Uso do cloridrato de lisina na profilaxia do herpes simples nos procedimentos faciais com tecnologias / Lysine hydrochloride use in the prophylaxis of herpes simplex in facial technology-aided procedures

Introdução: A lisina é um dos aminoácidos essenciais, cuja ação na profilaxia do herpes simples recorrente orolabial tem sido demonstrada em estudos científicos. Procedimentos de resurfacing facial com laser e outras tecnologias podem reativar quadros de herpes simples. Objetivo: Avaliar a incidência de casos de herpes orolabial em pacientes submetidos a tratamentos com lasers fracionados, ablativo e não ablativo, e microagulhamento robótico, em uso profilático de L-lisina. Métodos: Selecionada amostra de 100 pacientes a ser submetidos a profilaxia para herpes simples com L-lisina, todos reavaliados sete dias após a sessão de laser. Caso fosse verificada infecção herpética, doses de antivirais orais equivalentes às utilizadas para o tratamento do herpes-zóster seriam prescritas, conforme orienta a literatura. Resultados: Apenas 2% da amostra apresentou herpes simples após o procedimento com o uso da profilaxia com L-lisina; ambos os pacientes realizaram sessões de laser fracionado ablativo e apresentavam história prévia de infecção pelo herpes simples. Conclusões: Além do baixo custo, a L-lisina é produto natural que se mostrou seguro e eficaz na profilaxia do herpes simples em procedimentos de resurfacing, apresentando taxa de reativação viral similar ou inferior às obtidas com o uso de antivirais.

Introduction: Lysine is one of the essential amino acids, with a role in the prophylaxis of recurrent orolabial herpes simplex that has been demonstrated in scientific studies. Facial resurfacing procedures with laser and other technologies can reactive herpes simplex. Objective: To evaluate the incidence of cases of orolabial herpes in patients submitted to treatments with fractional ablative and non-ablative lasers and robotic microneedling, under prophylactic l-lysine. Methods: A sample of 100 was selected to have prophylactic l-lysine for herpes simplex. A re- -evaluation of all patients was conducted seven days after laser treatment. If herpes infection was detected, doses of oral antiviral similar to those used for herpes-zoster treatment would be prescribed, guided by the literature. Results: Only 2% of the sample demonstrated herpes simplex after the procedure with prophylactic l-lysine. Both patients underwent ablative fractional laser treatment and had past history of herpes simplex infection. Conclusions: Besides the low cost, l-lysine is a natural product that proved to be safe and effective for the prophylaxis of herpes simplex in resurfacing procedures, with a similar or lower rate of viral activation to the use of antivirals.

Evaluation of a fungal collection as certified reference material producer and as a biological resource center

Abstract Considering the absence of standards for culture collections and more specifically for biological resource centers in the world, in addition to the absence of certified biological material in Brazil, this study aimed to evaluate a Fungal Collection from Fiocruz, as a producer of certified reference material and as Biological Resource Center (BRC). For this evaluation, a checklist based on the requirements of ABNT ISO GUIA34:2012 correlated with the ABNT NBR ISO/IEC17025:2005, was designed and applied. Complementing the implementation of the checklist, an internal audit was performed. An evaluation of this Collection as a BRC was also conducted following the requirements of the NIT-DICLA-061, the Brazilian internal standard from Inmetro, based on ABNT NBR ISO/IEC 17025:2005, ABNT ISO GUIA 34:2012 and OECD Best Practice Guidelines for BRCs. This was the first time that the NIT DICLA-061 was applied in a culture collection during an internal audit. The assessments enabled the proposal for the adequacy of this Collection to assure the implementation of the management system for their future accreditation by Inmetro as a certified reference material producer as well as its future accreditation as a Biological Resource Center according to the NIT-DICLA-061.

Nosocomial candidiasis in Rio de Janeiro State: Distribution and fluconazole susceptibility profile

One hundred and forty-one Candida species isolated from clinical specimens of hospitalized patients in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, during 2002 to 2007, were analized in order to evaluate the distribution and susceptibility of these species to fluconazole. Candida albicans was the most frequent species (45.4%), followed by C. parapsilosis sensu lato (28.4%), C. tropicalis (14.2%), C. guilliermondii (6.4%), C. famata (2.8%), C. glabrata (1.4%), C. krusei (0.7%) and C. lambica (0.7%). The sources of fungal isolates were blood (47.5%), respiratory tract (17.7%), urinary tract (16.3%), skin and mucous membrane (7.1%), catheter (5.6%), feces (2.1%) and mitral valve tissue (0.7%). The susceptibility test was performed using the methodology of disk-diffusion in agar as recommended in the M44-A2 Document of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). The majority of the clinical isolates (97.2%) was susceptible (S) to fluconazole, although three isolates (2.1%) were susceptible-dose dependent (S-DD) and one of them (0.7%) was resistant (R). The S-DD isolates were C. albicans, C. parapsilosis sensu lato and C. tropicalis. One isolate of C. krusei was resistant to fluconazole. This work documents the high susceptibility to fluconazole by Candida species isolated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Cryptococcus neoformans carried by Odontomachus bauri ants

Cryptococcus neoformans is the most common causative agent of cryptococcosis worldwide. Although this fungus has been isolated from a variety of organic substrates, several studies suggest that hollow trees constitute an important natural niche for C. neoformans. A previously surveyed hollow of a living pink shower tree (Cassia grandis) positive for C. neoformans in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was chosen for further investigation. Odontomachus bauri ants (trap-jaw ants) found inside the hollow were collected for evaluation as possible carriers of Cryptococcus spp. Two out of 10 ants were found to carry phenoloxidase-positive colonies identified as C. neoformans molecular types VNI and VNII. The ants may have acted as a mechanical vector of C. neoformans and possibly contributed to the dispersal of the fungi from one substrate to another. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the association of C. neoformans with ants of the genus Odontomachus.

Degradation and detoxification of three textile Azo dyes by mixed fungal cultures from semi-arid region of Brazilian Northeast

The aim of this work was to study the degradation and detoxification of three textile azo dyes (Reactive Red 198, Reactive Red 141 and Reactive Blue 214) by mixed fungal cultures from semi-arid region of Brazilian Northeast. Sediment samples of twenty water reservoirs in the surroundings of Serra da Capivara National Park, area of environmental preservation in the caatinga in the State of Piauí, with semi-arid climate, were evaluated in order to select the consortia of fungi capable to degrade and detoxify these dyes. The mixed fungal culture from Caldeirão Escuridão (CE) reservoir was the most efficient in the degradation and detoxification of the dyes tested.

Prevalência e susceptibilidade in vitro a Itraconazol e Anfotericina B de isolados clínicos de Candida / Prevalence and in vitro susceptibility to Itraconazole and Amphotericin B of clinical Candida isolates

Foram avaliadas 58 cepas de Cândida spp. Recuperada de sangue e cateter de pacientes hospitalizados admitidos em dois hospitais terciários na cidade do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, num período de três anos. Os isolados foram identificados empregando-se técnicas micológicas de rotina e apresentaram a seguinte distribuição: Cândida parasilosis (47,1%), C. albicans (38,0%), C. tropicalis (6,9%), C. guilliermondii (6,9%), C. iamata (3,4%) e C. globrata (1,7%). Um método de disco-difusão em Agar para estudo de susceptibilidade e antifúngicos foi analisado. Discos de papel com itraconaazol (10g) e anfotericina B (100g) foram depositados sobre o Agar Mueller-Hinton com 2% de glicose e 0,5g/mL de azul de metilene para os ensaios de susceptibilidade. AS cepas foram classificadas como susceptíveis, intermediárias e resistentes pela mensuração dos diâmetros dos halos de inibição. O percentual de susceptibilidade encontrado foi o seguinte: itraconazol, susceptíveis: 91,4% e intermediárias: 8,6%; anfotericina B, susceptíveis: 100%. Cepas resistentes não foram detectadas por este método.

Morphological and biochemical characterization of the aetiological agents of white piedra

The Trichosporon genus is constituted by many species, of which Trichosporon ovoides and Trichosporon inkin are the causative agents of white piedra. They can cause nodules in genital hair or on the scalp. At present, Brazilian laboratory routines generally do not include the identification of the species of Trichosporon genus, which, although morphologically and physiologically distinct, present many similarities, making the identification difficult. The aim of this study was to identify the aetiological agents at the species level of white piedra from clinical specimens. Therefore, both the macro and micro morphology were studied, and physiological tests were performed. Trichosporon spp. was isolated from 10 clinical samples; T. ovoides was predominant, as it was found in seven samples, while T. inkin was identified just in two samples. One isolate could not be identified at the species level. T. inkin was identified for the first time as a white piedra agent in the hair shaft on child under the age of 10.

Characterization of selected strains of mucorales using fatty acid profiles

The fatty acid profiles of several fungi of the order Mucorales (Zygomycetes), including "Backusella lamprospora" (Lendner) Benny and R. K. Benj., "Benjamiella youngii" P.M. Kirk, "Circinella simplex" van Tieghem, "Cunninghamella blakesleeana" Lendner, "Mortierella ramanniana" (Möller) Linnem., "Mucor circineloides" f. "janssenii" (Lendner) Schipper, "Mycotypha microspora"Fenner, "Rhizomucor miehei" (Cooney and R. Emerson) Schipper and "Rhizomucor pusillus"(Lindt) Schipper, and of "Volutella"sp. Fr., from the class Ascomycetes, were qualitatively analysed by gas-liquid chromatography in order to determine the taxonomic value of these chemotaxonomic markers. The fatty acids present in all strains were palmitic (16:0), oleic (18:1), linoleic (18:2) and kappa-linoleic (18:3) acid, with the exception that the later was not found in "Volutella" sp. Chemotaxonomic markers for some species and genera were obtained, including a non-identified fatty acid, FAME8 (minimum and maximum of 16.53 and 16.61 minutes) for "Benjaminiella youngii CCT4121. Thechemotaxonomic marker of the order Mucorales was the fatty acid 18:3ômega6, confirming previous data from literature. The results of the present study that qualitative fatty acid analysis can be an important chemotaxonomic tool for the classification of the fungi assigned to the order Mucorales (Zygomycetes).