Waldesse Piragé de Oliveira Junior

Diagnosis of Leishmania (Leishmania) chagasi infection in dogs and the relationship with environmental and sanitary aspects in the municipality of Palmas, state of Tocantins, Brazil

INTRODUCTION The aim of the present study was to identify the presence of Leishmania (Leishmania) chagasi infection in dogs in the City of Palmas, Tocantins, Brazil, using the PCR technique to list the hot spots of infected dogs in the city and associate their occurrence to significant environmental changes at capture sites. METHODS DNA was extracted from blood of dogs, and the PCR were performed with primers RV1/RV2. After screening the population studied, the regions of the city that had the highest occurrence of canine infection were detected. These sites were visited, and ecological parameters denoting anthropogenic disturbance were evaluated. RESULTS Some important features were listed in the regions visited, such as low urbanization, lack of public collection of sewage, limited garbage collection, vacant lots with tall vegetation, decaying organic matter, and, most importantly, the occurrence of stray dogs and poultry in homes. CONCLUSIONS The methodology for screening the population was very efficient, especially in evaluating a large number of individuals in a short time, with a high degree of automation. The results indicate an association between the observed parameters and the occurrence of infection in dogs. The model presented in the city is ideal for studies of disease progression and expansion and for the evaluation of control measures adopted for canine VL.

Molecular and parasitological detection of Leishmania spp. in dogs caught in Palmas, TO, Brazil.

This study evaluated occurrences of Leishmania infantum in dogs in the municipality of Palmas, Tocantins, comparing diagnostic data obtained using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and parasitological diagnosis. Blood samples and lymph node aspirates were collected from 63 dogs of males and females and various ages and races, with or without owners, between August 2009 and June 2010. Slides containing smears of lymph node aspirates were stained with Giemsa stained. In PCR, the 145 bp target sequence of the LT1 fragment, located in the Leishmania donovani kDNA minicircle was detected using the RV1 and RV2 oligonucleotide primers. The chi-square test revealed that there was a significant relationship between the symptoms and dogs that were positive for visceral leishmaniasis (VL). The parasitological investigation showed concordance of 66.7% with PCR on blood and 84.1% with PCR on lymph node aspirate. In addition to these tests, evaluations of the diagnoses in parallel and in series were conducted, which showed concordances with the parasitological test of 76.2% and 74.6%, respectively. The results make it possible to suggest that PCR on lymph nodes should be used in evaluating large populations (surveys) and that the parasitological test should be used for initial clinical evaluations in veterinary consultation offices.

Variabilidade fenotípica e divergência genética em clones de batata doce no estado do Tocantins

In order to evaluate the phenotypic variability and genetic divergence between 50 clones of the sweet potato, a test was conducted at the Experimental Station of the Federal Universidade of Tocantins, Palmas Campus, in the agricultural year of 2009/2010. The genetic diversity was assessed using the Tocher grouping optimization method. The characteristics studied were productivity, dry matter production, starch content and ethanol yield. The Tocher optimization method separated the clones into eight genetically distinct groups. The characteristics of productivity (70.15%) and ethanol yield (15.06%) were those that most affected genetic divergence among the clones. The presence of genetic variability permitted the identification of dissimilar cultivars with a high average, indicating the possibility of selecting superior genotypes for the traits studied. The Duda x 22.19, Marcela x 22.19, Barbara x 22:19, Duda x Barbara, Amanda x 22:19, Amanda x Marcela crossbreeds are those which are promising for obtaining divergent hybrids.

Genetic divergence and phosphorus use efficiency in the soybean with a view to biodiesel production

The soybean has an important role in the area of biodiesel, due to having a productive potential and technical feasibility able to meet the growing demand for renewable fuels. In the agricultural year of 2009/10, four competitive trials of soybean cultivars were carried out, two on the Campus of Palmas University and the other two on the University Campus at Gurupi, with a study of genetic divergence being undertaken. At each location, the cultivars were trained under conditions of both high and low phosphorus (150 kg ha -1 P 2 O 5 and 30 kg ha -1 P 2 O 5 respectively). The experimental design employed for each trial was of randomised blocks with three replications and 11 treatments. The percentage of oil as a characteristic was studied, and the efficiency of phosphorus usage by the cultivars determined employing the methodology adapted from Fischer (1983). Genetic divergence was evaluated using multivariate procedures: the generalised Mahalanobis distance and Tochers optimisation method for clustering. In the study of genetic divergence, each test represented a distinct variable in the multivariate model. The cultivars M-SOY 9350, M 8766RR and BR/EMGOPA 314 are the most suitable for the production of biodiesel. The hybrids M 8766RR x M 9056RR, BR/EMGOPA 314 x M 9056RR, P98R91 x M 9056RR are promising for obtaining segregating populations to be used for their oil content.

Evaluation of the antiplasmodial and leishmanicidal potential of Myrciaria dubia (Myrtaceae) extract

INTRODUCTION: Malaria and leishmaniasis are prevalent in tropical regions, which have environmental characteristics that are highly favorable to protozoa and vectors of these diseases; the transmission of these infections in sub-tropical regions, although recognized, represents only a small fraction of cases. Plants are constantly being used in the search for and acquisition of new drugs, and many compounds derived from them have been used to combat various diseases. In this study, we evaluated the action of the dichloromethanolic extract of Myrciaria dubia leaves against the protozoa Plasmodium falciparum, Leishmania amazonensis, Leishmania braziliensis, and Leishmania chagasi through bioassays. METHODS The extract from M. dubia was tested for its anti-P. falciparum activity in an anti-histidine-rich protein II immunosorbent assay. The antileishmanial assays were performed using the resazurin method, while cytotoxicity against human hepatoma (HepG2) strain was determined using the colorimetric MTT [3-(4, 5-dimethyl-2- thiazolyl)-2, 5-diphenyl-2H tetrazolium bromide] method. RESULTS The M. dubia extract presented a half-maximal inhibitory concentration equal to 2.35 (1.05)μg/mL for P. falciparum, 190.73 (6.41) μg/mL for L. amazonensis, and greater than equal to 200µg/mL for L. chagasi and L. braziliensis strains. The cytotoxic concentration for 50% of the cells was above 500μg/mL for HepG2, indicating no toxicity and greater selectivity against parasites. CONCLUSIONS The results obtained indicate the presence of antiplasmodial and leishmanicidal bioactive compounds in the dichloromethanolic extracts of M. dubia leaves, and point towards future studies to elucidate the mechanism of action for each physiological effect.

Population Genetic Structure of the Threatened Amazon River Turtle, Podocnemis sextuberculata (Testudines, Podocnemididae)

Abstract Podocnemis sextuberculata (Pleurodira: Podocnemididae) is widely distributed throughout the Amazon drainage basin in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. Telemetry and previous molecular data suggest that P. sextuberculata lacks population structure in the central Amazon basin of Brazil. Generalization of these results, however, requires much-broader sampling across a range of habitats of this broadly distributed species. For this reason, we tested the hypothesis of panmixia in P. sextuberculata, analyzing a total of 319 specimens sequenced for the mitochondrial control region. Our sampling included localities from 16 areas in the Amazon basin from rivers characteristic of the Amazon basin (whitewater), clearwater rivers of the Guiana shield (Branco, Trombetas, and Nhamundá rivers), and the Brazilian shield (Xingu River). The hypothesis of panmixia was rejected because the results of analysis of molecular variance, pairwise ФST, and Bayesian analysis of population structure indicated population structure in the group of individuals from the locality of Xingu which was not correlated to a pattern of isolation by distance. We suggest that the populations of P. sextuberculata of the Brazilian Amazon basin are composed of 2 management units, one represented by populations restricted to the Xingu River and the other represented by all other populations. The population of the Xingu should be viewed with attention and concern, especially considering the direct and indirect impacts of damming the Xingu River.

Structure of the fungal community in the agricultural system in upland and native area Cerrado

The Cerrado is the second largest biome in the country by area, located mainly in the central highlands of Brazil. Few details about the effect of managements in Cerrado soils that characterize the specific function of this soil biota in sustainable development of their fertility. Even with the lack of information on species of soil fungi in the Cerrado, there are few studies aimed to contribute to the knowledge related to fungi in this biome. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of agriculture tecnificada in fungal community structure of soil, using independent techniques of cultivation, as well as compare the structural similarity of the fungal community present in an agricultural soil and an area of native Cerrado. The 20 soil samples were collected in an area of high land (municipality of Paraiso - TO), at the beginning of planting (dec/2012) and next harvest of soybean (feb/2013). For DNA extraction, we used the Kit Power Soil DNA Extraction™(MoBio Laboratories, Carlsbad, CA). Reactions PCR/ARISA were prepared to a final volume of 25 μL according Sequerra at al. 1997. The ARISA technique was made into a sequencer ABI PRISM 3100 Genetic Analyzer (Applied Biosystems). To check the electropherograms was used PeakScanner program version 1.0 (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA). The quantification using the NanoDrop ® 2000 Thermo Scientific, showed that extraction was successful and the DNAs were in good quality. In a visual analysis of the electropherograms, we observed a clear difference in the structure of the fungal community in the agricultural environment and the native area. It is possible to note the presence of peaks that appear in the electropherogram of an environment and that are not present in the other, reflecting AFLs unique in environment. In the analysis of the wealth of AFLs, fungal community showed greater wealth in the native environment, this area also showed the highest number of AFLs unique. The ANOSIM analysis showed that, in general, the fungal community is differed from the agricultural and native environment in both samplings. Thus, this environments studied are characterized by an electropherogram, showing the potential of the ARISA technique to discriminate community structure soil fungi. The observed divergences in fungal community structure reflect differences in the environments evaluated, often due to the physico-chemical differences of each soil.

Study of females of Podocnemis unifilis (Tracajá) (Troschel, 1848) in areas between Xambioá-TO, Antonina-PA and Tucuruí-PA, by molecular tools

Background The turtles are usually associated with low substitution of individuals in the population because they have longer life than any other vertebrates. The order Testudines or Chelonia, the oldest among all vertebrates, comprising the turtles, terrestrial, marine and freshwater. These have as main characteristics, low growth rates and long periods required for mature, causing many turtles are vulnerable to extinction. Like other turtles, P. unifilis, popularly known as tracaja, leaves long-lived animals with late sexual maturity, characterized by a small mortality of adult animals, but high mortality rate of embryos and hatchlings, with natural predation as one of the most important factors of low hatching success of these species. This species is one of the most important representatives of the fauna of the Amazon turtle, but their eggs, meat and offal provide food for local communities, and have their hooves used as adornment and household items. The implementation of large hydropower enterprise cause many environmental damage. The scientific emphasis in EIA/RIMA should be held primarily in the study of special targets, and should take into account the genetic structure of populations. Mitochondrial molecular markers have particular maternal characteristics and high rates variation, which allow us to analyze the behavior of populations. The deployment of hydropower modifies the natural habitat of the turtles, which have difficulty in adapting. This work aimed to study the genetic structure of populations of P. unifilis analyzing the behavior of females in conditions of ambient modified by Tucurui, and Antonina-PA and Xambioa-TO, where will be built the dam of Santa Isabel. Methods We performed the sequencing of fragments of the control region of mitochondrial DNA, generating data of gene diversity and nucleotide, numbers of haplotypes and segregating sites, AMOVA, levels of structuring by pairwise comparison of FST and Mantel test in ARLEQUIN program. Clades were grouped checked by software Treefinder and the haplotype tree was held at hapview software.