Nosocomial infections bring a high risk to the health of hospital patients and employees. Ants are common organisms in Brazilian hospitals, where they can act as dispersers of opportunistic microorganisms in places they forage. The occurrence of multi-resistant bacteria carried by ants was analyzed in two public hospitals (HA and HB) in southeastern Bahia, Brazil. In these two hospitals 132 workers belonging to three ant species were collected. The bacteria associated to these ants were identified and their susceptibility to antibiotics was evaluated. More than half (57.3%) of ants collected in HA were associated with some kind of bacteria, with 26.7% of them being opportunist bacteria, while 84,2% of the ants from HB presented associated bacteria growth, with 61.4% of them being opportunist bacteria. Twenty four species of bacteria were isolated. The Gram-positive bacilli of the genus Bacillus were the most frequent, followed by the Gram-positive cocci, Gram-negative bacilli (family Enterobacteriaceae) and Gram-negative non-fermenters bacilli. The profile of sensitivity of the bacterial isolates to drugs pointed out the existence of multi-resistant isolates carried by ants. For the first time, are reported cases of the same bacterial resistant isolates taken form homospecific ant workers that point out the importance of ants to bacteria dissemination and proliferation in a hospital. Our results suggest that the risk of contamination presented by these ants is similar to the one of any other mechanical vector of bacterial dissemination.

The natural quinones lapachol, α-lapachone and β-lapachone, and the synthetic derivative β-lapachone-3-sulfonic-acid were assayed for inhibition of fungal growth (Fusarium oxysporum) and germination of lettuce seeds (Lactuca sativa L.). β-Lapachone has the strongest activity as a germination inhibitor and lapachol shows no effect. β-Lapachone, followed by lapachol, are the most active in reducing fungal growth.

Com o projecto PAMAF-IED 8110 (1997-2000), pretende-se aferir da capacidade rizogénica de Quercus suber L. pelo estudo do comportamento rizogénico de diferentes tipos de propágulos perante vários factores condicionantes do enraizamento. Dado que o tratamento estatístico dos dados está em fase preliminar, as conclusões avançadas têm caracter tentativo, constituindo as primeiras indicações para uma ulterior definição das melhores combinações "propágulos x factores de enraizamento".

À travers le projet PAMAF-IED 8110 (1997-2000), nous prétendons vérifier la capacité d'enracinement de Quercus suber L par l'étude de son comportement en différents types de propagules face à différents facteurs conditionnants de l'enracinement. Étant donné que le traitement statistique des données est en phase préliminaire, les conclusions avancées ont un caractère d'essai, constituant les premières indications pour une ultérieure définition des meilleures combinaisons "propagules x facteurs d'enracinement".

The PAMAF-IED 8110 (1997-2000) project, was used to verify the rhizogenic capacity of Quercus suber, throughout the study of rhizogenic behaviour of different kinds of propagule considering several rooting factors. Due to the preliminary state of statistical data analysis, these conclusions are at an early stage, consisting only in first indications to a later definition of the best combination of "propagule x rooting factors".