Production and characterization of rhamnolipids by Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated in the Amazon region, and potential antiviral, antitumor, and antimicrobial activity.

Biosurfactants encompass structurally and chemically diverse molecules with surface active properties, and a broad industrial deployment, including pharmaceuticals. The interest is growing mainly for the low toxicity, biodegradability, and production from renewable sources. In this work, the optimized biosurfactant production by Pseudomonas aeruginosa BM02, isolated from the soil of a mining area in the Brazilian Amazon region was assessed, in addition to its antiviral, antitumor, and antimicrobial activities. The optimal conditions for biosurfactant production were determined using a factorial design, which showed the best yield (2.28 mg/mL) at 25 °C, pH 5, and 1% glycerol. The biosurfactant obtained was characterized as a mixture of rhamnolipids with virucidal properties against Herpes Simplex Virus, Coronavirus, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus, in addition to antimicrobial properties against Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecium), at 50 µg/mL. The antitumor activity of BS (12.5 µg/mL) was also demonstrated, with potential selectivity in reducing the proliferation of breast tumor cells, after 1 min of exposure. These results demonstrate the importance of studying the interconnection between cultivation conditions and properties of industrially important compounds, such as rhamnolipid-type biosurfactant from P. aeruginosa BM02, a promising and sustainable alternative in the development of new antiviral, antitumor, and antimicrobial prototypes.

Evolutionary and Ecological Processes Underlying Geographic Variation in Innate Bird Songs.

AbstractEcological and evolutionary processes underlying spatial variation in signals involved in mate recognition and reproductive isolation are crucial to understanding the causes of population divergence and speciation. Here, to test hypotheses concerning the causes of song divergence, we examine how songs of two sister species of Atlantic Forest suboscine birds with innate songs, the Pyriglena fire-eye antbirds, vary across their ranges. Specifically, we evaluated the influence of isolation by distance and introgressive hybridization, as well as morphological and environmental variation, on geographic variation in male songs. Analyses based on 496 male vocalizations from 63 locations across a 2,200-km latitudinal transect revealed clinal changes in the structure of songs and showed that introgressive hybridization increases both the variability and the homogenization of songs in the contact zone between the two species. We also found that isolation by distance, morphological constraints, the environment, and genetic introgression independently predicted song variation across geographic space. Our study shows the importance of an integrative approach that investigates the roles of distinct ecological and evolutionary processes that influence acoustic signal evolution.

Vicariance, dispersal, extinction and hybridization underlie the evolutionary history of Atlantic forest fire-eye antbirds (Aves: Thamnophilidae).

In order to gain insights into the biogeographic processes underlying biotic diversification in the Atlantic Forest (AF), we used a multi-locus approach to examine the evolutionary history of the White-shouldered Fire-eye (Pyriglena leucoptera) and the Fringe-backed Fire-eye (Pyriglena atra), two parapatric sister species endemic to the AF. We sequenced one mitochondrial, three Z chromosome-linked and three anonymous markers of 556 individuals from 66 localities. We recovered four lineages throughout the AF: P. atra and three populations within P. leucoptera. All populations diverged during the late Pleistocene and presented varying levels of admixture. One Z-linked locus showed the highest level of differentiation between the two species. On the other hand, a mitochondrial haplotype was shared extensively between them. Our data supported vicariance driving speciation along with extinction and dispersal as processes underlying intraspecific diversification. Furthermore, signatures of demographic expansion in most populations and areas of genetic admixture were recovered throughout the AF, suggesting that forest fragmentation was also important in differentiation. Genetic admixture areas are located between large rivers suggesting that AF rivers may diminish gene flow. Our results indicated a complex and dynamic biogeographic history of Pyriglena in the AF, with vicariance, extinction, dispersal and secondary contact followed by introgression likely influencing the current patterns of genetic distribution.

Análise microbiológica da água em escolas públicas de Marabá, Pará / Microbiological analysis of water in public schools in Marabá, Pará

Objetivo: analisar a qualidade microbiológica da água de cinco escolas públicas da cidade de Marabá-PA e correlacionar com possíveis fatores de desigualdades sociais em saúde no entorno dessas escolas. Metodologia: as análises microbiológicas foram realizadas em cinco escolas públicas no interior do Pará, usando a técnica do número mais provável, associado a registro das características do entorno das escolas. O teste T Student foi utilizado para verificar as diferenças entre os resultados microbiológicos da água entre as escolas em que houve contaminação e também para testar as diferenças entre a vulnerabilidade socioambiental urbana no entorno das escolas e a contaminação da água. Resultados: observaram-se diferenças estatisticamente significantes entre as escolas E3 e E5 no teste para coliformes totais (p=0,043) e termotolerantes (p=0,008). A partir das condições de vulnerabilidade socioambiental urbana no entorno a escolas, encontrou-se diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre as escolas apenas em relação às condições de saneamento (p=0,05). Considerações Finais: as condições microbiológicas da água utilizada em duas escolas são insatisfatórias, o que indica risco à saúde para alunos, professores e funcionários das escolas.

Objective: to analyze the microbiological quality of water in five public schools in the city of Marabá-PA and to correlate with possible factors of social inequalities in health around these schools. Methodology: the analysis of the microbiological water quality was carried out in five schools in the interior of Pará, using the most likely number technique, associated with recording the characteristics of the schools' surroundings. We used Student T test to verify the differences between the microbiological results of water between the schools where there was contamination and to test the differences between the urban socio-environmental vulnerability around the schools and the water contamination. Results: statistically significant differences were observed between schools E3 and E5 in the test for total coliforms (p=0.043) and thermotolerants (p=0.008). We found statistically significant differences were found between schools only in relation to sanitation conditions (p=0.05). Final Considerations: the microbiological conditions of the water used in two schools are unsatisfactory, which indicates a health risk for students, teachers and school team.

Bacterial glycerol oxidation coupled to sulfate reduction at neutral and acidic pH.

Glycerol is a main co-product of biodiesel production. Crude glycerol may serve as a cheap and attractive substrate in biotechnological applications, e.g. for the production of valuable chemicals or as an electron donor for reduction processes. In this work, sulfate reduction with glycerol was studied at neutral and acidic pH using bioreactor sludge samples and Tinto River sediments as a source of inoculum, respectively. Communities of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and fermentative bacteria were co-enriched at both pH values. Molecular analyses revealed that sequences belonging to Desulfomicrobium genus were dominant in the cultures enriched at pH 7, while Desulfosporosinus sequences dominated in the culture enriched at pH 4. Glycerol conversion was coupled to sulfate reduction, but the substrate was incompletely oxidized to acetate in the neutrophilic enrichments, and acetate, lactate, and 1,3-propanediol under low pH conditions. Two strains belonging to Desulfomicrobium and Proteiniphilum genera were isolated from the neutrophilic enrichments, but the first isolate was not able to use glycerol, which suggests a syntrophic relationship between glycerol-degrading fermentative bacteria and SRB. A Clostridium strain able to grow with glycerol was isolated from the low pH enrichment. Our data indicate that glycerol promotes the growth of sulfate-reducing communities to form sulfide, which can be used to precipitate and recover heavy metals.

A primate at risk in Northeast Brazil: local extinctions of Coimbra Filho's titi (Callicebus coimbrai).

Identifying the factors that determine local extinction of populations is crucial to ensure species conservation. Forest-dwelling primates are especially vulnerable to habitat fragmentation, although few studies have provided systematic evidence of local extinctions. Over an 11-year period, approximately 100 remnant populations of the endangered Coimbra Filho's titi monkey (Callicebus coimbrai) have been found within the geographic range of the species in Bahia and Sergipe, Northeast Brazil. During the present study, extinction of 13 of these populations was recorded through intensive surveys. These extinctions were detected from evidence of intensive logging and clear-cutting, interviews with local residents and systematic searches of the sites where occurrence of the species had been confirmed in previous surveys. These local extinctions represent approximately 10 % of the known populations of C. coimbrai and up to 28.3 % of the area occupied by the species. Comparison of the vegetation structure in fragments where extinction was recorded and where the species still occurs indicated that sparser understorey may be a correlate of extinction, combined with the fact that extinctions occurred within fragments characterised by relatively high levels of anthropogenic disturbance. These findings reinforce the Endangered status of the species and the urgent need for intensification of conservation measures within the most impacted areas of the geographic distribution of C. coimbrai.

Avaliação da atividade antibacteriana dos extratos de Avicennia schaueriana Stapf & Leechm. ex Moldenke, Verbenaceae / Evaluation of the antibacterial activity of extracts of Avicennia schaueriana Stapf & Leechm. ex Moldenke, Verbenaceae

A flora tem sido uma fonte valiosa de constituintes bioativos para manutenção da saúde humana. Tal fato tem reforçado a crescente investigação do potencial terapêutico das plantas medicinais. Neste contexto, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar o potencial antibacteriano dos extratos hidro-alcoólicos da casca, folha, e raiz de Avicennia schaueriana Stapf & Leechm. ex Moldenke, Verbenaceae. As partes vegetais foram coletadas no povoado pesqueiro de Siribinha, Bahia e os extratos vegetais foram preparados pelo método de maceração. Todos os testes de sensibilidade dos extratos vegetais foram avaliados por meio de testes não-paramétricos. O extrato da raiz de A. schaueriana apresentou uma atividade inibitória do crescimento superior aos extratos da folha e casca, com halos de inibição que variaram entre 7 a 18 mm de acordo com as concentrações e as cepas bacterianas testadas. Já a concentração inibitória mínima dos extratos hidro-alcoólicos de A. schaueriana apresentaram uma média de valores entre 0,62 a 10,00 mg/mL para as bactérias analisadas. Os resultados estatísticos confirmaram a diferença de sensibilidade dos microrganismos estudados frente aos extratos de A. schaueriana.

Natural products have been a valuable bioactives constituent source for maintenance of the health human being. Such fact has strengthened the increasing inquiry of the therapeutical potential of medicinal plants. This work had as objective evaluate the antibacterial potential from leaf, root and bark hydro-alcoholics extracts of Avicennia schaueriana Stapf & Leechm. ex Moldenke, Verbenaceae. The plant parts had been collected in the fishing town of Siribinha, Bahia and the plant extracts had been prepared by the method of maceration. All the tests of sensitivity of plant extracts had been evaluated by means of notparametric tests. The results of the test of diffusion in disk showed that the extract of the root of the A. schaueriana had been higher to extracts of the leaf and bark, with inhibition rings from growth varying of 7 to 18 mm; in accordance with the tested concentrations. Already the minimum inhibitory concentration of hydro-alcoholic extracts of A. schaueriana had presented an average of values between 0,62 to 10,00 mg/mL for the analyzed bacteria. The statistical results had confirmed the difference of sensitivity of the studied microorganisms front to extracts of the A. schaueriana.

Atividade antimicrobiana in vitro do extrato de Abarema cochliocarpos (Gomes) Barneby & Grimes / In vitro antimicrobial activity of the extract of Abarema cochliocarpos (Gomes) Barneby & Grimes

O presente trabalho objetivou avaliar o potencial antimicrobiano in vitro do extrato hidro-alcoólico da casca de Abarema cochliocarpos (Gomes) Barneby & Grimes, conhecido como barbatimão, nas cepas de Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538), Micrococcus luteus (ATCC 9341), Escherichia coli (ATCC 10536), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 15442) e Staphylococcus aureus isolado de amostra clínica (SAIACLIN). Coletaram-se cascas de um espécime de barbatimão no Parque Ecológico INDES, localizado em Vila de Sauípe, Bahia, para preparação do extrato hidro-alcoólico. Os testes de susceptibilidade bacteriana foram realizados através do método de difusão em disco e da concentração inibitória mínima (CIM). O extrato hidro-alcoólico de A. cochliocarpos inibiu o crescimento somente das bactérias Gram-positivas. S. aureus (ATCC 6538), SAIACLIN e M. luteus apresentaram halos crescentes de inibição bacteriana de acordo com o aumento da concentração do extrato (1, 2 e 3 mg/disco), que variaram entre 8 a 15 mm, de 8 a 16 mm e de 13 a 22 mm para os respectivos microrganismos. Os resultados confirmaram a capacidade de inibição do crescimento bacteriano in vitro pelo extrato da casca de A. cochliocarpos, corroborando os relatos populares.

The present study aimed at evaluating the in vitro antimicrobial potential of the hydroalcoholic extract from the bark of Abarema cochliocarpos (Gomes) Barneby & Grimes, known as 'barbatimão', over the strains of Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538), Micrococcus luteus (ATCC 9341), Escherichia coli (ATCC 6538), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 15442) and over a Clinical Sample isolated from Staphylococcus aureus (SAIACLIN). Samples of 'barbatimão' bark were collected from a specimen at the INDES Ecological Park, located at Vila de Sauípe, Bahia to prepare the hydroalcoholic extract. The bacterial susceptibility tests were carried through the disk diffusion method and through the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). The hydroalcoholic extract of A. cochliocarpos only inhibited the growth of the Gram-positive bacteria. S. aureus (ATCC 6538), SAIACLIN and M. luteus had presented increasing zones of bacterial inhibition in accordance with the increase of the extract concentration (1, 2 and 3 mg/disco), that had varied between 8 to 15 mm, from 8 to 16 mm and from 13 to 22 mm for the respective microorganisms. The results had confirmed the capacity of inhibition of the in vitro bacterial growth for the extract of the bark of A. cochliocarpos, corroborating the popular stories.

Airborne fungi in the city of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Knowledge of anemophilous fungi in a given city or region is important for the ecological diagnosis and specific treatment of allergic manifestations induced by inhaled allergens. In order to diagnose the presence of anemophilous fungi, several qualitative and quantitative techniques are used depending on the study place. This study of fungal air spores was performed with a Rotorod Sampler(R), an equipment which samples the air through a plastic rod attached to an electric engine that makes it spin fast enough to collect the particles in the air. The samples were collected once a week during 24 hours using the standard cycle of the manufacturers. A total of 52 samples were obtained from April 2000 through March 2001. The results revealed prevalence of ascosporos (50.49%), Cladosporium (17.86%), Aspergillus/Penicillium (15.03%), basidiosporos (3.84%), rusts (3.82%), and Helminthosporium (2.49%), and a lesser frequency of Botrytis (1.22%), Alternaria (1.19%), smuts (0.90%), Curvularia (0.87%), Nigrospora (0.61%), and Fusarium (0.08%). Also, 1.59% of the spores detected here could not be identified by the systematic key used. More fungal spores were observed during the summer than during the autumn.