O objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar a qualidade microbiológica e o perfil ácido-láctico do queijo de coalho artesanal. Todas as amostras de queijo apresentaram coliformes totais, termotolerantes e presença de Escherichia coli, porém com os valores dentro dos padrões estabelecidos pela legislação vigente no país. O perfil ácido-láctico estudado mostrou uma microbiota heterogênea, constituída por lactobacilos, lactococos, estreptococos e enterococos, confirmadas as espécies Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Streptococcus thermophilus e Lactococcus lactis.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the microbiological quality and lactic-acid profile of artisanal coalho cheese. All cheese samples analyzed showed total coliforms, were thermotolerant, and had Escherichia coli, but all the values were within the standards established by current legislation in the country, and could be considered a food fit for human consumption. The cheese showed a heterogeneous microbiota, being constituted of all tested genus, such as lactobacilli, lactococcus, streptococcus and enterococcus, and confirmed the species: Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactococcus lactis.

Avaliou-se a capacidade de 71 actinomicetos isolados de líquens da região amazônica em produzir inibidores de β-lactamases com atividade antimicrobiana sobre Staphylococcus aureus, resistentes à penicilina, isolados de mastite bovina do estado de Pernambuco. A seleção dos actinomicetos produtores de inibidores de β-lactamases foi realizada pela técnica de bloco de gelose contra Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 29665, e os actinomicetos selecionados foram testados frente a 17 linhagens de Staphylococcus aureus resistentes à penicilina. Os melhores produtores de inibidores de β-lactamases foram Streptomyces sp. DPUA 1542 e Nocardia sp. DPUA 1571, os quais foram submetidos ao cultivo submerso para determinação da curva de crescimento, pH e atividade antimicrobiana. Os maiores halos de inibição foram obtidos pelos metabólitos produzidos após 96 horas de cultivo tanto para Nocardia sp. - 13,5 e 12,0mm - como para Streptomyces sp. - 8,0 e 14,0mm - com os testes de difusão nos discos e poços, respectivamente. Os resultados permitiram concluir que os actinomicetos são fonte promissora de inibidores de β-lactamases, com potencial uso no tratamento de mastites bovinas

The ability of 71 actinomycetes, isolated from the Amazon lichens, to produce β-lactamase inhibitors with antimicrobial activity was evaluated against penicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, isolated from bovine mastitis in Pernambuco State. The selection of actinomycetes producers of β-lactamase inhibitors was performed using agar-plug method against Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 29665 and the selected actinomycetes were tested against 17 penicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains. The best producers of β-lactamase inhibitors were Streptomyces sp. DPUA 1542 and Nocardia sp. DPUA 1571. They were submitted to the submerged cultivation to determine the growth and pH curve, and antimicrobial activity. The highest inhibition halo zonewas obtained by metabolites produced after 96 hours of cultivation for both Nocardia sp. (13.5 and 12.0mm) and Streptomyces sp. (8.0 and 14.0mm) with discs and well diffusion tests, respectively. The results showed that the actinomycetes are a promising source of β-lactamase inhibitors, with potential for use in the bovine mastitis treatment

The clinical heterogeneity observed in leptospirosis may be associated with host factors or bacteria virulence. Human serum mannose-binding lectin (MBL) recognizes many pathogens, and low levels of this lectin are associated with susceptibility to infection. MBL is also implicated in the modulation of the inflammatory process. We determined the levels of serum MBL during leptospirosis infection. A double-antibody sandwich ELISA was used to detect the immunoreactive serum MBL. The ELISA plates were coated with monoclonal antibody to MBL and bound MBL or recombinant human MBL were detected by rabbit anti-human MBL serum. HRPO-conjugated goat anti-rabbit antibody was used for detection of the reaction. Two groups of patients seen at referral hospitals in Recife, PE, Brazil, were divided according to the year of infection, 2001 (N = 61) or 2002 (N = 57) and compared in terms of disease severity and levels of serum MBL. A group of healthy volunteers (N = 97) matched by age, gender, and ethnic background was used as control. Patients infected in 2001 had more severe outcomes than those infected in 2002, including jaundice, hemorrhage, respiratory alteration, and renal complication (P = 0.0009; chi-square test). The frequency of patients producing serum MBL >1000 ng/mL was higher in the 2001 group than in the 2002 and control groups (P < 0.01), suggesting an association of MBL level with disease severity. The involvement of MBL and genetic variation of the MBL2 gene should be further evaluated to establish the role of this lectin in the pathogenesis of leptospirosis.

We report a fast (less than 3 h) and cost-effective melting temperature assay method for the detection of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the MBL2 gene. The protocol, which is based on the Corbett Rotor Gene real time PCR platform and SYBR Green I chemistry, yielded, in the cohorts studied, sensitive (100%) and specific (100%) PCR amplification without the use of costly fluorophore-labeled probes or post-PCR manipulation. At the end of the PCR, the dissociation protocol included a slow heating from 60º to 95ºC in 0.2ºC steps, with an 8-s interval between steps. Melting curve profiles were obtained using the dissociation software of the Rotor Gene-3000 apparatus. Samples were analyzed in duplicate and in different PCR runs to test the reproducibility of this technique. No supplementary data handling is required to determine the MBL2 genotype. MBL2 genotyping performed on a cohort of 164 HIV-1-positive Brazilian children and 150 healthy controls, matched for age and sex and ethnic origin, yielded reproducible results confirmed by direct sequencing of the amplicon performed in blind. The three MBL2 variants (Arg52Cys, Gly54Asp, Gly57Glu) were grouped together and called allele 0, while the combination of three wild-type alleles was called allele A. The frequency of the A/A homozygotes was significantly higher among healthy controls (0.68) than in HIV-infected children (0.55; P = 0.0234) and the frequency of MBL2 0/0 homozygotes was higher among HIV-1-infected children than healthy controls (P = 0.0296). The 0 allele was significantly more frequent among the 164 HIV-1-infected children (0.29) than among the 150 healthy controls (0.18; P = 0.0032). Our data confirm the association between the presence of the mutated MBL2 allele (allele 0) and HIV-1 infection in perinatally exposed children. Our results are in agreement with the literature data which indicate that the presence of the allele 0 confers a relative risk of 1.37 for HIV-1 infection through vertical transmission.