nov.

sp. strain Sp245, originally identified as belonging to , is recognized as a plant-growth-promoting rhizobacterium due to its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen and to produce plant-beneficial compounds. sp.

Comparative Plastid Genomics of Neotropical (Orchidaceae; Epidendroideae).

Pantropical , with ∼2,200 species, is one of the largest genera in Orchidaceae. Although phylogenetics and taxonomy of the ∼60 American species in the genus are generally well understood, some species complexes need more study to clearly delimit their component species and provide information about their evolutionary history. Previous research has suggested that the plastid genome includes phylogenetic markers capable of providing resolution at low taxonomic levels, and thus it could be an effective tool if these divergent regions can be identified.

Characterization of sequence variability hotspots in Cranichideae plastomes (Orchidaceae, Orchidoideae).

This study reports complete plastome sequences for six species of Neotropical Cranichideae and focuses on identification of the most variable regions (hotspots) in this group of orchids. These structure of these six plastomes is relatively conserved, exhibiting lengths ranging between 142,599 to 154,562 bp with 36.7% GC on average and exhibiting typical quadripartite arrangement (LSC, SSC and two IRs).

Uncovering prokaryotic biodiversity within aerosols of the pristine Amazon forest.

Biological aerosols (bioaerosol) are atmospheric particles that act as a dispersion unit of living organisms across the globe thereby affecting the biogeographic distribution of organisms. Despite their importance, there is virtually no knowledge about bioaerosols emitted by pristine forests. Here we provide the very first survey of the prokaryotic community of a bioaerosol collected inside pristine Amazon forest at 2 m above ground.

A New Strategy for the Selection of Epiphytic and Endophytic Bacteria for Enhanced Plant Performance.

The crescent knowledge in the microbiology field guided by microbiome studies has renewed interest in microbes that interact with the plant host in a beneficial manner, especially those that live in the rhizosphere or inside plant tissues and promote plant growth by various mechanisms. Here a comprehensive method for efficient isolation of beneficial endophytes from sterile and open systems, and selection of effective graminaceous plant root colonizers by competitive interactions with plants is described. Parameters for plant cultivation and bacterial inoculation to assess plant growth promotion using the plant model S.

Cellulose production increases sorghum colonization and the pathogenic potential of Herbaspirillum rubrisubalbicans M1.

Three species of the β-Proteobacterial genus Herbaspirillum are able to fix nitrogen in endophytic associations with such important agricultural crops as maize, rice, sorghum, sugar-cane and wheat. In addition, Herbaspirillum rubrisubalbicans causes the mottled-stripe disease in susceptible sugar-cane cultivars as well as the red-stripe disease in some sorghum cultivars. The xylem of these cultivars exhibited a massive colonisation of mucus-producing bacteria leading to blocking the vessels.

Classification of the inoculant strain of cowpea UFLA03-84 and of other strains from soils of the Amazon region as Bradyrhizobium viridifuturi (symbiovar tropici).

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) is a legume species that considerably benefits from inoculation with nitrogen fixing bacteria of the genus Bradyrhizobium. One of the strains recommended for inoculation in cowpea in Brazil is UFLA03-84 (Bradyrhizobium sp.

Influence of ancient anthropogenic activities on the mangrove soil microbiome.

Mangroves are highly productive ecosystems located at the transition between the terrestrial and marine environments. Mangroves play an important role in carbon storage, nutrient cycling and support for the marine food web. Mangrove soils are formed by fine particles rich in organic carbon and are subject to constant fluctuations in oxygen, salinity and nutrient availability due to fresh water flux and tidal variations.

The genomes of three Bradyrhizobium sp. isolated from root nodules of Lupinus albescens grown in extremely poor soils display important genes for resistance to environmental stress.

Lupinus albescens is a resistant cover plant that establishes symbiotic relationships with bacteria belonging to the Bradyrhizobium genus. This symbiosis helps the development of these plants in adverse environmental conditions, such as the ones found in arenized areas of Southern Brazil. This work studied three Bradyrhizobium sp.

MMP9 gene expression regulation by intragenic epigenetic modifications in breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide. Metastasis remains a major challenge for the clinical management and prognosis of patients with cancer. The metalloprotease MMP-9 plays a critical role in the first step of metastasis through extracellular matrix degradation.

Comparative Genomics of Sibling Species of Associated with Human Chromoblastomycosis.

and are genera of black yeast-like fungi harboring agents of a mutilating implantation disease in humans, along with strictly environmental species. The current hypothesis suggests that those species reside in somewhat adverse microhabitats, and pathogenic siblings share virulence factors enabling survival in mammal tissue after coincidental inoculation driven by pathogenic adaptation. A comparative genomic analysis of environmental and pathogenic siblings of and was undertaken, including assembly of from plant material.

Reclassification of as a Genomovar of : Genome-Based Metrics Improve Bacterial Taxonomic Classification.

Species from the genus are widely studied due to their biotechnological relevance. Dozens of novel species descriptions of this genus were published in the last couple of years, but few utilized genomic data as classification criteria. Here, we demonstrate the importance of using genome-based metrics and phylogenetic analyses to identify and classify strains.