ABSTRACT
Candida albicans is an opportunistic human pathogen that is capable of causing superficial and systemic infections in immunocompromised patients. Extracts of Sapindus saponaria have been used as antimicrobial agents against various organisms. In the present study, we used a combination of two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) to identify the changes in protein abundance of C. albicans after exposure to the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and sub-minimal inhibitory concentration (sub-MIC) of the butanolic extract (BUTE) of S. saponaria and also to fluconazole. A total of six different proteins with greater than 1.5 fold induction or repression relative to the untreated control cells were identified among the three treatments. In general, proteins/enzymes involved with the glycolysis (GPM1, ENO1, FBA1), amino acid metabolism (ILV5, PDC11) and protein synthesis (ASC1) pathways were detected. In conclusion, our findings reveal antifungal-induced changes in protein abundance of C. albicans. By using the previously identified components of the BUTE of S. saponaria(e.g., saponins and sesquiterpene oligoglycosides), it will be possible to compare the behavior of compounds with unknown mechanisms of action, and this knowledge will help to focus the subsequent biochemical work aimed at defining the effects of these compounds.
Subject(s)
Antifungal Agents/pharmacology , Candida albicans/drug effects , Fluconazole/pharmacology , Fungal Proteins/analysis , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Sapindus/chemistry , Candida albicans/chemistry , Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional , Mass Spectrometry , Microbial Sensitivity Tests , Microscopy, Electron, ScanningABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The resazurin microtitre plate assay (REMA) was evaluated to determine the susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to pyrazinamide, and was compared with the broth microdilution method (BMM), the absolute concentration method (ACM) and pyrazinamidase (PZase) determination. METHODS: Thirty-four M. tuberculosis clinical isolates (26 susceptible and 8 resistant to pyrazinamide) and reference strains M. tuberculosis H37Rv ATCC 27294 and Mycobacterium bovis AN5 were tested. RESULTS: REMA and BMM showed 100% specificity and sensitivity when compared with ACM; BMM, however, demanded more reading time. The PZase determination assay showed 87.50% and 100% sensitivity and specificity, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: All tested methods in this preliminary study showed excellent sensitivity and specificity for the determination of pyrazinamide susceptibility of M. tuberculosis, but REMA was faster, low-cost and easy to perform and interpret. Additional studies evaluating REMA for differentiating pyrazinamide-resistant and -susceptible M. tuberculosis should be conducted on an extended panel of clinical isolates.
Subject(s)
Drug Resistance, Bacterial , Mycobacterium tuberculosis/drug effects , Mycobacterium tuberculosis/metabolism , Oxazines/metabolism , Pyrazinamide/pharmacology , Xanthenes/metabolism , Humans , Microbial Sensitivity Tests/economics , Microbial Sensitivity Tests/methods , Mycobacterium bovis/drug effects , Mycobacterium bovis/metabolism , Mycobacterium tuberculosis/isolation & purification , Sensitivity and Specificity , Time Factors , Tuberculosis/microbiologyABSTRACT
This work describes a case of Haemophilus influenzae serotype a meningitis in Brazil, after almost a decade since the introduction of Haemophilus influenzae serotype b conjugate vaccine. Uncertainty about the replacement of H. influenzae serotypes as a cause of invasive diseases justifies continuous surveillance, coupled with investigations of carriage rates and requirements of chemoprophylaxis in contact persons.
Subject(s)
Haemophilus influenzae/classification , Meningitis, Haemophilus/epidemiology , Brazil/epidemiology , Female , Humans , Infant , Meningitis, Haemophilus/cerebrospinal fluid , Meningitis, Haemophilus/pathology , SerotypingABSTRACT
A febre tifóide é doença bacteriana aguda causada por Salmonella enterica sorotipo typhi, que é adquirida pela ingestão de água ou alimento contaminado. O objetivo do presente trabalho é descrever um caso de febre tifóide ocorrido em Maringá, após três anos sem notificação da doença no Estado do Paraná.
Typhoid fever is an acute bacterial disease caused by Salmonella enterica serotype typhi, which is acquired by consumption of contaminated food or water. This paper had the aim of describing a case of typhoid fever that occurred in Maringá, State of Paraná, after three years without any notifications of the disease.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Humans , Male , Typhoid Fever/diagnosis , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Ceftriaxone/therapeutic use , Salmonella typhi/isolation & purification , Typhoid Fever/drug therapyABSTRACT
Typhoid fever is an acute bacterial disease caused by Salmonella enterica serotype typhi, which is acquired by consumption of contaminated food or water. This paper had the aim of describing a case of typhoid fever that occurred in Maringá, State of Paraná, after three years without any notifications of the disease.
