Priscila Dallé da Rosa

Enhancement of microbial oil production by alpha-linolenic acid producing Yarrowia lipolytica strains QU22 and QU137

Microbial oils enriched in essential polyunsaturated fatty acids can be used as nutritional complements. In order to improve the lipid yields and lipid profiles of 2 Yarrowia lipolytica strains, the effects of medium components and culture conditions were investigated using shake flasks. Under optimized conditions (cultivation for 3 days at 25oC and 150 rpm, using peptone as a nitrogen source and glucose as a carbon source), the biomass, lipid yield, and lipid content reached 6.75 g/L, 3.48 g/L, and 51.55% for Y. lipolytica QU22, and 6.85 g/L, 3.52 g/L, and 51.38% for Y. lipolytica QU137, respectively. Using a shaking speed of 150 rpm, unsaturated fatty acids constituted 87.96% (QU22) and 87.08% (QU137) of the total lipids produced by these strains, with 9.52 and 7.86% of alpha-linolenic acid, respectively. The strains are suitable candidates for fermentation processes involving essential polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) production.

Antifungal Susceptibility, Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Lasiodiplodia theobromae Isolated from a Patient with Keratitis

Lasiodiplodia theobromae is a rare ocular pathogen. We report a patient with fungal keratitis caused by L. theobromae. The patient was a 75-year-old male, a farmer with diabetes type II, and no previous history of ocular trauma. Histopathology analysis revealed the presence fungi invading Descemet’s membrane of the cornea. The fungus was characterized by septate, highly bulged fungal filaments involving full corneal thickness in the corresponding histopathology specimens. A dematiaceous mold was isolated and initally identified as L. theobromae by microscopic and macroscopic morphology, and further confirmed by PCR-based determination of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of ribosomal DNA. Antifungal susceptibility tests showed sensitivity to amphotericin B (AMB) and voriconazole ( VRC), and resistance to other azoles, including itraconazole (ITC) and fluconazole (FLC). Corneal transplant was performed. Despite in vitro itraconazole resistance, the patient was successfully treated with oral itraconazole, topical voriconazole and natamycin, combined with ocular injections of amphotericin B and voriconazole.