Plants of the Cerrado with antimicrobial effects against Staphylococcus spp. and Escherichia coli from cattle

Abstract Background Both diarrhea in calves and mastitis in cows limit cattle production. The bacteria involved in these diseases have shown multi-resistance to antimicrobials, however plant metabolites therefore can provide an alternative method of control. This study selected and characterized Cerrado plant extracts showing inhibitory effects against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus spp. from cattle. Thirteen leaf extracts were initially screened and diameters of inhibition zones produced against the pathogens were recorded using an agar disk diffusion method. Total condensed tannin contents were determined and antibacterial activities were analyzed after tannin removal from the five selected extracts. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) were evaluated by macro-dilution antimicrobial susceptibility tests, and the extracts were characterized by high performance liquid chromatography. Results Inter- and intra-specific bacterial variations in the susceptibility to the extracts were detected. The aqueous extract (AE) from Caryocar brasiliense Cambess. leaves produced larger inhibition zones against E. coli strains than did other selected extracts. However, the AE from Schinopsis brasiliensis was the most effective against Staphylococcus spp. strains (P < 0.001). The MIC of ethanolic extracts (EE) from C. brasiliense (0.27 mg/mL) and S. brasiliensis (0.17 mg/mL) were lower than those of other extracts. The MIC and MBC of the Annona crassiflora EE were 6.24 mg/mL for all bacteria. Flavonoids were the main metabolites detected in the A. crassiflora EE as well as in the AE and EE from C. brasiliense, while tannins were the main metabolites in the S. brasiliensis leaf extracts. Conclusion The AE from C. brasiliense was more effective against Gram-negative bacteria, while the AE from S. brasiliensis was more effective against Gram-positive bacteria. A. crassiflora EE and S. brasiliensis extracts are potent bactericide. After removal of the tannins, no antimicrobial effects were observed, indicating that these metabolites are the main active antibacterial components

Chitinase family annotation.

Phlebotomine sand flies are of global significance as important vectors of human disease, transmitting bacterial, viral, and protozoan pathogens, including the kinetoplastid parasites of the genus Leishmania, the causative agents of devastating diseases collectively termed leishmaniasis. More than 40 pathogenic Leishmania species are transmitted to humans by approximately 35 sand fly species in 98 countries with hundreds of millions of people at risk around the world. No approved efficacious vaccine exists for leishmaniasis and available therapeutic drugs are either toxic and/or expensive, or the parasites are becoming resistant to the more recently developed drugs. Therefore, sand fly and/or reservoir control are currently the most effective strategies to break transmission. To better understand the biology of sand flies, including the mechanisms involved in their vectorial capacity, insecticide resistance, and population structures we sequenced the genomes of two geographically widespread and important sand fly vector species: Phlebotomus papatasi, a vector of Leishmania parasites that cause cutaneous leishmaniasis, (distributed in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa) and Lutzomyia longipalpis, a vector of Leishmania parasites that cause visceral leishmaniasis (distributed across Central and South America). We categorized and curated genes involved in processes important to their roles as disease vectors, including chemosensation, blood feeding, circadian rhythm, immunity, and detoxification, as well as mobile genetic elements. We also defined gene orthology and observed micro-synteny among the genomes. Finally, we present the genetic diversity and population structure of these species in their respective geographical areas. These genomes will be a foundation on which to base future efforts to prevent vector-borne transmission of Leishmania parasites.</div

Molecular phylogenetic analysis of <i>Lu</i>. <i>longipalpis</i>, <i>P</i>. <i>papatasi</i> and <i>D</i>. <i>melanogaster</i> TRP channel sequences.

The different TRP subfamilies are displayed on the right. The evolutionary history was inferred by using the Maximum Likelihood method based on the Whelan and Goldman +Freq. model with 1000 bootstrap replicates. (TIF)</p

Insulin signaling pathway annotation.

Phlebotomine sand flies are of global significance as important vectors of human disease, transmitting bacterial, viral, and protozoan pathogens, including the kinetoplastid parasites of the genus Leishmania, the causative agents of devastating diseases collectively termed leishmaniasis. More than 40 pathogenic Leishmania species are transmitted to humans by approximately 35 sand fly species in 98 countries with hundreds of millions of people at risk around the world. No approved efficacious vaccine exists for leishmaniasis and available therapeutic drugs are either toxic and/or expensive, or the parasites are becoming resistant to the more recently developed drugs. Therefore, sand fly and/or reservoir control are currently the most effective strategies to break transmission. To better understand the biology of sand flies, including the mechanisms involved in their vectorial capacity, insecticide resistance, and population structures we sequenced the genomes of two geographically widespread and important sand fly vector species: Phlebotomus papatasi, a vector of Leishmania parasites that cause cutaneous leishmaniasis, (distributed in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa) and Lutzomyia longipalpis, a vector of Leishmania parasites that cause visceral leishmaniasis (distributed across Central and South America). We categorized and curated genes involved in processes important to their roles as disease vectors, including chemosensation, blood feeding, circadian rhythm, immunity, and detoxification, as well as mobile genetic elements. We also defined gene orthology and observed micro-synteny among the genomes. Finally, we present the genetic diversity and population structure of these species in their respective geographical areas. These genomes will be a foundation on which to base future efforts to prevent vector-borne transmission of Leishmania parasites.</div