Abstract INTRODUCTION: The aac(6’)-Ib-cr and bla KPC genes are spreading among Enterobacteriaceae species, including Providencia stuartii, in some countries of world. METHODS: These genes were investigated in 28 P. stuartii isolates from a public hospital in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, by PCR and sequencing. RESULTS: The aac(6’)-Ib-cr gene was detected in 16 resistant isolates, and the bla KPC gene was seen in 14. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of these genes in P. stuartii multi- and extensively drug-resistant isolates indicates that the resistance arsenal of this species is increasing, thus limiting the therapeutic options.

Abstract In this work, four isolates of endophytic fungi (Alternaria alternata, Colletotrichum gloesporioides, Glomerella cingulata and Nigrospora sphaerica), deposited in the culture collection ‘University Recife Mycologia’ (URM) at the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, were characterized for the genes ITS 1 and 4 (region 5.8 S) and evaluated for taxol production.

O riacho Cavouco é um afluente do principal rio de Pernambuco, o rio Capibaribe, e tem sua nascente no Campus da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco - UFPE. No trecho que percorre dentro da universidade, recebe um aporte de carga poluidora de resíduos químicos, doméstico e hospitalar. O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar a qualidade da água deste riacho e despertar a comunidade acadêmica para esse tema. Para tanto, foram realizadas coletas de água em dois períodos distintos (estiagem e chuvoso) em cinco pontos estratégicos do Campus. As amostras foram encaminhadas para Estação de Tratamento de Água e para o Laboratório de Análises Minerais, Solos e Água da UFPE onde dezesseis parâmetros físico-químicos foram analisados (temperatura, turbidez, condutividade, sólidos totais dissolvido, pH, oxigênio dissolvido, amônia, nitrito, nitrato, ferro, manganês, cádmio, chumbo, cobre, cromo, zinco), segundo a metodologia da 21ª Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater. Os resultados mostram que as águas do riacho Cavouco apresentam uma carga de poluição significativa, sendo os pontos P2 e P5 os mais impactados. Adicionalmente, os resultados do Índice de Qualidade das Águas para Proteção da Vida Aquática indicou que atualmente o riacho apresenta uma baixa capacidade para manutenção da vida aquática.

The Cavouco stream is an affluent of Pernambuco's main river, the Capibaribe, and has its source on the campus of the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE). The stretch of the river that runs within the university receives an influx of pollution in the form of chemicals, and household and hospital waste. In light of this situation, and hoping to mitigate it, the aim of this study was to analyze the water quality of this stream and to raise the academic community's awareness regarding this issue. To this end, stream water samples were collected in two different periods (dry and rainy) at five strategic points on campus. The water samples were sent to the Water Treatment Plant and to the Laboratory for Analysis of Mineral, Soil and Water of the UFPE where 16 physicochemical parameters were analyzed (temperature, turbidity, conductivity, total dissolved solids, pH, dissolved oxygen, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, iron, manganese, cadmium, lead, copper, chromium, zinc) according to the methodology of 21st Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater. The results show that the water of the Cavouco stream has a high load of pollution, with the points P2 and P5 being the most impacted. Additionally, the results of the Index of Water Quality for the Protection of Aquatic Life indicated that currently the stream has a low capacity for maintenance of aquatic life.

The pigmentation (pgm) locus is a large unstable area of the Yersinia pestis chromosome composed of a segment of iron acquisition (HPI) linked to a pigmentation segment. In this work we examined the mobility of HPI and the pigmentation segment in three Y. pestis isolates using successive subcultures on Congo red agar (CRA) plates. Strain P. CE 882 was shown to be highly stable while strains P. Exu 340 and P. Peru 375 dissociated into several phenotypes, PCR analysis showing evidence of changes in the pgm locus of the derived cultures. Strains P. Exu 340 and P. Peru 375 produced previously unreported cultures positive for the pesticin/yersiniabactin outer membrane receptor (psn+) but negative for the iron-regulated protein (irp2-), suggesting the occurrence of rearrangements in this chromosomal region and either a sequential loss or the loss of separated segments. These results provide evidence that besides deletion en bloc, specific rearrangements are also involved in the deletion events for that locus.