Maria José dos Santos Fernandes

Richness of endophytic fungi isolated from Opuntia ficus-indica Mill. (Cactaceae) and preliminary screening for enzyme production

Opuntia ficus-indica Mill. (forage cactus) is farmed with relative success in the semi-arid region of the Brazilian northeast for commercial purposes, particularly as forage and food. Endophytic microorganisms are those that can be isolated inside plant tissues and can be a new source to production of enzymes with different potentialities. The objective of this study was to describe the richness of endophytic fungi from O. ficus-indica and to detect the capacity of these species to produce extracellular hydrolytic enzymes. Forty-four endophytic fungi species were isolated. Among them, the most commonly found were Cladosporium cladosporioides (20.43%) and C. sphaerospermum (15.99%). Acremonium terricola,Monodictys castaneae, Penicillium glandicola, Phoma tropica and Tetraploa aristata are being reported for the first time as endophytic fungi for Brazil. The majority of isolated fungi exhibited enzymatic potential. Aspergillus japonicus and P. glandicola presented pectinolytic activity. Xylaria sp. was the most important among the other 14 species with positive cellulase activity. All 24 isolates analysed were xylanase-positive. Protease was best produced by isolate PF103. The results indicate that there is a significant richness of endophytic fungi in O. ficus-indica, and that these isolates indicate promising potential for deployment in biotechnological processes involving production of pectinases, cellulases, xylanases and proteases.

Avaliação clínica e micológica de onicomicose em pacientes brasileiros com HIV/AIDS

INTRODUCAO: Onicomicoses sao comuns em pacientes imunocomprometidos embora especies emergentes tenham sido verificadas, modificado o perfil epidemiologico desta micose. Assim, o objetivo desta pesquisa e avaliar o perfil clinico e micologico da onicomicose em pacientes com infeccao pelo HIV/AIDS. METODOS: Amostras clinicas foram coletadas, processados para exame direto e a cultura mantida a temperatura de 30°C e 37oC durante 15 dias. RESULTADOS: Dos 100 pacientes, 32 apresentavam onicomicose. Os agentes isolados foram Candida albicans, C. parapsilosis, C. tropicalis, C. guilliermondii, Trichophyton rubrum, T. mentagrophytes, Fusarium solani, Scytalidium hialinum, S. japonicum, Aspergillus niger, Cylindrocarpon destructans e Phialophora reptans. CONCLUSOES: Onicomicoses em HIV/AIDS apresentam variadas manifestacoes clinicas e podem ser causadas por fungos emergentes. As peculiaridades apresentadas pelos diferentes agentes de origem fungica justificam a necessidade de identificacao ao nivel da especie, com a finalidade de orientar uma melhor abordagem terapeutica e minimizar a exposicao desses pacientes a condicoes de risco de uma infeccao disseminada.

Culturable fungal diversity of shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei boone from breeding farms in Brazil

Litopenaeus vannamei, which is the most common shrimp species cultivated in the northeast of Brazil, is very susceptible to microbial diseases, and this consequently affects productivity. There are reports of bacteria, viruses and protozoa in these shrimp, but not fungi. This study aims to isolate and identify fungi present in shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei, and in their nursery waters, at two breeding farms in Brazil. The pathogenic potential of the isolates was assessed through the qualitative detection of proteases and aflatoxin B production. The 146 isolated fungi comprised 46 species. Aspergillus, Penicillium and Furarium were the three most relevant genera and Aspergillus flavus was the predominant species with a total of 33 isolates. Most of the isolated species are known as potentially pathogenic to humans and other animals. Eighteen isolates of A. flavus and two of A. parasiticus were able to produce aflatoxin B and 33 out of the 46 species produced protease, indicating that these fungi may also become pathogenic to shrimp and their consumers.

Hyphomycetes from soil of an area affected by copper mining activities in the State of Bahia, Brazil

With the aim of observing the impact produced by copper-mining activities on soil fungi, samples were collected from an area at the Caraiba Mining, in the State of Bahia, Brazil. This area was divided in six sub-areas: one had native vegetation and was used as control, while the others varied according to degrees of impact. The samples, collected during the dry and the rainy seasons, were submitted to serial dilutions and placed on Petri dishes with Sabouraud medium plus antibiotic. Sixty five species and 16 genera of Hyphomycetes were identified: Acremonium, Acrophialophora, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Chrysosporium, Curvularia, Fusarium, Humicola, Malbranchea, Myrothecium, Paecilomyces, Penicillium, Scolecobasidium, Staphylotrichum, Stilbella and Trichoderma.Acrophialophora levis, Crhysosporium merdarium, Curvularia verruculosa, Malbranchea chrysosporoidea, Penicillium adametzii, Staphylotrichum coccosporum and Stilbella sebacea were isolated for the first time in Brazil.

Identification and characterization of filamentous fungi isolated from the sunflower (Helianthus annus L.) rhizosphere according to their capacity to hydrolyse inulin

Fungos filamentosos capazes de hidrolisar inulina tem sido isolados de rizosfera de plantas que acumulam esse polissacarideo nas raizes. Este estudo compreendeu o isolamento e identificacao de fungos filamentosos do solo utilizado para o cultivo do girassol e da rizosfera de girassol cultivado em campo e em casa de vegetacao, a fim de verificar se ha variacao na diversidade destes fungos ao longo do ciclo de vida da planta. O fungos foram tambem caracterizados quanto a capacidade de hidrolisar inulina. Das quarenta e nove especies de fungos filamentosos isoladas, Penicillium e Aspergillus foram os generos que apresentaram maior numero de especies, nove e sete, respectivamente. No final do ciclo de vida do girassol, cultivado tanto em campo quanto em casa de vegetacao, foi isolado um menor numero de especies. Cento e cinquenta e nove amostras de fungos filamentosos, isoladas do solo e da rizosfera de girassol e destas 79 (49,7%) foram capazes de hidrolisar inulina. Nao houve diferenca significativa quanto a proporcao de especies capazes ou nao de hidrolisar esse polissacarideo, ao longo do ciclo de vida do girassol, cultivado tanto em campo quanto em casa de vegetacao. Embora a rizosfera de girassol seja uma fonte de fungos filamentosos capazes de hidrolisar inulina, que podem ser utilizados em processos biotecnologicos, ela nao atua de modo a concentrar fungos com esta caracteristica. Especies de Aspergillus, Chaetomium, Cunninghamella, Emericela, Eupenicillium, Fusarium, Myrothecium, Neosartorya, Neocosmospora, Penicillium and Thielavia estao sendo relatados pela primeira vez como produtores de inulinase.

Fungos filamentosos isolados de produtos derivados do milho comercializados em Recife, Pernambuco

Filamentous fungi isolated from corn derived products). The diversity of filamentous fungi was investigated in three corn derived products: corn meal, corn starch and pre-cooked corn flour. For isolation it was used the plating method, in surface and in depth, with Dichloran Rose Bengal Chloramphenicol Medium (DRBC). Twenty three species of fungi, belonging to eight genera were identified. The highest percentage of species was found in corn meal (47%) followed by corn starch (29.5%) and pre-cooked corn flour (23.5%). Aspergillus flavus Link, Fusarium moniliforme Sheldon, Penicillium funiculosum Thom and P. duclauxii Delacroix were found in all substrates; Penicillium brevicompactum Dierckx was present in corn meal and corn starch, while P. aurantiogriseum Dierckx and Rhizopus oryzae Went & Prinsen Geerlings were detected in corn meal and pre-cooked corn flour. Fusarium moniliforme formed the highest number of colonies forming units (352). Monascus ruber van Tieghen is being cited for the first time to Brazil, in processed corn. Species of Absidia, Aspergillus, Curvularia, Emericella, Fusarium, Monascus, Penicillium and Rhizopus have been mentioned as contaminant of corn derived products.

Epidemiological correlation between keratinophilic fungi isolated from soil and dermatomycosis agents

This study had the aim of isolating and identifying keratinophilic fungi from soil and correlating them with dermatomycosis agents. According to our results, the predominance of Trichophyton tonsurans as a dermatomycosis agent among children in the city of Recife, PE, is probably due to childrens greater contact with soil.

Filamentous fungi isolated from Candeias Beach, Pernambuco, Brazil

The main purpose of this study was the isolation and identification of the filamentous mycobiota present on soil and water samples from Candeias Beach, Pernambuco, Brazil. Sampling of soil and water was carried out four times at three randomly chosen spots along the beach, during the rainy and dry seasons, during the low tide. From each soil sample, a suspension was prepared with 50 g of soil diluted in 90 mL of sterilized distilled water and 1mL was spread in Petri dishes with Sabouraud Agar with Chloramphenicol. Out of each water sample 0,5mL was taken and put in sowed triplicate Petri dishes containing Sabouraud Chloramphenicol Agar. A total of 57 species of filamentous fungi are reported, comprising of 19 genera. Aspergillus and Penicillium were the most abundant and diverse genera. Penicillium diversum and Varicosporium elodeae are the first to be recorded in Latin America and Brazilian northeast, respectively.