Optimization of lactic acid production from apple and tomato pomaces by thermotolerant bacteria.

The production of lactic acid (LA) through biomass fermentation represents a promising alternative to the chemical synthesis. The use of agri-food by-products as fermentable carbohydrate sources can improve process sustainability by reducing waste and valorizing residual biomass. This study assessed the use of apple and tomato pomaces for producing LA through fermentation using thermotolerant bacteria under aerobic and non-sterile conditions. Three bacteria were evaluated and Heyndrickxia coagulans DSM 2314 was selected for its ability to produce LA from hydrolyzates of apple pomace (APH) and tomato pomace (TPH). The fermentation conditions were optimized to maximize LA production from APH, TPH and a mixture of both hydrolyzates. Therefore, LA productions ranged from 36.98 ± 0.41 to 40.72 ± 0.43 g/L, with yields from 0.86 ± 0.02 to 1.01 ± 0.01 g/g. Yeast extract was necessary as a nitrogen source for fermenting APH, while TPH and the mixture of both hydrolyzates did not require any supplementation. Other nitrogen sources, such as wine lees, urea and NH3Cl, were tested for fermenting APH. However, mixing this hydrolyzate with TPH proved to be the most viable alternative. This study demonstrates the potential for valorizing apple and tomato pomaces into LA under feasible fermentation conditions.

Human T-lymphotropic virus-1 infection among Latin American pregnant women living in Spain.

Objectives: Human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV) antenatal screening is not mandatory in Spain. Surveys conducted decades ago reported HTLV-1 seroprevalence rates of 0.2% among foreign pregnant women in Spain. The migrant flow to Spain from HTLV-1 endemic regions in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa has increased during the last decade. Currently, 25% of pregnant women in Spain are foreigners. Methods: From January 2021 to October 2023 a cross-sectional study was carried out in all consecutive pregnant women attended at eleven Spanish clinics. A commercial enzyme immunoassay (EIA) was used for screening of serum HTLV-1/2 antibodies. Reactive samples were confirmed by immunoblot. Results: A total of 9813 pregnant women with a median age of 34 years-old were examined. Native Spaniards were 6977 (76.5%). Of 2147 foreigners (23.5%), 903566 (9.9%) were Latin Americans, 416 (4.5%) North Africans, 293 (3.2%) from Romania, and 196 (2.1%) from sub-Saharan Africa. A total of 47 samples were EIA reactive but only five were confirmed as HTLV-1 positive using immunoblot. Infected women came from Paraguay, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Peru. All but one were primigravida, with ages ranging from 20 to 33 years-old. One was HIV-1 positive, and another was infected with Chlamydia trachomatis. Conclusion: The overall seroprevalence for HTLV-1 among pregnant women in Spain is 0.05% but rises ten-fold (0.55%) among Latin Americans. This rate is higher than in surveys conducted decades ago. Our results support that anti-HTLV testing should be part of antenatal screening in Spain in pregnant women coming from Latin America, as it is already done with Chagas disease.

Diagnóstico bacteriológico de tuberculosis renal: experiencia del Laboratorio Regional de Tuberculosis de la provincia de Córdoba

Dada la considerable incidencia de tuberculosis renal entre enfermos con tuberculosis pulmonar, nos propusimos estudiar la frecuencia de esta asociación en pacientes atendidos en centros de salud públicos y privados de Córdoba a lo largo del período 1997-2009. Se tomó en consideración la incidencia según el sexo y las especies del complejo Mycobacterium tuberculosis identificadas. El análisis de 948 muestras de orina de 383 pacientes indicó tuberculosis renal en 24 casos (6,3 %), con presencia mayoritaria de Mycobacterium tuberculosis (95,8 %) y presencia de Mycobacterium bovis en 4,2 % de los casos. La asociación tuberculosis renal-tuberculosis pulmonar activa se encontró en 6 casos. En esta investigación quedó demostrada la importancia del cultivo seriado de muestras de orina y la conveniencia de cultivar en medios sólidos y líquidos. Asimismo, el aislamiento de Mycobacterium bovis pone de relieve la importancia de usar el medio Stonebrink junto con el medio de Lowenstein-Jensen. El medio líquido no tuvo un aporte significativo al diagnóstico de tuberculosis renal; sin embargo, el cultivo de muestras seriadas aumentó la sensibilidad de la detección.

Bacteriological diagnosis of renal tuberculosis: an experience at the Regional Tuberculosis Laboratory in Córdoba province, Argentina. Given the incidence of renal tuberculosis in patients suffering of pulmonary tuberculosis, we seek to study both the frequency of this association in diagnosed cases of renal tuberculosis and the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex species that were identified (period 1997-2009), observing its incidence by sex, demonstrating the importance of serial culture of urine samples and evaluating the convenience of using solid and liquid media. The analysis of urine samples from 383 patients indicated renal tuberculosis in 24 cases; in most cases, (95.8 %) Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex species prevailed, whereas the presence of Mycobacterium bovis accounted for 4.2 % of the cases. The association of pulmonary and renal tuberculosis was found in 6 cases. The isolation of Mycobacterium bovis indicates the importance of including Stonebrink medium along with Lowenstein- Jensen medium. The liquid medium made no significant contribution to the diagnosis of renal tuberculosis, but indeed, cultivating serial samples increases sensitivity.