Global Medicine, Parasites, and Tasmania

Until the 1970s, infectious disease training in most medical schools was limited to those diseases common in the area of instruction. Those wishing to explore a more globalised curriculum were encouraged to undertake specialist postgraduate training at schools or institutes of tropical medicine. However, the increase in global trade and travel from the 1970s onward led to dramatic changes in the likelihood of returning travellers and new immigrants presenting with tropical infections in temperate regions. Furthermore, population growth and the changing relationships between animals, the environment, and man in agriculture accentuated the importance of a wider understanding of emerging infectious diseases, zoonotic diseases and parasitic infections. These epidemiological facts were not adequately reflected in the medical literature or medical curriculum at the time. The orientation on tropical infections needed specialised attention, including instruction on diagnosis and treatment of such infections. We describe key global health events and how the changing field of global medicine, from the 1970s to early 2000, impacted on medical education and research. We describe the impact of global health changes in the Tasmanian context, a temperate island state of Australia. We retrospectively analysed data of patients diagnosed with parasites and present a list of endemic and non-endemic parasites reported during this period. Finally, we reflect on the new approaches to the changing needs of global health and challenges that medical programmes, learners and educators face today

Potential of non-pathogenic Fusarium oxysporum isolates for control of Fusarium wilt of tomato.

O trabalho avaliou a eficiência dos isolados (141/3, 233, 233/1, 245, 245/1, 251, 251/2, 251/5 e 257) de Fusarium oxysporum não patogênico ao tomateiro (Lycopersicon esculentum), no controle da murcha vascular causada por Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici, raça 2 em plântulas de tomateiro cv. Viradoro. Para verificar o efeito dos isolados de F. oxysporum não patogênicos, o sistema radicular de plântulas de tomateiro, com 30 dias de idade, foi imerso na suspensão de conídios (106 ml-1) e as mudas transplantadas para substrato de cultivo. Após 35 dias do transplante foi verificado que esses isolados não foram patogênicos às plantas de tomateiro, nem afetaram o desenvolvimento das mudas. A eficiência dos isolados de Fusarium oxysporum não patogênicos no controle da murcha foi determinada imergindo-se as raízes de mudas de tomateiro em suspensão de conídios (106 conídios ml-1) e transplantando-as em substratos previamente infestados com os isolados de F. oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici, raça 2 (105 conídios ml-1 de substrato). Transcorridos 35 dias do transplante, foram realizadas as avaliações da severidade na escala de 1=planta sadia a 6=planta morta ou com vasos coloridos e folhas murchas até o ponteiro e altura das mudas. Os isolados de F. oxysporum não patogênicos foram eficientes em reduzir a severidade da doença e em manter normal o seu desenvolvimento. Esses resultados evidenciam a atividade antagônica dos isolados de F. oxysporum não patogênico no controle da murcha vascular do tomateiro, causada por Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici raça 2

Bioprospecting for plant and fungus extracts with systemic effect to control the cucumber powdery mildew.

This work was aimed to select plant and fungus extracts showing systemic effect to control the cucumber powdery mildew. For that, ethanolic extracts were obtained from five basidiomycetes and 71 plant species and tested under greenhouse conditions. Cucumber plants cv. 'Safira' were sprayed with extracts at the first true leaf growth stage and inoculated with Sphaerotheca fuliginea at the second leaf growth stage. The number, diameter and sporulation rate of powdery mildew colonies were evaluated 6 days after inoculation. In an initial screening phase, the extracts of the following plants and fungi revealed some systemic effect against the powdery mildew: Aloe vera (aloe), Bidens pilosa, Ganoderma sp. (basidiomycete), Hyptis crenata, Mascagania betbamiana, Ocotea suaveolens, Oudemansiella canarii (basidiomycete), Pinus taeda (pine), Riehardia grandiflora and Vernonia polyanthes. They were compared in three other experiments and those from Oudemansiella, Ganoderma, pine needles and aloe leaves were the most efficient reducing the number of colonies on the secondary leaf by 79, 65, 30 and 21 %, respectively. Extracts from fruiting bodies of Oudemansiella and Ganoderma also decreased the diameter of colonies by 20 % as well as the sporulation rate by 45 and 70 %, respectively. While Ganoderma did not show any direct effect in vitro, the extract of Oudemansiella (60 mg fresh weight ml[-1]) reduced the germination of powdery mildew conidia at 48 h after inoculation by 71 %. Furthermore, Oudemansiella-extract strongly inhibited the mycelium growth of Cladosporium oxysporum in liquid medium. The possible modes of action of these extracts are discussed

Manguezais: potencial fonte de microrganismos para o uso como agentes de biocontrole da podridão radicular e promotores de crescimento de plantas em hidroponia.

Resumo: Microrganismos residentes de manguezais são adaptados aos baixos teores de oxigênio e flutuações de salinidade, condições encontradas em ambientes hidropônicos. Essa adaptação ecológica torna esses microrganismos em potenciais agentes de controle biológico de podridões radiculares, importantes doenças que incidem sobre cultivos hidropônicos e promotores de crescimento de plantas, pois um dos principais problemas encontrados no biocontrole e na promoção de crescimento em hidroponia é a baixa adaptação dos microrganismos introduzidos. O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar a capacidade de 28 isolados de microrganismos residentes de manguezais no controle da podridão radicular causada por Pythium aphanidermatum e na promoção de crescimento em pepino hidropônico. Dentre os microrganismos avaliados para o controle da doença em mini-hidroponia, utilizando plântulas de pepino, Gordonia rubripertincta SO-3B-2, uma mistura de isolados (G. rubripertincta SO-3B-2, MB- P3A-49, MB-P3-C68 e SO-3L-3 de Pseudomonas stutzeri) e Bacillus cereus AVIC-3-6 aumentaram a sobrevivência das plântulas. Em condições de casa-de-vegetação, G. rubripertincta SO-3B-2 e P. stutzeri MB-P3A-49 promoveram o crescimento vegetal das plantas não infestadas com o patógeno. Concluimos que, microrganismos residentes de manguezais são potenciais agentes de controle biológico da podridão radicular e da promoção de crescimento em cultivos hidropônicos. Mangrove microbes are well adapted to low oxygen and salinity fluctuation environments, conditions found in hydroponic systems. This ecological adaptation makes these microbes suitably adapted for use in hydroponic crops as biological control agents of root rot, important disease in hydroponic crops; and as plant growth promoters, because one of the most important issues found in the biocontrol and plant growth promotion in hydroponic crops is the low survival of the added microbes to the nutrient solution. The aim of this work was to evaluate the ability of 28 mangrove microbes strains for the control of root rot caused by Pythium aphanidermatum and growth promotion in hydroponic cucumber. Among the 28 strains evaluated to disease control in small-hydroponic system using cucumber seedlings, Gordonia rubripertincta SO-3B-2, the mix strains (G. rubripertincta SO-3B-2, MB-P3A-49, MB-P3-C68 and SO-3L-3 of Pseudomonas stutzeri), and Bacillus cereus AVIC-3-6 increased the seedlings survival. In greenhouse conditions G. rubripertincta SO-3B-2 and P. stutzeri MB- P3A-49 increased growth of plants not infested with the pathogen. We conclude that microbes from mangroves have potential value as biocontrol agents and growth promotion in hydroponic crops.bitstream/item/48672/1/boletim-59.pd