Biofilm production by Staphylococcus spp. isolated from bovine mastitis in dairy herds in state of Acre, Brazil and its implications

ABSTRACT This study aimed to identify the Staphylococcus species responsible for bovine mastitis in dairy herds in northern Brazil, to investigate the capacity of biofilm production, and to analyze the association of biofilm production with multiresistance and intensity of California Mastitis Tests (CMT) reactions that can make treatment more difficult and cause misdiagnoses, respectively. Milk samples were collected from 23 dairy farms located in five municipalities in the state of Acre. A total of 339 crossbred cows were tested by CMT, with 109 animals (229 udder ceilings) reacting to the test. After bacterial isolation in blood agar, the catalase-positive and gram-positive cocci were submitted for identification by MALDI-TOF MS. Of 103 strains identified as staphylococci, Staphylococcus chromogenes (58.3%) and Staphylococcus aureus (19.4%) were the most prevalent species. Biofilm production was quantitatively evaluated using a microplate adherence test. Among the Staphylococcus strains, 71.8% were biofilm producers. Most strains of S. chromogenes (68.3%) had the capacity to produce biofilms, ranging from weak (43.3%), moderate (13.3%), and strong (11.7%) producers. Among S. aureus strains, 50% were non-biofilm producers, and none were strong producers. Our data showed an association between biofilm production capacity and multidrug resistance. In addition, there was a reduction in the response to the CMT test, which can mask the diagnosis.

Concentration of collagen fibers in the musculature of broiler chickens fed with cupuacu seed by-product

ABSTRACT In this essay, we quantify the concentration of collagen fibers in broiler chickens exposed to increasing concentrations of cupuacu seed by-product. Collection of material was carried out in five chickens per treatment at 70 days old in the groups: control, 5% and 10% inclusion of cupuacu seed by-product. Fragments of Thoracic Pectoralis (PT) and Iliotibial lateralis (ITL) muscles were prepared for light and electronic microscopy. The amount of collagen fibers in the muscle groups was 1.08±0.61% in the PTC group; 6.24±2.58% in PT5% and 7.30±2.75% in PT10%. In the Iliotibial Lateralis groups, the results were 6.96±3.14% in the ITLC; 7.43±4.22% in the ITL5% and 8.66±2.35% in ITL10%. The amount of collagen fibers in the ITL5% and ITL10% groups showed no significant statistical difference. However, when compared to the ILTC group, there was a significant statistical difference. The PT muscle responds to standard nutritional changes, unlike the ILT muscle, which requires a high-nutrient formulation. The use of 5% cupuacu seed by-product has proven to be a viable alternative source of animal feed, as it promotes an increase in the concentrations of collagen fibers in the musculature of broiler chickens and is possibly the determining factor in meat texture.

Produção de biofilme por Staphylococcus chromogenes isolados de amostras de leite provenientes de rebanhos bovinos com mastite

RESUMO Foram estudadas 135 vacas mestiças, provenientes de 10 rebanhos leiteiros no estado do Acre. O objetivo foi identificar espécies de Staphylococcus isoladas dos quartos mamários de vacas com mastite e, posteriormente, avaliar a capacidade de produção de biofilme pela espécie Staphylococcus chromogenes. A caracterização dos isolados presentes nas amostras encontradas, correspondentes a Staphylococcus sp., foi realizada utilizando-se a técnica do MALDI TOF MS (Matrix Associated Laser Desorption-Ionization - Time of Flight - Mass Spectrometry). Foram identificados: S. chromogenes (36), Staphylococcus saprophyticus (5), S. chromogenes ou Staphylococcus hycus (5), Staphylococcus haemolyticus (4), Staphylococcus epidermidis (3), Staphylococcus hycus (3), Staphylococcus aureus (1), Staphylococcus auriculares (1), Staphylococcus kloosii (1) e Staphylococcus xylosus (1). A espécie S. chromogenes correspondeu a 60% dos isolados do gênero (17 isolados coagularam o plasma de coelho no teste da coagulase em tubo), sendo 83,3% dos isolados (30/36) produtores de biofilme, não estando esse fator de virulência associado ao fenótipo de coagulação do plasma. A identificação desses microrganismos é importante para a elucidação da etiologia da mastite bovina. O alto percentual de S. chromogenes, produtores de biofilme, isolados de vacas com mastite é um achado relevante e pode revelar uma mudança de perfil na colonização de agentes etiológicos causadores dessa enfermidade.

Avaliação da eficiência de cal virgem na inativação de ovos de nematoides - Strongyloides sp.) parasitos de pacas - Cuniculus paca ) criadas em cativeiro

RESUMO Criadores de animais silvestres sempre buscam métodos eficientes de manter sua criação. Parasitos intestinais afetam os animais em cativeiro, diminuindo sua sobrevivência e reprodução. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a eficácia do uso de cal virgem na desinfecção do solo e na prevenção da reinfestação de endoparasitos em pacas (Cuniculus paca) em cativeiro. Amostras de solo das baias de criação foram analisadas usando-se o método de Rugai modificado. Duas etapas foram avaliadas: a primeira aos cinco, 45 e 105 minutos após os tratamentos, e a segunda aos sete dias e aos 14 dias após os tratamentos. Os valores de pH das amostras foram verificados após a aplicação de quatro tratamentos. Foram aplicados 400g/m2 de cal virgem a lanço ou 500mL/m2 de três soluções de cal virgem (10%, 20% ou 40% p/v). Na primeira etapa, a cal a lanço foi ineficaz na modificação do pH do solo e no controle de parasitos. A solução a 10% proporcionou o melhor controle dos parasitos. Na segunda etapa, as soluções foram eficazes na elevação do pH, porém não houve diferença significativa nos achados larvais. Concluiu-se que, nas condições do estudo, a solução a 10% aumentou o pH do solo e teve boa capacidade de inativação dos ovos de Strongyloides sp., o que economicamente é interessante. Porém, para o controle eficiente de Strongyloides sp. em cativeiros de pacas, deve-se considerar a frequência da aplicação de soluções com até 20% de cal, juntamente com a adoção de um programa de vermifugação.

Primeiro registro de Amblyomma geayi (Acari: ixodidae) em preguiça (Bradypus variegatus) no estado do Acre, Amazônia Ocidental: relato de caso

RESUMO O Amblyomma geayi é um carrapato da família Ixodidae, encontrado principalmente em mamíferos e aves silvestres de regiões tropicais da América do Sul. Descreve-se a ocorrência de um carrapato ixodídeo da espécie A. geayi, encontrado em uma preguiça (Bradypus variegatus) proveniente do Parque Zoobotânico da Universidade Federal do Acre, Rio Branco, Acre, Amazônia Ocidental.

Report of the fourth specimen of Amphiorchis solus (Simha & Chattopadhyaya, 1970) Platt, 2002 46 years after the original description

The aim of this paper was to describe the occurrence of the fourth specimen of Amphiorchis solus (Simha & Chattopadhyaya, 1970) Platt, 2002 (Digenea: Spirorchiidae) in a green turtle (Chelonia mydas L.1758) found in northeastern Brazil. Amphiorchis solus is a parasite that has only been reported in green turtles in India, Costa Rica and Brazil. Although the original description was made in 1970, only four specimens (including the one described herein) have been reported in the literature. In this note, we present the second occurrence of A. solus in Brazil, broadening information on the species and providing the first photographic record of this parasite.

Comparison of decontamination methods for primary isolation of Mycobacterium bovis in paucibacillary bovine tissues

AIMS

To compare three decontamination methods applied to paucibacillary samples for primary isolation of Mycobacterium bovis from suspect lesions. Tuberculosis caused by Myco. bovis is an important infectious disease of cattle in Brazil and also has zoonotic potential. Although a national campaign based on testing and slaughtering cattle has achieved good results, there is a strong need to develop better diagnostic methods to identify cattle with recent infections harbouring few bacilli.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A dairy herd (274 adult crossbred cows) located in the state of Rio de Janeiro was tested for tuberculosis with both single intradermal tuberculin test and comparative intradermal tuberculin test. Reactive cows (n=27, 9.8%) were slaughtered and suspect lesions were collected (one sample per cow). Samples considered paucibacillary (based on microscopy) were decontaminated with 0.75% hexadecylpyridinium chloride (HPC), 4% sodium hydroxide (Petroff) or 6% sulphuric acid. Using these methods, 10, five and six, respectively, of the 27 samples yielded positive cultures. Overall, Myco.bovis was isolated from 14 of 24 cows. Although the HPC method resulted in isolation of more Myco.bovis strains than either Petroff or sulphuric acid methods (P=0.015), it did not result in the recovery of Myco.bovis from all samples. However, using both HPC and 6% sulphuric acid methods for decontamination was possible to identify 13 of 14 (92·9%) of infected cows.

CONCLUSIONS

At least two methods should be used concurrently for primary isolation of Myco. bovis from bovine tissues, particularly for paucibacillary samples.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Detection of low numbers of Myco.bovis in tissue is an important goal in optimizing the detection of bovine tuberculosis and should assist in identification of infected cattle, in particular, those with few Myco.bovis bacilli. This was apparently the first study comparing three decontamination methods for the detection of Myco.bovis in paucibacillary samples from naturally infected cattle.

Use of recombinant proteins MPB70 or MPB83 as capture antigens in ELISAs to confirm bovine tuberculosis infections in Brazil

The objective was to evaluate the use of two indirect IgG-ELISA tests (with recombinant proteins MPB70 or MPB83, respectively, as capture antigens) as confirmatory tests for diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis in a herd of naturally infected dairy cows. Results for ELISA-MPB70 and ELISA-MPB83 were similar (kappa statistic=0.92) on Days 0 (day of intradermal injection with purified protein derivatives, PPD), 7, and 21. The kappa statistic between ELISA and the Comparative Intradermal Tuberculin Test, as well as ELISA sensitivity and specificity (relative to culture or PCR as standards) were: 0.7, 34.4% and 75% on Day 0; 0.25, 53.8% and 66.6% on Day 7; and 0.01, 1.8% and 77.7% on Day 21, respectively. In conclusion, although ELISAs using MPB70 or MPB83 as antigens were not reliable indicators of infection status, especially on Days 7 and 21, they were of potential value as complementary tools to intradermal PPD testing.

Efficacy and safety of NT 201 for upper limb spasticity of various etiologies--a randomized parallel-group study

OBJECTIVE

To assess efficacy and safety of two dilutions of botulinum neurotoxin type A NT 201 (Xeomin®) in patients with upper limb spasticity of diverse etiology.

METHODS

Changes in functional disability and muscle tone from baseline to week 4 after NT 201 treatment.

RESULTS

One hundred ninety-two patients with stroke, brain injury, multiple sclerosis, or cerebral palsy were randomized to either 50 or 20 U/ml NT 201 dilutions. The maximum total NT 201 dose was 495 units. Four weeks post-injection, a ≥ 1-point reduction was observed on the Disability Assessment Scale in 57.1%, and on the Ashworth scale in ≥ 62.2% of patients. The 20 U/ml NT 201 dilution was non-inferior to the 50 U/ml NT 201 dilution. Global improvement was rated high by patients (80.2%) and investigators (89.0%).

CONCLUSIONS

NT 201 improved functional disability and muscle tone and was well tolerated in patients with upper limb spasticity of diverse etiology in both dilutions.

Evolutionary relationship between defensins in the Poaceae family strengthened by the characterization of new sugarcane defensins

Plant defensins are small (45-54 amino acids), highly basic, cysteine-rich peptides structurally related to defensins of other organisms, including insects and mammals. Small putative proteins (MW < 10 kDa) containing eight cysteines were screened based on the sugarcane expressed sequence tag (EST) database. We selected ORFs that exhibited 25-100% similarity in primary sequence with other defensins in the NCBI database and that contained eight cysteines. This similarity is sufficient for folding prediction, but not enough for biological activity inference. Six putative defensins (Sd1-6) were selected, and activity assays showed that recombinant Sd1, Sd3 and Sd5 are active against fungi, but not against bacteria. Structural characterization, based on circular dichroism (CD) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy showed that the structures of these Sds were compatible with alpha/beta proteins, a feature expected for plant defensins. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that sugarcane defensins could clearly be grouped within defensins from Poaceae family and Andropogoneae tribe. Our work demonstrates that defensins show strong conservation in the Poaceae family and may indicate that the same conservation occurs in other families. We suggest that evolutionary relationships within plant families can be used as a procedure to predict and annotate new defensins in genomes and group them in evolutionary classes to help in the investigation of their biological function.

Nutritional balancing in fruit flies: performance of wild adult females of Anastrepha obliqua (Diptera: Tephritidae) fed on single-food or food-pair treatments

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of different artificial diets, in which sucrose and brewer's yeast were offered separately (food-pair treatment) or mixed (single-food treatment), on the regulation of nutrient ingestion and the performance of wild adult females of Anastrepha obliqua. The amount of diet consumed by females of A. obliqua increased as the concentration of yeast in the diet increased, revealing a phagostimulant effect of yeast. The amount of sucrose ingested was constant in all groups, showing that these flies regulate the ingestion of sucrose. Longevity and production of eggs/female were similar in both groups. Our results suggest that A. obliqua females regulate the ingestion of nutrients to obtain an adequate performance. Dietary self-selective behavior was more efficient for the females of A. obliqua than feeding on a single-food, because the self-selecting flies ingested less food and had a similar performance as the ones fed on the single-food treatment.

Evaluation of food safety education for consumers

Traditionally, nutrition educators have used a fairly global approach to teach food safety by teaching a broad range of safe food handling behaviors in the expectation that this will lead to the avoidance of foodborne illness. This approach can be confusing and lead to evaluation data that are difficult to interpret. This article suggests that food safety education and evaluation in the future be organized around five behavioral constructs: practice personal hygiene, cook foods adequately, avoid cross-contamination, keep foods at safe temperatures, and avoid food from unsafe sources. These five constructs are derived from data on actual outbreaks and estimated incidences of foodborne illness. Research is needed to establish reliable and valid evaluation measures for these five behavioral constructs. Evaluation instruments can be tailored to fit specific education programs. If evaluation instruments focus on these five behavior areas, the result will be meaningful evaluation data that can be more easily summarized across food safety education programs for consumers.

Cyclin D1 expression in dysplastic nevi: an immunohistochemical study

OBJECTIVE

We previously surveyed cyclin D1 expression in common acquired nevi, Spitz nevi, and malignant melanomas and reported that benign nevi maintain a zonal pattern of cyclin D1 expression, in contrast with malignant melanomas. Our aim was to extend those observations by examining cyclin D1 expression in dysplastic nevi.

METHODS

Cyclin D1 overexpression in 23 dysplastic nevi was detected by an immunohistochemical technique. The extent of atypia of the nevi was graded as mild, moderate, or severe, using previously established criteria.

RESULTS

Cyclin D1 overexpression in dysplastic nevi maintained a zonal pattern, similar to Spitz nevi. Cyclin D1 overexpression was greatest in the region of the epidermal-dermal junction and was significantly less prominent in the papillary and reticular dermis, suggesting that cyclin D1 expression is under cell control and correlates with maturation of nevus cells. Cyclin D1 overexpression also correlated with cytologic atypia, as dysplastic nevi with moderate or severe cytologic atypia contained a greater percentage of cyclin D1-positive cells than did nevi with mild atypia. Six dysplastic nevi with many cyclin D1--positive cells were assessed by fluorescence in situ hybridization studies using cyclin D1--specific and chromosome 11 centromeric probes. In all cases, there was no evidence of 11q13 translocation, amplification, or trisomy of chromosome 11.

CONCLUSIONS

Cyclin D1 may be involved in the pathogenesis of dysplastic nevi. Cyclin D1 overexpression does not appear to be explained by cyclin D1 locus amplification or translocation in most cases, and it may be a result of other cell abnormalities that up-regulate the protein level of cyclin D1.

The molluscicidal activity of the latex of Euphorbia splendens var. hislopii on Melanoides tuberculata (Thiaridae), a snail associated with habitats of Biomphalaria glabrata (Planorbidae)

The use of the latex of Euphorbia splendens var. hislopii was considered as an effective control method for Biomphalaria glabrata in Sumidouro, Rio de Janeiro. However, the appearance and expansion of the snail Melanoides tuberculata since August 1997, with the concomitant reduction of the population of B. glabrata suggest that competitive exclusion might be taking place. Depending on the susceptibility of the thiarid to the E. splendens toxin, the natural control that is occurring could be interrupted by the employment of the latex if the planorbid were less susceptible to the toxin. The aim of this study is to investigate the molluscicidal activity of the latex on M. tuberculata. We used 420 M. tuberculata, from Sumidouro. Fourteen different latex concentrations were tested using World Health Organization general methodology. Probit analysis was used for LD90 and LD50 determination. The LD50 was 3.57 mg/l and LD90 was 6.22 mg/l. At the highest concentration (10 mg/l) there was no survival. No significant differences among replicas (chi2 = 8.31; gl = 13; p > 0.05) were found. The LD90 dose for M. tuberculata was 13.8 times greater than that for B. glabrata, so that the molluscicide in the presence of the thiarid may have a synergic effect on reduction of Biomphalaria populations.

[Transverse myelitis]

The authors report three clinical cases of acute transverse myelitis in young patients with emphasis given to the seriousness of this kind of pathology, the need to exclude a potentially treatable cause and the controversial corticosteroid treatment.

[Oral presentation of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Literature review apropos of a clinical case]

The author makes a review of Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma and Oral Presentations, and includes a case report of the Oral and Maxilo-Facial Surgery of the Snt. António's Hospital--Porto.