Avaliação de produtos naturais no controle de biofilmes formados em sistema dinâmico

The biofilms microbial forms of association are responsible for generating, accelerating and / or induce the process of corrosion. The damage generated in the petroleum industry for this type of corrosion is significatives, representing major investment for your control. The aim of this study was to evaluate such tests antibiograms the effects of extracts of Jatropha curcas and essential oil of Lippia gracilis Schauer on microrganisms isolated from water samples and, thereafter, select the most effective natural product for further evaluation of biofilms formed in dynamic system. Extracts of J. curcas were not efficient on the complete inhibition of microbial growth in tests type antibiogram, and essential oil of L. gracilis Schauer most effective and determined for the other tests. A standard concentration of essential oil of 20 μL was chosen and established for the evaluation of the biofilms and the rate of corrosion. The biocide effect was determined by microbial counts of five types of microorganisms: aerobic bacteria, precipitating iron, total anaerobic, sulphate reducers (BRS) and fungi. The rate of corrosion was measured by loss of mass. Molecular identification and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed. The data showed reduction to zero of the most probable number (MPN) of bacteria precipitating iron and BRS from 115 and 113 minutes of contact, respectively. There was also inhibited in fungi, reducing to zero the rate of colony-forming units (CFU) from 74 minutes of exposure. However, for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria there was no significant difference in the time of exposure to the essential oil, remaining constant. The rate of corrosion was also influenced by the presence of oil. The essential oil of L. gracilis was shown to be potentially effective

Exercícios anaeróbicos, padrão morfofuncional e os marcadores hematológicos em pessoas vivendo com hiv e aids

Estudos que relacionam a atividade física e HIV/AIDS enfatizam a perspectiva biológica, demonstrando a sua relevância, apontam a preocupação em estabelecer um tipo de atividade e intensidade que não comprometa o sistema imunológico, enfatizando as melhorias do exercício sobre os parâmetros antropométricos, na aptidão física bem como um grande aumento da capacidade funcional para o grupo testado. Objetivo: O presente estudo se caracteriza como quase-experimental e objetivou analisar o padrão morfofuncional, marcadores hematológicos em pessoas vivendo com HIV/AIDS, através da oferta intervenção com exercícios anaérobicos (exercícios resistidos em sala de musculação) para pacientes portadores de HIV/AIDS. Métodos: A amostra foi composta por 11 indivíduos do gênero masculino, com média de idade de 43,2 anos, participantes do Programa Pro-Saúde e Atividade Física da Universidade Federal do Rio grande do Norte e atendimento clínico no Hospital Giselda Trigueiro da Secretaria de Estado de Saúde Pública/RN. A coleta de dados foi composta de exames laboratoriais para medir TCD4 e Carga Viral, medidas antropométricas: Índice de Massa Corporal - IMC, Relação Cintura Quadril- RCQ, e uma annamenese sociodemográfica. Para análise dos dados utilizou-se no presente estudo a estatistica descritiva com os valores de tendecia central e seus derivados. Para as variáveis de cunho discreto utilizou-se a análise de frequencia atavés de valores percentuais de aparecimento. Resultados: Os resultados entre os Pré e o Pós teste das variáveis estudadas foram assim apresentadas: para o IMC (pré média de 24,0 Kg/m2 e pós 24,2 Kg/m2), RCQ (pré média de 0,97cm e pós 0,95 cm), Somatório de Dobras cutâneas (Pré 117,1 e Pós 102,0), Somatório da Perimetria(Pré 310,5 e Pós 313,3), Força Escapular(Pré 30,9 Kgf e Pós 30,3 Kgf), Força Pressão Manual Direita(Pre 41,2 e Pós 42,1), Força Pressão Manual esquerda(Pré 39,4 e Pos 39,9), TCD4( Pré 579 e Pós 509 céls/mm3) e Carga Viral(pré e pós <50 cópias). Esses resultados apontam para uma melhora importante das variáveis antropométricas estudadas, principalmente em relação a RCQ, na contagem dos linfócitos TCD4 e manutenção da Carga Viral em níveis abaixo do limite mínimo(<50 cópias/ml) Conclusão:O Programa de Exercícios resistidos com características anaeróbicas promove melhorias no padrão morfofuncional, manutenção das células TCD4 em níveis considerados seguros para esta população e estabilização da carga viral, não apresentando riscos à saúde dos participantes

Avaliação, identificação e atividade enzimática de bactérias psicotróficas presentes no leite cru refrigerado

Extended storage of refrigerated milk can lead to reduced quality of raw and processed milk, which is a consequence of the growth and metabolic activities of psychrotrophic bacteria, able to grow under 7oC or lower temperatures. Although most of these microorganisms are destroyed by heat treatment, some have the potential to produce termoresistant proteolytic and lipolytic enzymes that can survive even UHT processing and reduce the processed products quality. Recently, the IN 51 determineds that milk should be refrigerated and stored at the farm what increased the importance of this group of microorganisms. In this work, psychrotrophic bacteria were isolated from 20 communitarian bulk tanks and 23 individual bulk tanks from dairy farms located at Zona da Mata region of Minas Gerais State and from southeastern Rio de Janeiro. Selected milk dilutions were plated on standard agar and after incubation for 10 days at 7oC, five colonies were isolated, firstly using nutrient agar and after using McConkey agar for 24 hours at 21oC. The isolates were identified by morphology, Gram stain method, catalase production, fermentative/oxidative metabolism and by API 20E, API 20NE, API Staph, API Coryne or API 50 CH (BioMerieux). In order to ensure reproductibility, API was repeated for 50% of the isolates. Species identification was considered when APILAB indexes reached 75% or higher. 309 strains were isolated, 250 Gram negative and 59 Gram positive. 250 Gram negative isolates were identified as: Acinetobacter spp. (39), Aeromonas spp. (07), A. Hydrophila (16), A. sobria (1), A. caviae (1), Alcaligenes feacalis (1), Burkholderia cepacia (12), Chryseomonas luteola (3), Enterobacter sp. (1), Ewingella americana(6), Hafnia alvei (7), Klebsiella sp. (1), Klebsiella oxytoca (10), Yersinia spp. (2), Methylobacterium mesophilicum (1), Moraxella spp. (4), Pantoea spp. (16), Pasteurella sp. (1), Pseudomonas spp. (10), P. fluorescens (94), P. putida (3), Serratia spp. (3), Sphigomonas paucomobilis (1). Five isolates kept unidentified. Pseudomonas was the predominant bacteria found (43%) and P. fluorescens the predominant species (37.6%), in accordance with previous reports. Qualitative analysis of proteolytic and lipolytic activity was based on halo formation using caseinate agar and tributirina agar during 72 hours at 21oC and during 10 days at 4°C, 10oC and 7°C. Among 250 Gram negative bacteria found, 104 were identified as Pseudomonas spp. and 60,57% of this group showed proteolytic and lipolytic acitivities over all four studied temperatures. 20% of Acinetobacter, Aeromonas, Alcaligenes, Burkholderia, Chryseomonas, Methylobacterium, Moraxella presented only lipolytic activity. Some isolates presented enzymatic activity in one or more studied temperatures. Among Gram positive bacteria, 30.51% were proteolytic and lipolytic at 10oC, 8.47% were proteolytic at 7oC, 10oC, and 21oC, 8.47% were proteolytic at all studied temperatures (4oC, 7oC, 10oC and 21oC) and 3.38% were proteolytic only at 21oC. At 4oC, only one isolate showed proteolytic activity and six isolates were lipolytic. In relation to Gram negative microorganisms, 4% were proteolytic and lipolytic at 7oC, 10oC and 21oC, 10% were proteolytic at 10oC and 4.4% were lipolytic at 4oC, 7oC, 10oC and 21oC, while 6.4% of all isolates were proteolytic and lipolytic at 10oC and 21oC as well as lipolytic at 4oC and 7oC. These findings are in accordance with previous researches that pointed out Pseudomonas as the predominant psycrotrophic flora in stored refrigerated raw milk

Desenvolvimento de sorvete probiótico a base de leite de cabra: estudo da formulação, características físico químicas, sensoriais e viabilidade das bactérias probióticas

This work targetet the caprine ice cream production added with probiotic bacteria Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis. It is divided into two parts. In the first one, four caprine ice cream formulations were evaluated, in which it was used hydrogenated fat (F1 and F3) or fat substitute (F2 and F4) in two different flavors (F1 and F2, passion fruit, F3 and F4, guava). Statistical differences (p<0.05) were detected for their physical-chemical properties, mainly for total solids and fat, but no differences were observed for melting test results. When it went to sensory acceptance, all four ice cream formulations reached high acceptance indexes, mostly formulation F4, which was selected for further studies. In the second part, F4 formulation was prepared with the addition of probiotic bacteria Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis. The growth kinetics was studied and it was observed that the cellular concentration peak was reached after four fermentation hours (10.14 log UFC/g). This time was selected for pre-fermentation procedure and posterior addition at ice cream syrup. In this part of the study, two experimental groups were evaluated: group G1, in which the probiotic addition occurred before the maturation step and group G2, which included a pre-fermentation step and probiotic addition after ice cream maturation. The physical-chemical properties of these two ice cream groups were similar, except for pH, which was higher for group G2 (p<0.05). G1 samples had superior melting rate (3.566 mL/min) and both groups presented microbiological and sanitary results in accordance to current Brazilian legislation. Also, G1 and G2 were considered sensory accepted due to their acceptance indexes higher than 70%. G1 and G2 sensory profiles were similar (p>0.05), and both ice cream samples exhibited high creaminess (6.76 to 6.91) and mouth melting sensation (6.53 to 6.67) scores, while low sandiness scores (0.85 to 0.86) were observed, positive characteristics for this kind of food product. During the first 24 hours after ice cream production, the population of B. animalis subsp. lactis decreased, reaching 7.15 e 6.92 log CFU/g for G1 and G2, respectively. Probiotic bacteria counts fluctuated in ice cream samples during the first 108 days at frozen storage, especially for G2 group. Decreased probiotic viability was observed for G1 samples during the first 35 days of frozen storage, mild variation between 35 and 63 days and stabilized counts were observed after this time. After 21 days at frozen storage, ice cream samples of G1 and G2 groups reached 1.2 x 109 and 1.3 x 109 CFU/portion, respectively. After 108 days under these storage conditions, the survival rate of B. animalis subsp. lactis was 94.26% and 81.10% for G1 and G2 samples, respectively. After simulation of gastroenteric conditions, G2 group reached 9.72 x 105 CFU/portion. Considering the current requirements of Brazilian legislation, which stipulates that functional foods must have minimum probiotic count between 108 and 109 CFU/portion and detectable probiotic bacteria after being submitted to gastroenteric conditions, it is concluded that the ice cream with the addition of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis made as shown in this work, can be considered as a dairy functional food

Eficácia do bochecho de quitosana a 0,4% sobre o biofilme e bactérias orais

The purpose of this study was evaluate the effectiveness of the chitosan at 0.4 with high molecular weight and high deacetylation degree mouthrinse over the total decrease of the streptococci, Streptococcus mutans, lactobaci/li and over the perceptible bacterial film and gingival bleeding indices. For that, a total of 68 healthy students between 11 and 13 years old, not allergic to crustacean and not users of antibiotics or antimicrobial agent for the last three months or during the treatment, was selected. From those, thirty two individuaIs used the mouthrinse test, and thirty six, the control one. The participants rinsed 10 mL of the solutions twice a day, one during the moming (which was supervised), and another one during the aftemoon (which was not supervised), for fifteen days. The saliva collect for the microbiological analysis, as well as the perceptible bacterial film and gingival bleeding indices check, were made before the use ofthe mouthrinses (base line), immediately after the last mouthrinse on the day (zero time) and fifteen days after (fifteen time). These data were collected at school and the saliva was carried inside the ice to the laboratory. The samples were diluted, and 0.1 mL ofthe 10 -1 dilution was seeded in Rogosa SL agar, for further analysis of the total of lactobaci/lus~ 0.1 mL of the 10-4 dilution in Mitis Salivarius with bacitracin, for S. mutans analysis; and 0.1 mL of the 10-6 dilution in Mitis Salivarius for the analysis ofthe total of streptococcus. The Rogosa SL agar plates were incubated in aerobic at 37°C for 72 hours and the MSB and the MS were incubated in anaerobic in Gaspak@ jars at 37°C for 48 hours for further count ofColonies Former Units (CFUs). The assay was made in duplicate for each bacterial group analyzed. The number of CFUs transformed in LOGlO was analyzed according to the following tests: ANOV A, t of Paired and Not Paired Student, Friedman, Man-Whitney and square-qui test. On the base line, alI the variables analyzed were similar on both tested groups. On both groups, for the total of streptococcus there was no significant difference along the time and for S. mutans there was a statistic significant increase of the CFUs from the base line to the zero time. For the total of lactobaccilus there was no significant difference on the test group along the time, and on the control there was a significant increase ofthe CFUs ITom the base line to the zero time. For both groups, there was significant decrease ofthe perceptible bacterial film index along the time, and that can be explained by the mechanic effect of the mouthrinse over the bacterial film and by the participation of the students on the research which could have motivated him to a better toothbrushing (Hawthome effect). The gingival bleeding index also showed a decrease along the time, even though it was not significant. Therefore, the conclusion of this study was that the chitosan at 0.4 % mouthrinse was not effective on the CFUs reduction of the three bacterial groups analyzed, as well as on the reduction of the perceptible bacterial film and gingival bleeding indices

Efeito in vitro da terapia fotodinâmica sobre bactérias orais em suspensão e na formação de biofilme : ensaio com azul de metileno e toluidina ativados por luz halógena

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been proposed as an alternative method for the treatment of biofilm-dependent oral diseases like dental caries. This therapy consists of simultaneous action of a visible light (L) and a photosensitizer (FS) in the presence of oxygen, which leads to production of different reactive oxygen species that can interact with the bacterial cell components, and promote cell death. This study aims to evaluate the antimicrobial action of PDT on oral bacteria in suspension, as well as the formation of mono and multi-species biofilms, in vitro, from a standard strain of Streptococcus mutans (ATCC 25175) and saliva samples, respectively. The dye methylene blue (MB) and toluidine blue (TB) were used at a concentration of 100 mg/ L and activated by halogen light (600 to 750 nm) from a modified hand held photopolymerizer (Ultralux ®, Dabi Atlante, Ribeirão Preto , São Paulo, Brazil.). Planktonic cultures were prepared and submitted to different experimental conditions: 1. PDT using TB 2. PDT using MB, 3. L+ FS- , 4. TB + L - ; 5. MB+ L-; 6. L- FS- (negative control) and 7. administration of 0.12% chlorhexidine digluconate (positive control) (Periogard ®, Colgate-Palmolive Company, New York, USA). The immediate and mediated action of PDT on bacterial suspensions, as well as its effect on biofilm formation were observed from the number of colony-forming units per milliliter (CFU/mL) and measures optical density (OD). The data were statistically analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney test for the significance level of 5%. According to the results, the PDT showed no antibacterial action on suspensions of S. mutans, regardless of the dye used. PDT with MB activated by halogen light was able to reduce 86.6% CFU/mL multi-species planktonic cultures, however, this reduction was not significant (p > 0.05). PDT showed antibacterial effect, mediate on multi-species planktonic cultures with TB (p < 0.001) and MB (p < 0.001), activated by halogen light. PDT was able to prevent the formation of multispecies biofilm, through the activation of TB by halogen light (p = 0.01). We conclude that activation of the dye toluidine blue and methylene blue, by halogen light (PDT) showed antimicrobial activity, compared to multi-species planktonic cultures prepared from saliva samples

Avaliação de produtos naturais no controle de biofilmes formados em sistema dinâmico

The biofilms microbial forms of association are responsible for generating, accelerating and / or induce the process of corrosion. The damage generated in the petroleum industry for this type of corrosion is significatives, representing major investment for your control. The aim of this study was to evaluate such tests antibiograms the effects of extracts of Jatropha curcas and essential oil of Lippia gracilis Schauer on microrganisms isolated from water samples and, thereafter, select the most effective natural product for further evaluation of biofilms formed in dynamic system. Extracts of J. curcas were not efficient on the complete inhibition of microbial growth in tests type antibiogram, and essential oil of L. gracilis Schauer most effective and determined for the other tests. A standard concentration of essential oil of 20 μL was chosen and established for the evaluation of the biofilms and the rate of corrosion. The biocide effect was determined by microbial counts of five types of microorganisms: aerobic bacteria, precipitating iron, total anaerobic, sulphate reducers (BRS) and fungi. The rate of corrosion was measured by loss of mass. Molecular identification and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed. The data showed reduction to zero of the most probable number (MPN) of bacteria precipitating iron and BRS from 115 and 113 minutes of contact, respectively. There was also inhibited in fungi, reducing to zero the rate of colony-forming units (CFU) from 74 minutes of exposure. However, for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria there was no significant difference in the time of exposure to the essential oil, remaining constant. The rate of corrosion was also influenced by the presence of oil. The essential oil of L. gracilis was shown to be potentially effective

Influência da adição de resíduo de caulim nas propriedades tecnológicas de uma massa padrão de porcelanato produzido em escala industrial

VARELA, M. L. et al. Influência da adição de resíduo de caulim nas propriedades tecnológicas de uma massa padrão de porcelanato produzido em escala industrial. Cerâmica, v.55, n.334 p.209-215. 2009.ISSN 0366-6913.Disponível em: -69132009000200015&script=sci_abstract&tlng=pt>. Acesso em: 06 out. 2010.

Um middleware como interface padrão para acesso a dispositivos biomédicos

A grande diversidade na arquitetura de dispositivos de hardware, aliada aos seus diferentes protocolos de comunicação, tem dificultado a implementação de sistemas que necessitam realizar o acesso a esses dispositivos. Diante dessas diferenças, surge a necessidade de prover o acesso a esses dispositivos de forma transparente. Neste sentido, o presente trabalho propõe um middleware mult entrada e saída para acesso a dispositivos, como forma de abstrair o mecanismo de escrita e leitura de dados em dispositivos de hardware, contribuindo desta forma, para o aumento na produtividade dos sistemas, uma vez que os desenvolvedores estão focados apenas nos seus requisitos funcionais

Translocação bacteriana para o pulmão na icterícia obstrutiva experimental em ratos

RESUMO: Objetivo: Tem sido demonstrado que a icterícia obstrutiva provoca depressão do sistema imunológico, mudança no padrão de colonização bacteriana dos intestinos e passagem de bactérias da luz intestinal para a circulação porta e sistêmica. Estudo experimental em ratos procurou observar a possibilidade de translocação bacteriana para os pulmões após a ligadura do colédoco. Método: Foram utilizados 20 ratos Wistar pesando de 178 a 215g, separados aleatoriamente em dois grupos iguais. Nos ratos do grupo I foi feita a ligadura do colédoco e nos do grupo II apenas a manipulação do colédoco com pinça atraumática (sham operation). No sétimo dia de observação os animais foram mortos com superdose de anestésico, sangue foi colhido para dosagem de bilirrubinas e os pulmões ressecados sob condições assépticas. Metade de cada pulmão foi homogeneizada e semeada em meios de cultura ágar McConkey e ágar sangue. A outra metade serviu para exame histopatológico –coloração hematoxilina e eosina. Os dados foram analisados pelo teste t, com significância 0,05. Resultados: revelaram bilirrubina total em média 18,7±3,6 no grupo I e 0,7±0,2 no grupo II. No grupo I foram isoladas colônias de Klebsiela sp nos pulmões de 30% dos animais e E. coli em 20%, e os escores histopatológicos atingiram a média 6,2±2,08. No grupo II não foram detectadas bactérias nos pulmões e os escores do exame histopatológico atingiram 1,8±1,16. A diferença dos dados analisados mostrou-se significativa (p<0,05). Conclusões: Concluiu-se que a icterícia obstrutiva por ligadura do colédoco em ratos provocou translocação de germes Gram-negativos para os pulmões e resultou em alterações histopatológicas significativas.

Análise fractal da vasculatura retínica: métodos de segmentação e de cálculo dimensional

Embora tenha sido proposto que a vasculatura retínica apresenta estrutura fractal, nenhuma padronização do método de segmentação ou do método de cálculo das dimensões fractais foi realizada. Este estudo objetivou determinar se a estimação das dimensões fractais da vasculatura retínica é dependente dos métodos de segmentação vascular e dos métodos de cálculo de dimensão. Métodos: Dez imagens retinográficas foram segmentadas para extrair suas árvores vasculares por quatro métodos computacionais (“multithreshold”, “scale-space”, “pixel classification” e “ridge based detection”). Suas dimensões fractais de “informação”, de “massa-raio” e “por contagem de caixas” foram então calculadas e comparadas com as dimensões das mesmas árvores vasculares, quando obtidas pela segmentação manual (padrão áureo). Resultados: As médias das dimensões fractais variaram através dos grupos de diferentes métodos de segmentação, de 1,39 a 1,47 para a dimensão por contagem de caixas, de 1,47 a 1,52 para a dimensão de informação e de 1,48 a 1,57 para a dimensão de massa-raio. A utilização de diferentes métodos computacionais de segmentação vascular, bem como de diferentes métodos de cálculo de dimensão, introduziu diferença estatisticamente significativa nos valores das dimensões fractais das árvores vasculares. Conclusão: A estimação das dimensões fractais da vasculatura retínica foi dependente tanto dos métodos de segmentação vascular, quanto dos métodos de cálculo de dimensão utilizados

UBS RN-7: proposta arquitetônica para um padrão flexível de unidade básica de saúde para a zona bioclimática 7 do RN, com ênfase na sustentabilidade ambiental

Standardization and sustainability: these two apparently antagonistic words find the challenge of uniting in a flexible architectonic proposal. This was the idea that motivated the proposal of this assignment, whose appearing is bound up with the necessity of thinking about standardized spaces that attend on functional criterias and environmental sustainability, in reply to an existing real demand. The assignment consists of an architectonic proposal for a flexible standard of a Basic Unit of Health for the bioclimatic zone 7 of RN (UBS RN-7), with emphasis in the environmental sustainability. The project contemplates innumerable involved variables, such as: obedience to the current law of the Health Ministry for the UBSs; formal/aesthetic aspects; criterias of expansiveness of the UBS I for the UBS II; relative aspects to the constructive rationality and, mainly, sustainability aspects. With the intention to unite the variables and, also, glimpsing a proposal that could reach a good functional performance, aesthetic, of environment comfort and energetic efficiency, it was also necessary to consider concepts about the flexibility of the envelopment. The elaboration of the architecture first draft was based on bibliographical research, conceptual studies and references, elaboration of the architectonic program and the draft development for the UBS port I and the UBS port II. To the end, an implantation data sheet for the project is proposed for the UBS standard project, where strategies of thermal isolation, shadowing and thermal inertia are adopted and combined to three possible types of lot, resulting in 24 possibilities of implantation

Determinantes genéticos da hanseníase em uma população do Rio Grande do Norte

Background: Leprosy can cause severe disability and disfigurement and is still a major health in different parts of the world. Only a subset of those individuals exposed to the pathogen will go on to develop clinical disease and there is a broad clinical spectrum amongst leprosy patients. The outcome of infection is in part due to host genes that influence control of the initial infection and the host´s immune response to that infection. Aim: Evaluate if polymorphisms type SNP in the 17q118q21 chromosomic region contribute to development of leprosy in Rio Grande do Norte population. Material and methods: A sample composed of 215 leprosy patients and 229 controls drawn from the same population were genotyped by using a Snapshot assay for eight genes (NOS2A, CCL18, CRLF3, CCL23, TNFAIP1, STAT5B, CCR7 and CSF3) located in chromosomic region 17q118q21. The genotype and allele frequency were measured and statistical analysis was performed by chi-square in SPSS version 15 and graph prism pad version 4 software. Results: Ours results indicated that the markers NOS2A8277, NOS2A8rs16949, CCR78rs11574663 and CSF38rs2227322 presented strong association with leprosy and their risk genotype were GG, TT, AA and GG respectively. The risk genotypes for all markers associated to leprosy presented recessive inheritance standard. When we compared the interaction among the markers in different combination we find that the marker NOS2A8277 associated with CCR78rs11574663 presented highest risk probability to development of leprosy. When we evaluated the haplotype of the risk markers it was found a haplotype associated with increase of the protection (CSF38rs22273228CC, CCR78 rs115746638GA, NOS2A8rs169498CT and NOS2A82778GA). The association of the clinical forms paucibacilary and multibacilary with markers showed that to the markers NOS2A8 2778GG, CCR78rs115746638AA and CSF38rs22273228GG there were a strong influence to migration to multibacilary pole and to marker NOS2A8rs169498TT the high proportion was found to the paucibacilary form. Conclusions: Changes in the genes NOS2A, CCR7 and CSF3 can influence the immune response against Mycobacterium leprae. The combination among these polymorphisms alters the risk probability to develop leprosy. The markers type SNP associated to development of the leprosy also are linked to clinical forms and its severity being the polymorphism NOS2A8rs169498TT associated with paucibacilar form and the polymorphisms NOS2A82778GG, CCR78rs115746638AA and CSF38rs22273228GG associated to multibacilar form

Avaliação do potencial de formigas (Hymenoptera: formicidae) como vetores mecânicos de bactérias do gêneroSstaphylococcus no ambiente hospitalar.

In a hospital environment, these bacteria can be spread by insects such as ants, which are characterized by high adaptability to the urban environment. Staphylococcus is a leading cause of hospital infection. In Europe, Latin America, USA and Canada, the group of coagulase negative staphylococci (CoNS) is the second leading cause of these infections, according to SENTRY (antimicrobial surveillance program- EUA). In this study, we investigated the potential of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) as vehicle mechanics of Staphylococcus bacteria in a public hospital, in Natal-RN. The ants were collected, day and night, from June 2007 to may 2008, in the following sectors: hospitals, laundry, kitchen, blood bank. The ants were identified according to the identification key of Bolton, 1997. For the analysis of staphylococci, the ants were incubated in broth Tryptic Soy Broth (TSB) for 24 hours at 35 º C and then incubated on Mannitol Salt Agar. The typical colonies of staphylococci incubated for 24 hours at 35 ° C in Tryptic Soy Agar for the characterization tests (Gram stain, catalase, susceptibility to bacitracin and free coagulase). The identification of CoNS was performed through biochemical tests: susceptibility to novobiocin, growth under anaerobic conditions, presence of urease, the ornithine decarboxylation and acid production from the sugars mannose, maltose, trehalose, mannitol and xylose. The antimicrobial susceptibility examined by disk-diffusion technique. The technique of Polymerase Chain Reaction was used to confirm the presence of mecA gene and the ability to produce biofilm was verified by testing in vitro using polystyrene inert surface, in samples of resistant staphylococci. Among 440 ants, 85 (19.1%) were carrying coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) of the species Staphylococcus saprophyticus (17), Staphylococcus epidermidis (15), Staphylococcus xylosus (13), Staphylococcus hominis hominis (10), Staphylococcus lugdunensis (10), Staphylococcus warneri (6), Staphylococcus cohnii urealyticum (5), Staphylococcus haemolyticus (3), Staphylococcus simulans (3), Staphylococcus cohnii cohnii (2), and Staphylococcus capitis (1). No Staphylococcus aureus was found. Among the isolates, 30.58% showed resistance to erythromycin. Two samples of CoNS (2.35%), obtained from the ant Tapinoma melanocephalum collected in the post-surgical female ward, S. Hominis hominis and S. lugdunensis harbored the mecA gene and were resistant to multiple antibiotics, and the specie S. hominis hominis even showed to be a biofilm producer. This study proves that ants act as carriers of multidrug-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococci and biofilm producers and points to the risk of the spreading of pathogenic microorganisms by this insect in the hospital environment

Imunoglobulina e e eosinófilos em crianças de área tropical, infectadas por ascaris lumbricoides

Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte