Pitiose nasal em equino

Pythiosis is a subcutaneous infection caused by aquatic fungi (Pythium insidiosum) which occurs in some animal species, as human beings. This paper describes an Quarter Horse, breed in Pernambuco, Brazil, who had this infection. The horse presented nodular and ulcerated lesions only in nasal mucosa and the diagnosis was made by histopathologic analysis and clinical signals. Based in the histopathologic findings and anamneses information by the owner the authors believed this is an atypical presentation of this infection caused by the contact with water offered at stable.

An analysis of publications on invasive macrophytes in aquatic ecosystems

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Development of a new analytical approach based on cellulose membrane and chelator for differentiation of labile and inert metal species in aquatic systems

A new procedure was developed in this study, based on a system equipped with a cellulose membrane and a tetraethylenepentamine hexaacetate chelator (MD-TEPHA) for in situ characterization of the lability of metal species in aquatic systems. To this end, the DM-TEPHA system was prepared by adding TEPHA chelator to cellulose bags pre-purified with 1.0 mol L-1 of HCl and NaOH solutions. After the MD-TEPHA system was sealed, it was examined in the laboratory to evaluate the influence of complexation time (0-24 h), pH (3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0 and 7.0), metal ions (Cu, Cd, Fe, Mn and Ni) and concentration of organic matter (15, 30 and 60 mg L-1) on the relative lability of metal species by TEPHA chelator. The results showed that Fe and Cu metals were complexed more slowly by TEPHA chelator in the MD-TEPHA system than were Cd, Ni and Mn in all pH used. It was also found that the pH strongly influences the process of metal complexation by the MD-TEPHA system. At all the pH levels, Cd, Mn and Ni showed greater complexation with TEPHA chelator (recovery of about 95-75%) than did Cu and Fe metals. Time also affects the lability of metal species complexed by aquatic humic substances (AHS); while Cd, Ni and Mn showed a faster kinetics, reaching equilibrium after about 100 min, and Cu and Fe approached equilibrium after 400 min. Increasing the AHS concentration decreases the lability of metal species by shifting the equilibrium to AHS-metal complexes. Our results indicate that the system under study offers an interesting alternative that can be applied to in situ experiments for differentiation of labile and inert metal species in aquatic systems. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Direct determination of Cu, Cd, Ni and Pb in aquatic humic substances by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Ecotoxicology of Nano-TiO2 An Evaluation of its Toxicity to Organisms of Aquatic Ecosystems

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Characterization of the Interactions between Endocrine Disruptors and Aquatic Humic Substances from Tropical Rivers

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Toxicity of the therapeutic potassium permanganate to tilapia Oreochromis niloticus and to non-target organisms Ceriodaphnia dubia (microcrustacean cladocera) and Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata (green microalgae)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Effect of Urucu oil (Brazilian Amazon) on the biomass of the aquatic macrophyte Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms (Pontederiaceae)

Os rios e lagos de várzea da província petrolífera de Urucu, na Amazônia Central, são amplamente colonizados por macrófitas aquáticas, que podem ser afetadas por acidentes durante a exploração e o transporte de petróleo. Entre as macrófitas, a espécie flutuante Eichhornia crassipes (aguapé) ocorre abundantemente na região; OBJETIVO: O objetivo desse estudo foi verificar o efeito de diferentes dosagens do petróleo de Urucu (0; 0,5; 1,5 e 3,0 L.m-2) na biomassa viva e morta de E. crassipes e em algumas características físicas e químicas da água; MÉTODOS: O experimento teve oitenta e quatro dias de duração. A cada sete dias foi determinada a biomassa (viva e morta) de E. crassipes e os valores de temperatura, pH, condutividade elétrica e oxigênio dissolvido da água; RESULTADOS: A dosagem de 0,5 L.m-2 foi suficiente para causar mortalidade parcial (48%) em E. crassipes após trinta e cinco dias de exposição ao petróleo. A dosagem de 3,0 L.m-2 causou mortalidade total (100%) em E. crassipes em oitenta e quatro dias de exposição. A decomposição do petróleo e da biomassa morta de E. crassipes provocam a redução do oxigênio dissolvido e do pH, e aumento da condutividade elétrica e de fósforo total na água; CONCLUSÕES: Nós concluímos que um derramamento de petróleo pode provocar mortalidade total em uma população de uma espécie de macrófita, mas não em uma outra. Isto pode alterar a diversidade de espécies de macrófitas na região impactada. No caso de Eichhornia crassipes e Pistia stratiotes, um derramamento de petróleo de Urucu pode favorecer E. crassipes, a espécie menos sensível ao petróleo.

Isolation and maintenance of symbiotic fungi of ants in the tribe Attini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

O isolamento e a manutenção de fungos basidiomicetos simbiontes de formigas da tribo Attini tem sido dificultado pela baixa velocidade de crescimento desses fungos, bem como pela presença de muitos microrganismos que vivem na superfície do material que as formigas mantêm no interior nos ninhos como substrato para o crescimento dos seus fungos simbiontes. No presente trabalho nós descrevemos um método que aumenta em mais de sete vezes a eficiência de isolamento desses fungos, quando comparada àquela obtida por procedimentos tradicionais. Ninhos subterrâneos de formigas atíneas dos gêneros Atta, Acromyrmex, Trachymyrmex e Mycetarotes foram localizados e deles foram coletadas amostras contendo fungos simbiontes e formigas, que foram transportadas para o laboratório, onde as formigas foram capazes de limpar a cultura do fungo e estimular o seu crescimento. em seguida, porções dos micélios foram assepticamente coletadas e transferidas para meio Yeast Nitrogen Base contendo glicose e cloranfenicol. Para facilitar a manutenção dos isolados em culturas de laboratório, diferentes nutrientes foram analisados para a elaboração de um meio de cultivo complexo, que possibilitou aumentar a velocidade de crescimento dos fungos e estocá-los por longos períodos. O método foi aplicado com sucesso para os fungos simbiontes de todos os gêneros de formigas estudados, gerando, assim, um procedimento extremamente útil para a formação e manutenção de uma coleção representativa de diferentes fungos simbiontes de formigas da tribo Attini.

Low variation in ribosomal DNA and internal transcribed spacers of the symbiotic fungi of leaf-cutting ants (Attini: Formicidae)

Leaf-cutting ants of the genera Atta and Acromyrmex (tribe Attini) are symbiotic with basidiomycete fungi of the genus Leucoagaricus (tribe Leucocoprineae), which they cultivate on vegetable matter inside their nests. We determined the variation of the 28S, 18S, and 5.8S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) gene loci and the rapidly evolving internal transcribed spacers 1 and 2 (ITS1 and ITS2) of 15 sympatric and allopatric fungi associated with colonies of 11 species of leafcutter ants living up to 2,600 km apart in Brazil. We found that the fungal rDNA and ITS sequences from different species of ants were identical (or nearly identical) to each other, whereas 10 GenBank Leucoagaricus species showed higher ITS variation. Our findings suggest that Atta and Acromyrmex leafcutters living in geographic sites that are very distant from each other cultivate a single fungal species made up of closely related lineages of Leucoagaricus gongylophorus. We discuss the strikingly high similarity in the ITS1 and ITS2 regions of the Atta and Acromyrmex symbiotic L. gongylophorus studied by us, in contrast to the lower similarity displayed by their non-symbiotic counterparts. We suggest that the similarity of our L. gongylophorus isolates is an indication of the recent association of the fungus with these ants, and propose that both the intense lateral transmission of fungal material within leafcutter nests and the selection of more adapted fungal strains are involved in the homogenization of the symbiotic fungal stock.

Influência da concentração de inóculo e da idade da planta na intensidade de doença causada por Fusarium graminearum em Egeria densa e E. najas

Um isolado de Fusarium graminearum estudado na UNESP/Campus de Jaboticabal, onde foi comprovada sua eficácia no controle de Egeria densa e E. najas, macrófitas aquáticas submersas. Para estudar o efeito de diferentes concentrações do inóculo na severidade de doença, foram conduzidos experimentos em incubadoras para BOD, com concentrações variando em um décimo, de 0,1 até 1,4 g/l de arroz moído colonizado com F. graminearum. Para verificar os possíveis efeitos da idade da planta sobre a severidade de doença, plantas com, no mínimo 35 cm, de comprimento foram excisadas em segmentos correspondentes às idades de crescimento. Os tratamentos com concentrações de inóculo a partir de 0,5 g/l apresentaram sintomas. Todos os tratamentos inoculados com o fungo, nas concentrações a partir de 0,5 g/l, apresentaram drástica redução na produção de biomassa fresca. Todos os segmentos utilizados como plantas-teste (0 a 32 cm de comprimento) apresentaram suscetibilidade ao fungo. Os ponteiros de plantas de ambas as espécies apresentaram maior severidade de sintomas no sexto e oitavo dias após a inoculação, contudo, os segmentos correspondentes às idades 2 e 3 apresentaram maior redução de biomassa fresca quando inoculadas, apesar de não apresentarem sintomas tão severos quanto a idade 1. Com relação ao ganho de biomassa fresca, as testemunhas apresentaram sempre maior crescimento do que os respectivos tratamentos inoculados, contudo os segmentos correspondentes à idade 4 apresentaram menor ganho de biomassa fresca do que as demais idades.

The breathing pattern and the ventilatory response to aquatic and aerial hypoxia and hypercarbia in the frog Pipa carvalhoi

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

The status of soil phosphate fractions and the ability of fungi to dissolve hardly soluble phosphates

Brazilian soils predominantly consist of iron and aluminum oxides and have a low phosphorus content. The present study was carried out in order to assess the status of phosphate fractions in pasture, forest and agricultural soils and the ability of soil fungi to solubilize iron and aluminum phosphates. The abundance of P fractions in the soils studied occurred in the following order: Fe-P > reductant-soluble Fe-P > occluded Fe-P > occluded Al-P > Al-P > Ca-P. of the 481 fungi isolated, 33 showed the ability to solubilize the inorganic phosphates in culture. of these, 14 were considered to be high or very high solubilizers based on a solubilization capacity > 1000 mu g PO43- ml(-1). Isolate F-111 was the only one that dissolved all the insoluble phosphates used. Nine isolates solubilized both Al-P and Ca-P, and four other isolates only solubilized Ca-P. The highest number of isolates with high solubilization capacity were detected in pasture soil, followed by tropical rain forest and forest patch soils. Pasture soil presented both the largest contents of insoluble phosphates and the largest number of fungal isolates with phosphate-solubilizing ability. The range and size of P fractions influenced the number of fungi and their ability to solubilize hardly soluble phosphates. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Growth and enzymatic responses of phytopathogenic fungi to glucose in culture media and soil

The effect of inoculation of Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium verticillioides, and Penicillium sp. in Dystrophic Red Latosol (DRL) and Eutroferric Red Latosol (ERL) soils with or without glucose on the total carbohydrate content and the dehydrogenase and amylase activities was studied. The fungal growth and spore production in culture medium with and without glucose were also evaluated. A completely randomized design with factorial arrangement was used. The addition of glucose in the culture medium increased the growth rate of A. flavus and Penicillium sp. but not of F. verticillioides. The number of spores increased 1.2 for F. verticillioides and 8.2 times for A. flavus in the medium with glucose, but was reduced 3.5 times for Penicillium sp. The total carbohydrates contents reduced significantly according to first and second degree equations. The consumption of total carbohydrates by A. flavus and Penicillium sp. was higher than the control or soil inoculated with F. verticillioides. The addition of glucose to soils benefited the use of carbohydrates, probably due to the stimulation of fungal growth. Dehydrogenase activity increased between 1.5 to 1.8 times (p <0.05) in soils with glucose and inoculated with the fungi (except F. verticillioides), in relation to soil without glucose. Amylase activity increased 1.3 to 1.5 times due to the addition of glucose in the soil. Increased amylase activity was observed in the DRL soil with glucose and inoculated with A. flavus and Penicillium sp. when compared to control.

Efficiency of entomopathogenic fungi in the control of eggs and larvae of the horn fly Haematobia irritans (Diptera: Muscidae)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)