Cultivable bacteria populations associated with leaves of banana and plantain plants and their antagonistic activity against Mycosphaerella fijiensis.

Mycosphaerella fijiensis is the etiological agent of Black Sigatoka, a fungal disease that affects production of banana and plantain crops in tropical regions. The sizes of cultivable epiphytic and endophytic bacterial populations, aerobic endospore forming bacteria (AEFB), and antagonist bacteria against M. fijiensis isolated from three Musa spp. cultivars from Urabá (Colombia) were studied, in order to find a suitable screening strategy to isolate antagonistic bacteria. Most of the variability found in the epiphytic and endophytic bacterial community sizes among fruit trees was explained by the cultivar differences. We found population sizes ranging from 1.25 × 10(3) to 9.64 × 10(5) CFU/g of fresh leaf and found that 44 % of total cultivable bacteria belong to the AEFB group. We isolated 648 AEFB from three different cultivars and assessed their antagonistic activity against M. fijiensis using the cell-free supernatant obtained from bacterial liquid cultures in three different in vitro assays. Five percent of those bacteria showed higher percent inhibition than the positive control Bacillus subtilis UA321 has (percent inhibition = 84 ± 5) in the screening phase. Therefore, they were selected as antagonistic bacteria against the pathogen. The strains with the highest percentage of antagonism were found in older leaves for the three cultivars, given support to recommend this group of leaves for future samplings. Some of these isolated bacteria affected the mycelium and ascospores morphology of the fungus. They also presented in vitro characteristics related to a successful colonization of the phylloplane such as indolic compounds, surfactant production, and biofilm formation, which makes them possible, potential candidates as biological control agents.

The Box-Benkhen experimental design for the optimization of the electrocatalytic treatment of wastewaters with high concentrations of phenol and organic matter.

In this work, the Box-Benkhen experimental Design (BBD) was applied for the optimization of the parameters of the electrocatalytic degradation of wastewaters resulting from a phenolic resins industry placed in the suburbs of Medellin (Colombia). The direct and the oxidant assisted electro-oxidation experiments were carried out in a laboratory scale batch cell reactor, with monopolar configuration, and electrodes made of graphite (anode) and titanium (cathode). A multifactorial experimental design was proposed, including the following experimental variables: initial phenol concentration, conductivity, and pH. The direct electro-oxidation process allowed to reach ca. 88% of phenol degradation, 38% of mineralization (TOC), 52% of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) degradation, and an increase in water biodegradability of 13%. The synergetic effect of the electro-oxidation process and the respective oxidant agent (Fenton reactant, potassium permanganate, or sodium persulfate) let to a significant increase in the rate of the degradation process. At the optimized variables values, it was possible to reach ca. 99% of phenol degradation, 80% of TOC and 88% of COD degradation. A kinetic study was accomplished, which included the identification of the intermediate compounds generated during the oxidation process.

Infección urinaria durante el embarazo, perfil de resistencia bacteriana al tratamiento en el Hospital General de Neiva, Colombia / Urinary infection during pregnancy: a profile of resistance to treatment in the General Hospital in Neiva, Colombia

La infección urinaria es frecuente durante el embarazo; la Escherichia coli es el patógeno más común, seguido por Klebsiella pneumoniae, diferentes tipos de Enterobacter, estreptococos y estafilococos. La ampicilina ha sido ampliamente usada como primera elección, sin embargo, la resistencia bacteriana a este antibiótico es alta. Objetivo: determinar el perfil de resistencia microbiana para los gérmenes más frecuentemente implicados en la infección de vías urinarias durante el embarazo. Metodología: se estudiaron los resultados de urocultivo y antibiograma realizados a mujeres embarazadas, en un periodo de 15 meses desde enero de 2004 hasta abril de 2005. Resultados: un total de 45 pacientes tuvieron urocultivo positivo. El germen más frecuentemente aislado fue Escherichia Coli eun un 64 por ciento, seguido de Klebsiella pneumoniae, con un porcentaje de resistencia de Escherichia Coli a la ampicilina del 82 por ciento y a la gentamicina del 3 por ciento.

Análisis de situación de salud - 2010. ASIS / Health situation analysis - 2010. ASIS

El presente documento proporciona información actualizada del perfil geográfico, socio demográfico, epidemiológico y de la respuesta social. Asimismo, introduce un conjunto de nuevos conceptos donde destacan el análisis de vulnerabilidad territorial, concluyendo con un proceso de jerarquización y priorización de problemas estratificados por escenarios epidemiológicos, los mismos que servirán de base para una adecuada planificación estratégica y operativa en salud en los diferentes niveles de decisiones de la jurisdicción de la DISA II Lima Sur