Maria Cristina S. Lourenço

Synthesis and in vitro antitubercular activity of a series of quinoline derivatives.

A series of 33 quinoline derivatives have been synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro antibacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H(37)Rv using the Alamar Blue susceptibility test and the activity expressed as the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) in microg/mL. Compounds 5e and 5f exhibited a significant activity at 6.25 and 3.12 microg/mL, respectively, when compared with first line drugs such as ethambutol and could be a good starting point to develop new lead compounds in the fight against multi-drug resistant tuberculosis.

Comparison of Flow Cytometric and Alamar Blue Tests with the Proportional Method for Testing Susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to Rifampin and Isoniazid

ABSTRACT The performance of flow cytometry and the microplate Alamar Blue assay in determining susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was assessed by testing 150 Brazilian isolates. The overall agreement was 97.3 and 98% for isoniazid and 94.7 and 100% for rifampin by flow cytometry and MABA, respectively. This study was entirely done in a developing country.

Synthesis and antitubercular activity of palladium and platinum complexes with fluoroquinolones

The fluoroquinolones are an important family of synthetic antimicrobial agents being clinically used over the past thirty years. In addition, some fluoroquinolones have been used in the development of anticancer drugs, and others have demonstrated anti-HIV activity. Furthermore, there has been some additional work investigating the effect of metal ions on biological activity. Aiming to obtain novel palladium(II) and platinum(II) complexes that exhibit biological activity, we have synthesized complexes using fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, ofloxacin, sparfloxacin, and gatifloxacin) as ligands. The compounds were characterized using IR and NMR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric and elemental analyses. The complexes show activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain H(37)Rv. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the complexes was determined.

Epidemic of surgical-site infections by a single clone of rapidly growing mycobacteria in Brazil

AIM Our aim is to investigate if the clusters of postsurgical mycobacterial infections, reported between 2004 and 2008 in seven geographically distant states in Brazil, were caused by a single mycobacterial strain. MATERIALS & METHODS Available information from 929 surgical patients was obtained from local health authorities. A total of 152 isolates from surgical patients were identified by PCR restriction enzyme analysis of the hsp65 gene (PRA-hsp65) and sequencing of the rpoB gene. Isolates were typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) using two restriction enzymes, DraI and AseI. A total of 15 isolates not related to surgical cases were analyzed for comparison. RESULTS All isolates were identified as Mycobacterium abscessus ssp. massiliense. Isolates from surgical patients and one sputum isolate grouped in a single PFGE cluster, composed of two closely related patterns, with one band difference. A total of 14 other isolates unrelated to surgical cases showed distinctive PFGE patterns. CONCLUSION A particular strain of M. abscessus ssp. massiliense was associated with a prolonged epidemic of postsurgical infections in seven Brazilian states, suggesting that this strain may be distributed in Brazilian territory and better adapted to cause surgical-site infections.

Impact and Cost-Effectiveness of Culture for Diagnosis of Tuberculosis in HIV-Infected Brazilian Adults

Background Culture of Mycobacterium tuberculosis currently represents the closest “gold standard” for diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB), but operational data are scant on the impact and cost-effectiveness of TB culture for human immunodeficiency (HIV-) infected individuals in resource-limited settings. Methodology/Principal Findings We recorded costs, laboratory results, and dates of initiating TB therapy in a centralized TB culture program for HIV-infected patients in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, constructing a decision-analysis model to estimate the incremental cost-effectiveness of TB culture from the perspective of a public-sector TB control program. Of 217 TB suspects presenting between January 2006 and March 2008, 33 (15%) had culture-confirmed active tuberculosis; 23 (70%) were smear-negative. Among smear-negative, culture-positive patients, 6 (26%) began TB therapy before culture results were available, 11 (48%) began TB therapy after culture result availability, and 6 (26%) did not begin TB therapy within 180 days of presentation. The cost per negative culture was US

Synthesis, antitubercular activity, and SAR study of N-substituted-phenylamino-5-methyl-1H-1,2,3-triazole-4-carbohydrazides

17.52 (solid media)–

Synthesis and antitubercular activity of 7-chloro-4-quinolinylhydrazones derivatives

23.50 (liquid media). Per 1,000 TB suspects and compared with smear alone, TB culture with solid media would avert an estimated eight TB deaths (95% simulation interval [SI]: 4, 15) and 37 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) (95% SI: 13, 76), at a cost of

Synthesis and evaluation of 1-alkyl-4-phenyl-[1,2,3]-triazole derivatives as antimycobacterial agent

36 (95% SI:

Screening of Central and South American plant extracts for antimycobacterial activity by the Alamar Blue test

25,

Experimental and theoretical NMR determination of isoniazid and sodium p-sulfonatocalix(n)arenes inclusion complexes

50) per TB suspect or