In vitro activities of caspofungin, amphotericin B and azoles against Coccidioides posadasii strains from Northeast, Brazil

Coccidioidomycosis is a systemic infection caused by the soil-dwelling dimorphic fungi Coccidioides spp. the disease is endemic in semiarid Northeast Brazil, where it is caused by C. posadasii. the aim of this study was to perform antifungal susceptibility tests of clinical and environmental strains of C. posadasii from Northeast Brazil. the in vitro activities of caspofungin, amphotericin B and azoles against clinical and environment isolates of C. posadasii were determined in accordance with the NCLLS M-38P macrodilution method. the antifungal susceptibility analysis showed that all the strains of C. posadasii (n = 10) were sensitive to caspofungin (16 mu g/ml <= MIC <= 32 mu g/ml), amphotericin B (0.0625 mu g/ml <= MIC <= 0.125 mu g/ml), ketoconazole (0.039 mu g/ml <= MIC <= 0.156 mu g/ml), itraconazole (0.125 mu g/ml <= MIC <= 0.5 mu g/ml), fluconazole (3.125 mu g/ml <= MIC <= 6.25 mu g/ml), and voriconazole (0.125 mu g/ml). This study is the first description of in vitro antifungal susceptibility pattern of Brazilian strains of C. posadasii.Univ Fed Ceara, Med Mycol Specialized Ctr, Fortaleza, Ceara, BrazilUniv Fed Ceara, Postgrad Program Med Sci, Fortaleza, Ceara, BrazilUniv Estadual Ceara, Dept Biol Sci, Fortaleza, Ceara, BrazilUniv Estadual Ceara, Postgrad Program Vet Sci, Fortaleza, Ceara, BrazilUniv Fed Ceara, Postgrad Program Med Clin, Fortaleza, Ceara, BrazilUniv Fed Ceara, Dept Biol Sci, Fortaleza, Ceara, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Microbiol Immunol & Parasitol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Microbiol Immunol & Parasitol, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Review and consideration on habitat use, distribution and life history of Lycengraulis grossidens (Agassiz, 1829) (Actinopterygii, Clupeiformes, Engraulididae)

In this paper, we present a summary of the current knowledge of Lycengraulis grossidens, a widely distributed coastal fish that occurs from Belize to Argentina. This species is abundant in estuaries along the Southwest Atlantic Coast and is important for recreational fishing, and as bycatch of shrimp fisheries. We compiled data available on taxonomy, phylogeny, ecology, fisheries and organized conceptually the life cycle of the species according to modern estuarine-use classification. Our review showed that along its geographic distribution and inside some particular environments (i.e., estuaries and costal lagoons) the species have been classified in a variety of ways in order to describe the remarkable complexity of habitat use that varies from freshwater resident, anadromous, marine migrant, estuarine resident, marine stragglers, catadromous to semicatadromous. We conclude that L. grossidens is able to reproduce either in freshwater or estuarine water and postulate that it has a high plasticity in habitat use and life history, with migratory and resident contingents in the same local population. There seems to be a latitudinal change in migratory behavior of this species along the South America Coast, prevailing anadromous or semi-anadromous pattern at higher latitudes and marine migrants at the tropical northeast coast of Brazil.Neste trabalho é apresentada uma compilação do conhecimento atual de Lycengraulis grossidens, uma espécie de peixe amplamente distribuído pela costa oeste do Atlântico Sul, ocorrendo de Belize a Argentina. Esta espécie é abundante nos estuários e tem importância na pesca recreacional além de sofrer impacto da pesca do camarão. São revisados dados publicados sobre a taxonomia, filogenia, ecologia, pesca e ciclo de vida da espécie. Nossa revisão mostrou que, ao longo de sua distribuição, a espécie tem sido classificada de várias formas na tentativa de descrever seu uso do habitat, desde residentes de água doce, anádromos, marinhos migrantes, estuarinos residentes, catádromo e semi-catádromo. Conclui-se que a espécie é capaz de se reproduzir em água doce ou salgada, com uma alta plasticidade no uso do habitat e na sua história de vida, com componentes migrantes e residentes no mesmo local. Além disso, parece haver uma mudança no comportamento migratório da espécie em diferentes latitudes, mostrando um padrão anádromo ou semi-anádromo nas maiores latitudes e marinhos migrantes ao longo da costa tropical do Brasil