Abstract The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mortality rates varied among the states of Brazil during the course of the pandemics. The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) is a critical component of the antigen presentation pathway. Individuals with different HLA genotypes may trigger different immune responses against pathogens, which could culminate in different COVID-19 responses. HLA genotypes are variable, especially in the highly admixed Brazilian population. In this ecological study, we aimed to investigate the correlation between HLA haplotypes and the different regional distribution of COVID-19 mortality in Brazil. HLA data was obtained from 4,148,713 individuals registered in The Brazilian Voluntary Bone Marrow Donors Registry. COVID-19 data was retrieved from epidemiological bulletins issued by State Health Secretariats via Brazil’s Ministry of Health from February/2020 to July/2022. We found a positive significant correlation between the HLA-A*01~B*08~DRB1*03 haplotype and COVID-19 mortality rates when we analyzed data from 26 states and the Federal District. This result indicates that the HLA-A*01~B*08~DRB1*03 haplotype may represent an additional risk factor for dying due to COVID-19. This haplotype should be further studied in other populations for a better understanding of the variation in COVID-19 outcomes across the world. 201 COVID19 COVID 19 (COVID-19 pandemics (HLA pathway pathogens COVID-1 variable population study 4148713 4 148 713 4,148,71 Registry Brazils s February2020 February 2020 February/202 July2022 July 2022 July/2022 HLAA*01~B*08~DRB1*03 HLAA01B08DRB103 HLAABDRB A*01~B*08~DRB1*03 A 01 B 08 DRB1 03 DRB HLA-A*01~B*08~DRB1*0 2 District COVID19. 19. world 20 COVID1 1 (COVID-1 COVID- 414871 14 71 4,148,7 February202 202 February/20 July202 July/202 HLAA HLAA*01~B*08~DRB1*0 HLAA01B08DRB10 A01B08DRB103 ABDRB A*01~B*08~DRB1*0 0 HLA-A*01~B*08~DRB1* (COVID- 41487 7 4,148, February20 February/2 July20 July/20 HLAA*01~B*08~DRB1* HLAA01B08DRB1 A01B08DRB10 A*01~B*08~DRB1* HLA-A*01~B*08~DRB1 (COVID 4148 4,148 February2 February/ July2 July/2 HLAA*01~B*08~DRB1 HLAA01B08DRB A01B08DRB1 A*01~B*08~DRB1 HLA-A*01~B*08~DRB 414 4,14 July/ HLAA*01~B*08~DRB A01B08DRB A*01~B*08~DRB 41 4,1 4,

Abstract In spite of many genetic studies that contributed for a deep knowledge about the peopling of the Americas, no consensus has emerged about important parameters such as the effective size of the Native Americans founder population. Previous estimates based on genomic datasets may have been biased by the use of admixed individuals from Latino populations, while other recent studies using samples from Native American individuals relied on approximated analytical approaches. In this study we use resequencing data for nine independent regions in a set of Native American and Siberian individuals and a full-likelihood approach based on isolation-with-migration scenarios accounting for recent flow between Asian and Native American populations. Our results suggest that, in agreement with previous studies, the effective size of the Native American population was small, most likely in the order of a few hundred individuals, with point estimates close to 250 individuals, even though credible intervals include a number as large as ~4,000 individuals. Recognizing the size of the genetic bottleneck during the peopling of the Americas is important for determining the extent of genetic markers needed to characterize Native American populations in genome-wide studies and to evaluate the adaptive potential of genetic variants in this population.

ABSTRACT The use of traps is extremely important in several types of ecological studies, and may assist in the capture of individuals in areas that are difficult to access. In the present study, we compared the effectiveness of wooden (Schramm) versus "Tomahawk" traps to capture Salvator merianae (Duméril & Bibron, 1839) lizards. The study was conducted in Eldorado do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Field data were collected from August 2013 to March 2015, during the reproductive period of the species. The study involved two types of baited traps: i) "Tomahawk", made of galvanized steel; and ii) Schramm, a wooden trap. The capture rate of the Schramm wooden traps was 1.63 individuals/day, and of the "Tomahawk" was 0.36 individuals/day. These results are important for researchers working with large lizards and may help to increase sampling efficiency for these organisms.

The discovery and characterization of informative intraspecific genetic markers is fundamental for evolutionary and conservation genetics studies. Here, we used nuclear ribosomal ITS sequences to access intraspecific genetic diversity in 23 species of the genus Passiflora L. Some degree of variation was detected in 21 of these. The Passiflora and Decaloba (DC.) Rchb. subgenera showed significant differences in the sizes of the two ITS regions and in GC content, which can be related to reproductive characteristics of species in these subgenera. Furthermore, clear geographical patterns in the spatial distribution of sequence types were identified in six species. The results indicate that ITS may be a useful tool for the evaluation of intraspecific genetic variation in Passiflora.

To assess the extent of genetic variability of rDNA intergenic spacer (IGS) in Metarhizium sp., 34 strains (27 isolated in Brazil) were sequenced and analyzed together with an additional 20 Metarhizium anisopliae var. anisopliae sequences retrieved from GenBank. Overall, the global nucleotide diversity for the region under study was of 0.090, while for the Brazilian isolates it was only 0.016. Phylogenetic analyses showed four well-supported groups (A, B, C, and D), one of which (D) has not been previously identified. All but one of the Brazilian strains cluster in this novel D phylogroup, suggesting that the genetic variation found in Brazil is a subset of the worldwide M. anisopiliae var. anisopliae variation.