Disseminated Toxoplasmosis in an Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipient: A Case Report and Review of the Current Literature.

Reactivation infections in hematopoietic stem cell transplants are mitigated by prophylactic regimens. Despite high rates of exposure, morbidity and mortality secondary to toxoplasmosis are limited to subsets of patients such as immunocompromised persons. We describe the first case of disseminated toxoplasmosis in a double umbilical cord blood transplant recipient.

Optimization of theoretical maximal quantity of cells to immobilize on solid supports in the rational design of immobilized derivatives strategy.

Current worldwide challenges are to increase the food production and decrease the environmental contamination by industrial emissions. For this, bacteria can produce plant growth promoter phytohormones and mediate the bioremediation of sewage by heavy metals removal. We developed a Rational Design of Immobilized Derivatives (RDID) strategy, applicable for protein, spore and cell immobilization and implemented in the RDID1.0 software. In this work, we propose new algorithms to optimize the theoretical maximal quantity of cells to immobilize (tMQCell) on solid supports, implemented in the RDIDCell software. The main modifications to the preexisting algorithms are related to the sphere packing theory and exclusive immobilization on the support surface. We experimentally validated the new tMQCell parameter by electrostatic immobilization of ten microbial strains on AMBERJET® 4200 Cl- porous solid support. All predicted tMQCell match the practical maximal quantity of cells to immobilize with a 10% confidence. The values predicted by the RDIDCell software are more accurate than the values predicted by the RDID1.0 software. 3-indolacetic acid (IAA) production by one bacterial immobilized derivative was higher (~ 2.6 µg IAA-like indoles/108 cells) than that of the cell suspension (1.5 µg IAA-like indoles/108 cells), and higher than the tryptophan amount added as indole precursor. Another bacterial immobilized derivative was more active (22 µg Cr(III)/108 cells) than the resuspended cells (14.5 µg Cr(III)/108 cells) in bioconversion of Cr(VI) to Cr(III). Optimized RDID strategy can be used to synthesize bacterial immobilized derivatives with useful biotechnological applications.

Influencia de diferentes factores en el crecimiento de bacterias endófitas de caña de azúcar / Influence of different factors in the growth of endophytic bacteria of sugarcane

En Cuba, entre los esfuerzos por lograr la sostenibilidad en la agricultura se han empleado biopreparados a gran escala, los cuales han tenido un gran impacto económico, ecológico y social. La caña de azúcar constituye uno de los principales cultivos agrícolas para nuestro país y tiene gran importancia desde los puntos de vista económico y ecológico a nivel mundial. En el presente trabajo se demostró el efecto de diferentes fuentes de carbono y nitrógeno en el crecimiento de 5 cepas endófitas de caña de azúcar, 3 de Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus, una de Bacillus licheniformis y una de Enterobacter agglomerans. De igual forma, se estudió la influencia de jugos provenientes de cinco variedades, así como diferentes concentraciones de las fitohormonas ácido 3 indolacético (AIA) y ácido giberélico (GA) en el crecimiento. Se demostró que la asparagina y el sulfato de amonio como fuentes de nitrógeno adicionadas al medio LGI posibilitan un mayor crecimiento de las bacterias endófitas estudiadas. El medio LGI suplementado con jugo de caña de azúcar favorece significativamente (p≤0,05) el crecimiento de los microorganismos endófitos y no existe relación directa entre el origen varietal del jugo y de las cepas. Por otra parte las fitohormonas en bajas concentraciones favorecieron el crecimiento, no ocurriendo así cuando se encuentran a elevadas concentraciones en el medio de cultivo. Es necesario estudiar todos los factores que pueden influir en la interacción entre la planta y los endófitos para poder utilizar sus potencialidades como promotores del crecimiento vegetal.

Among the efforts done in Cuba to the sustainability in the agricultural system, one of them is the use of bioproducts, which have a relevant economic, ecological and social impact. The sugarcane is one of main crops in our country and it has a great importance at world level. In the present work is demonstrated the effect of different carbon and nitrogen sources in the growth of 5 entophytic bacteria (three of Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus, one of Bacillus licheniformis and one of Enterobacter agglomerans) were demonstrated. As the same form are studied the influence of juices from five varieties, as well as, different concentrations of fitohormones indole3acetic acid and giberelic acid on the growth. Was demonstrated that asparagine and ammonium sulfate as nitrogen sources added to LGI medium enhance the growth a major growth of the studied endophytic bacteria. The LGI medium supplied with juices of sugarcane enhance the growth of microorganisms (p≤0,05) and don't exist any relationships among the origin of the juice and the strains. On the other hand, the fitohormones at low concentrations don't affect the growth but at high levels of these hormones inhibit the growth. It's necessary to study the factors that have influence on the interaction between the plant and endophytes to use their potentialities as plant growth promoters.

Dez anos de sífilis congênita em maternidade de referância na Amazônia brasileira / Ten years of congenital syphilis in reference motherhood in the Brazilian Amazon

Estudar em uma série histórica de 10 anos, os casos de sífilis congênita(SC) em maternidade pública de referência na Amazônia Brasileira. Método: estudo seccional, descritivo, realizado na maternidade da Santa Casa de Misericórdia do Pará, por meio da análise de prontuários de mulheres cujos filhos tiveram o diagnóstico de sífilis ao nascimento, no período de 2004 a 2013. Resultados: a frequência anual de óbitos de neonatos com diagnóstico de sífilis, nascidos no período, foi mais expressiva nos anos de 2006 (8,9%) e 2007 (10,8%) e aprevalência no período de 10 anos foi de 2,5% (19-754). Peso menor 2.500 gramas foi importante na evolução para óbito. Dos 10 bebês que tiveram peso de nascimento menor 1.500 gramas, 6 (60%) evoluíram para óbito. Observa-se que a mortalidade foi inversamente proporcional ao peso do nascimento. A frequência de SC foi maior nos bebês de mães procedentes da capital. Considerando a existência de melhores condições de assistência à saúde na capital, seria plausível esperar um quantitativo menor de óbitos de neonatos de mulheres com essa procdência. Conclusão: maiores esforços e investimentos são necessários para o controle da SC

Objective: to study in a historical series of 10 years, cases of congenital syphilis (CS) in a public maternity reference in the Brazilian Amazon. Method: cross-sectional, descriptive study conducted at the maternity of the Holy House of Mercy of Para, through the analysis of medical records of women whose children were diagnosed with syphilis at birth, from 2004 to 2013. Results: the yearly number of deaths of newborns diagnosed with syphilis, born in the period, was more significant in 2006 (8.9%) and 2007 (10.8%) and the prevalence in the 10-year period was 2.5% (19-754). Weight less 2,500 grams important in the evolution to death. Of the 10 babies who had birth weight less1,500 g, 6 (60%) had died. It is observed that mortality was inversely related to birth weight. SC the frequency in relation to sex was similar, however, it is interesting that twice more girls had died (3.32%) than boys (1,66%). Despite the higher frequency of women from the countryside, death from SC was higher in babies of mothers from the capital city. Considering the existence of better health service conditions in the capital, it is plausible to expect a smaller quantity of newborn deaths of women with this origin, Conclusion: increased efforts and investiments are necessary for the control of SC.

Producción de attisueros para la detección de áido indolacético en cultivos dee bacterias promotoras del crecimiento vegetal / Antisera Production to Detect Indoleacetic Acid in Cultures of Plant-Growth Promoting Bacteria

Se obtuvieron antisueros en conejo utilizando como antígeno el AIA adherido a membranas de nitrocelulosa que mostraron un elevado título y especificidad. Mediante la técnica de inmunoadsorción por manchas marcadas con oro coloidal se detectó la producción de esta auxina por cepas de los géneros Gluconacetobacter, Herbaspirillum, Azospirillum, Pseudomonas, Burkholderia y Bacillus empleando como antígenos los sobrenadantes de los cultivos. Para cuantificar la producción de AIA y corroborar los datos obtenidos se empleó la técnica colorimétrica derivada de Salkowski. Los resultados muestran que todos los géneros bacterianos estudiados tienen la capacidad de producir AIA y se demuestra la factibilidad del uso de este antisuero policlonal para la detección de este metabolito. Teniendo en cuenta las potencialidades de estas bacterias, resulta de gran importancia la utilización de antisueros y técnicas serológicas para la detección rápida y sencilla de este tipo de metabolitos en bacterias asociadas a cultivos de interés económico.

Rabbit polyclonal antisera against indoleacetic acid (IAA) bound to nitrocellulose membrane were obtained, which exhibited a high titer and specificity. The dot immunobinding technique with colloidal gold was used to detect auxin production by several strains belonging to Gluconacetobacter, Herbaspirillum, Azospirillum, Pseudomonas, Burkholderia and Bacillus genera, using culture supernatants as antigens. Moreover, auxin production was quantified by the Salkowski's method to corroborate the previous results. It was found that that all the studied microorganisms produce IAA and the feasibility of using these antisera to detect the metabolite was confirmed. Taking into account the potentialities of plant growth promoting bacteria as biofertilizers, the use of these antisera for a rapid and easy detection of IAA in bacteria associated with important crops is thus recommended.

Likely transmission of hepatitis C virus through sharing of cutting and perforating instruments in blood donors in the State of Pará, Northern Brazil.

We determined the risk factors for HCV infection in blood donors in the State of Pará, Northern Brazil. We examined 256 blood donors seen at the Blood Bank of Pará State between 2004 and 2006. They were divided into two groups, depending on whether they were infected with HCV or not; 116 donors were infected with HCV, while the other 140 were free of infection. The HCV-RNA was detected by real-time PCR. All of the participants filled out a questionnaire about possible risk factors. The data were evaluated using simple and multiple logistic regressions. The main risk factors for HCV were found to be use of needles and syringes sterilized at home (OR = 4.55), invasive dental treatment (OR = 3.08), shared use of razors at home (OR = 1.99), sharing of disposable razors in barbershops, beauty salons, etc. (OR = 2.34), and sharing manicure and pedicure material (OR = 3.45). Local and regional health authorities should educate the public about sharing perforating and cutting materials at home, in barber/beauty shops, and in dental clinics as risk factors for HCV infection.

Likely transmission of hepatitis C virus through sharing of cutting and perforating instruments in blood donors in the State of Pará, Northern Brazil / Possível transmissão do vírus da hepatite C por compartilhamento de materiais cortantes e perfurantes em doadores de sangue no Estado do Pará, Norte do Brasil

We determined the risk factors for HCV infection in blood donors in the State of Pará, Northern Brazil. We examined 256 blood donors seen at the Blood Bank of Pará State between 2004 and 2006. They were divided into two groups, depending on whether they were infected with HCV or not; 116 donors were infected with HCV, while the other 140 were free of infection. The HCV-RNA was detected by real-time PCR. All of the participants filled out a questionnaire about possible risk factors. The data were evaluated using simple and multiple logistic regressions. The main risk factors for HCV were found to be use of needles and syringes sterilized at home (OR = 4.55), invasive dental treatment (OR = 3.08), shared use of razors at home (OR = 1.99), sharing of disposable razors in barbershops, beauty salons, etc. (OR = 2.34), and sharing manicure and pedicure material (OR = 3.45). Local and regional health authorities should educate the public about sharing perforating and cutting materials at home, in barber/beauty shops, and in dental clinics as risk factors for HCV infection.

Nós determinamos os fatores de risco à infecção pelo HCV em doadores de sangue no Estado do Pará, Brasil. Foram analisados 256 doadores de sangue atendidos na Fundação HEMOPA de 2004 a 2006, sendo divididos em dois grupos: infectados e não-infectados. O diagnóstico foi realizado por PCR em tempo real. Todos os participantes responderam a questionário sobre possíveis fatores de risco, sendo a modelagem estatística feita por regressão logística simples e múltipla. Os fatores de risco à infecção foram: uso de agulhas e seringas de vidros esterilizadas em casa (OR = 4,55), realização de tratamento dentário invasivo (OR = 3,08), compartilhamento de lâminas em domicílio (OR = 1,99), compartilhamento de lâminas descartáveis em barbearias, salões de beleza (OR = 2,34), e compartilhamento de material de manicure e pedicure (OR = 3,45). As autoridades de saúde devem conscientizar a população sobre o compartilhamento de materiais perfuro-cortantes em domicílio, salões de beleza e consultórios dentários como fatores de risco à infecção.

Prevalence and genotyping of hepatitis C virus in blood donors in the state of Pará, Northern Brazil.

Given the scarcity of epidemiological information on hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Northern Brazil, we determined the prevalence and genotypic frequency in blood donors in the state of Pará (PA). Blood samples from all of the blood donors at the Fundação HEMOPA (blood bank of PA) from 2004-2006 were screened for the presence of antibodies to anti-HCV and samples seroreactive to anti-HCV were further tested for HCV RNA using real-time PCR. In total, 116 HCV-RNA samples were genotyped, based on maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyses, using BioEdit, Modelgenerator, PHYML and FigTree software. The population consisted of 242,726 volunteers who donated blood from 2004-2006; the most common subgroup was males between the ages of 18-29 years old (37.30%). Within the whole group, 1,112 blood donors (0.46%) had indeterminate or positive serology; among these, 28.78% were males whose ages ranged from 18-29 years. A diagnosis of chronic HCV infection was confirmed for 304 donors (60.20% males; 66.45% were 30-49 years old), resulting in a prevalence of HCV RNA in 0.13% of the samples (304 of 242,726). HCV genotyping revealed a high frequency of genotype 1 (108/116) followed by genotype 3 (8/116). This study found HCV infection to be relatively infrequent in PA; genotype 1 was most commonly isolated. This information can help guide prevention and control policies aimed at efficient diagnosis and control measures.

Prevalence and genotyping of hepatitis C virus in blood donors in the state of Pará, Northern Brazil

Given the scarcity of epidemiological information on hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Northern Brazil, we determined the prevalence and genotypic frequency in blood donors in the state of Pará (PA). Blood samples from all of the blood donors at the Fundação HEMOPA (blood bank of PA) from 2004-2006 were screened for the presence of antibodies to anti-HCV and samples seroreactive to anti-HCV were further tested for HCV RNA using real-time PCR. In total, 116 HCV-RNA samples were genotyped, based on maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyses, using BioEdit, Modelgenerator, PHYML and FigTree software. The population consisted of 242,726 volunteers who donated blood from 2004-2006; the most common subgroup was males between the ages of 18-29 years old (37.30 percent). Within the whole group, 1,112 blood donors (0.46 percent) had indeterminate or positive serology; among these, 28.78 percent were males whose ages ranged from 18-29 years. A diagnosis of chronic HCV infection was confirmed for 304 donors (60.20 percent males; 66.45 percent were 30-49 years old), resulting in a prevalence of HCV RNA in 0.13 percent of the samples (304 of 242,726). HCV genotyping revealed a high frequency of genotype 1 (108/116) followed by genotype 3 (8/116). This study found HCV infection to be relatively infrequent in PA; genotype 1 was most commonly isolated. This information can help guide prevention and control policies aimed at efficient diagnosis and control measures.

Relación de la fijación de nitrógeno y la producción de auxinas en cepas de Gluconacetobacter dizotrophicus / Relationships between nitrogen fixation and auxins production in Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus strains from different crops

Se determinó la capacidad de fijar nitrógeno mediante la actividad reductora de acetileno para 8 cepas de G. diazotrophicus aisladas de diferentes ecosistemas empleando el medio LGI-P. Además, se determinó la producción de auxinas a través del método de Salkowski y se analizó la influencia del aminoácido triptófano y del AIA en la actividad de la nitrogenasa. El triptófano, al igual que otros aminoácidos y las diferentes concentraciones de AIA, inhiben en distinta medida la actividad de la enzima solo parcialmente. Se demostró que las condiciones de nitrofijación no afectan la producción de AIA en esta bacteria. Esta relación entre ambas capacidades fisiológicas beneficiosas para los cultivos agrícolas pudiera tener gran importancia ya que pueden desarrollarse paralelamente, y potenciar la acción beneficiosa hacia la planta, basada en la dinitrofijación y la producción de auxinas estimuladoras del crecimiento vegetal.

The capacity to fix nitrogen of 8 strains of G. diazotrophicus from different ecosystems was determined by acetylene reduction assay using LGIP medium. Moreover, auxins production was determined by Salkowski’s method and the influence of triptophan and indoleacetic acid (IAA) in the nitrogenase activity were analyzed. The triptophan as other aminoacids and different concentrations of IAA, inhibit at different levels the nitrogen fixation only partially. There were demonstrated that the nitrogen fixation conditions do not affect the auxins production of this bacteria. This relationship between both crop beneficial physiological capacities should be a great importance since they may be parallely developed, and enhance the beneficial action to the plant, based on dinitrogen fixation and stimulating plant growth auxins production.

Genetic diversity of endophytic bacteria which could be find in the apoplastic sap of the medullary parenchym of the stem of healthy sugarcane plants.

The genetic diversity of 29 endophytic bacterial strains isolated from apoplastic sap of the medullary parenchym of the stem of healthy sugarcane plants grown in Cuba was analysed by Two Primers-Ramdom Amplified Polymorphic DNA fingerprinting (TP-RAPD) and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The strains were distributed into 17 groups on the basis of their TP-RAPD patterns, and a representative strain from each group was subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Analysis of these sequences showed that the isolates belong to a wide variety of phylogenetic groups being closely related to species of genera Bacillus and Staphylococcus from Firmicutes, Microbacterium, Micrococcus and Kokuria from Actinobacteria, Rhizobium and Gluconacetobacter from alpha -Proteobacteria, Comamonas and Xanthomonas from beta-Proteobacteria, and Acinetobacter and Pantoea from gamma-Proteobacteria. These results show the complexity of the bacterial populations present in inner tissues of sugarcane, and indicate the interest and relevance of the studies on microbial diversity to improve our knowledge on the plant endophytic bacterial communities.