Jucimar Zacaria

Nematicidal activity of monoterpenoids against the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita.

ABSTRACT Nematicidal activity of 22 monoterpenoids were evaluated in vitro and in pot experiments. Twenty of the twenty-two monoterpenoids significantly reduced hatching, and 11 reduced J2 mobility of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita at a concentration of 250 mg/liter. In general, compounds with hydroxyl and carbonyl groups exhibited higher nematicidal activity than other terpenoids. Borneol, carveol, citral, geraniol, and alpha-terpineol showed the highest nematicidal activity among the in vitro tested monoterpenoids. These compounds exhibited a dose dependent effect, and drastically reduced eggs hatching and J2 viability at low concentrations. These monoterpenoids, at 100 and 250 mg/kg concentration, diminished root galling of tomato plants in pot experiments. The results suggest that the selected monoterpenoids, and essential oils with high concentration of these compounds, are potential nematicides against Meloidogyne.

The Effect of Monoterpenes on Swarming Differentiation and Haemolysin Activity in Proteus mirabilis

Urinary tract infection by Proteus mirabilis depends on several virulence properties that are coordinately regulated with swarming differentiation. Here we report the antibacterial and anti-swarming effect of seventeen terpenoids, and the effect of sub-inhibitory concentrations of five selected terpenoids on swarming, biofilm formation and haemolysin activity. The results showed that all the terpenes evaluated, particularly oxygenated terpenoids, inhibited P. mirabilis with MIC values ranging between 3 and 10 mg/L. Moreover, citral, citronellol and geraniol effectively inhibit P. mirabilis swarming in a dose dependent manner, reducing swimming/swarming cell differentiation and haemolysin activity at 1/10 MIC concentration. The inhibition of P. mirabilis swarming and virulence factor expression by selected oxygenated terpenoids suggest that essential oils with high concentration of these compounds have the potential to be developed as products for preventing P. mirabilis infections.

Comparison of PCR-based molecular markers for the characterization of Proteus mirabilis clinical isolates

Proteus mirabilis is one of the most important pathogens associated with complicated urinary tract infections (acute pyelonephritis, bladder infections, kidney stones) and bacteremia, affecting patients with anatomical abnormalities, immunodeficiency, and long-term urinary catheterization. For epidemiological purposes, various molecular typing methods, such as pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) or ribotyping, have been developed for this pathogen. However, these methods are labor intensive and time-consuming. We evaluated the discriminatory power of several PCR-based fingerprinting methods (RAPD, ISSR, ERIC-PCR, BOX-PCR and rep-PCR) for P. mirabilis clinical isolates. Typing patterns and clustering analysis indicated that RAPD, BOX-PCR and ERIC-PCR differentiated P. mirabilis strains from Escherichia coli, Hafnia alvei, and Morganella morganii. With the exception of rep-PCR, the methods gave medium to high discriminatory efficiency in P. mirabilis. In general, the results obtained with RAPD, BOX-PCR and ERIC-PCR were in good agreement. We concluded that a combination of ERIC-PCR and BOX-PCR results is a rapid and reliable alternative for discrimination among P. mirabilis clinical isolates, contributing to epidemiological studies.

Diversity of extracellular proteases among Aeromonas determined by zymogram analysis

Aims:  The current research was aimed at comparing extracellular proteolytic activities and zymogram profiles among Aeromonas spp.

Degradation of citronellol, citronellal and citronellyl acetate by Pseudomonas mendocina IBPse 105

The purpose of this work was to stud the biodegradation of citronellol, citronellal and citronellyl acetate by a soil Pseudomonas mendocina strain (IBPse 105) isolated from a Cymbopogon windelandi field. This strain efficiently used citronellol, citronellal, citronellyl acetate and myrcene as sole source of carbon, but was not able to grow on other 15 monoterpenoids evaluated. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of metabolites accumulation during P. medocina IBPse 105 growth on citronellol showed that this strain uses the citronellol catabolic pathway described for other species of the genus. IBPse 105 degradation of citronellyl acetate initiates by its hydrolysis to citronellol. The mini-Tn5 insertion in mutant IBPse 105-303, impaired in citronellol degradation, but able to grow on citronellal, was located in a homologous of the P. aeruginosa atuB gene, that codifies citronellol deshydrogenase.

Chemical Variations on the Essential Oils of Cunila spicata Benth. (Lamiaceae), an Aromatic and Medicinal Plant From South Brazil

Abstract Volatile oils from aerial parts of 10 Brazilian accessions of Cunila spicata were characterized by analytical gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy. Twenty-three constituents accounting for 89.04–98.00% of the total essential oil were identified. Four new chemotypes of this species with high concentrations of linalool/1,8-cineole, 1,8-cineole, carvone/carveol, and 1,8-cineole/limonene were identified. Geographically, all the accessions from the Southeast range of Rio Grande do Sul State belonged to the linalool/1,8-cineole chemotype, where those from the Northeast mountains of the State were distributed in the four chemical groups.

A rapid and reliable method for the clonal isolation of Acanthamoeba from environmental samples

Acanthamoeba are abundant in a wide range of environments, and some species are responsible for cutaneous infections, keratitis, and granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE). The conventional detection and isolation of amoeba from clinical and environmental samples involves sampling and culture on non-nutrient Agar medium. Although efficient, this system requires several transfers in order to eliminate contaminants, and is not appropriate for the isolation of individual amoeba from samples with a biodiverse community. In this study we propose an alternative method for the isolation of monocystic clones of Acanthamoeba. The propose method involves sampling, enrichment, encystment induction, and direct cysts micromanipulation and culture on Agar plates.