A current overview

Yeast adaptation to stress has been extensively studied. It involves large reprogramming of genome expression operated by many, more or less specific, transcription factors. Here, we review our current knowledge on the function of the eight Yap transcription factors (Yap1 to Yap8) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which were shown to be involved in various stress responses. More precisely, Yap1 is activated under oxidative stress, Yap2/Cad1 under cadmium, Yap4/Cin5 and Yap6 under osmotic shock, Yap5 under iron overload and Yap8/Arr1 by arsenic compounds. Yap3 and Yap7 seem to be involved in hydroquinone and nitrosative stresses, respectively. The data presented in this article illustrate how much knowledge on the function of these Yap transcription factors is advanced. The evolution of the Yap family and its roles in various pathogenic and non-pathogenic fungal species is discussed in the last section.publishersversionpublishe

Clinical outcome of pneumococcal meningitis during the emergence of pencillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae: an observational study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Prior to the availability of generic third-generation cephalosporins, penicillins were widely used for treatment of pneumococcal meningitis in developing countries despite concerns about rising levels of penicillin resistance among pneumococcal isolates. We examined the impact of penicillin resistance on outcomes of pneumococcal meningitis over a ten year period in an infectious diseases hospital in Brazil.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Clinical presentation, antimicrobial therapy and outcomes were reviewed for 548 patients with culture-confirmed pneumococcal meningitis from December, 1995, to November, 2005. Pneumococcal isolates from meningitis patients were defined as penicillin-resistant if Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations for penicillin were greater than 0.06 μg/ml. Proportional hazards regression was used to identify risk factors for fatal outcomes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>During the ten-year period, ceftriaxone replaced ampicillin as first-line therapy for suspected bacterial meningitis. In hospital case-fatality for pneumococcal meningitis was 37%. Of 548 pneumococcal isolates from meningitis cases, 92 (17%) were resistant to penicillin. After controlling for age and severity of disease at admission, penicillin resistance was associated with higher case-fatality (Hazard Ratio [HR], 1.62; 95% Confidence Interval [CI], 1.08-2.43). Penicillin-resistance remained associated with higher case-fatality when initial therapy included ceftriaxone (HR, 1.68; 95% CI 1.02-2.76).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Findings support the use of third generation cephalosporin antibiotics for treatment of suspected pneumococcal meningitis even at low prevalence of pneumococcal resistance to penicillins.</p

The 2010 Meningococcal outbreak in Bahia, Brazil, was caused by 2 different STs belonging to Clonal Complex ST-103

An outbreak of meningococcal disease in the North-East (NE) region of Brazil with eleven cases and seven deaths was reported in 2009. From the eleven cases, five serogroup C meningococcal strains were isolated, four were classified as belonging to the hypervirulent clonal complex ST-103 (cc103) and one strain was not associated with any clonal complex. DNA sequencing of the genes encoding outer membrane proteins PorA and FetA showed genotype P1.5-1,10-1,36-2;F3-9 for all five strains. cc103 was first detected in the southern region of Brazil in 2007, but not associated with outbreaks. MLST analysis detected three new STs among the isolates, showing the ongoing evolution of cc103 and the need of monitoring its spread in the population.Título em português: O surto de meningite meningocócica de 2010 na Bahia foi causado por dois ST diferentes pertencentes ao Complexo Clonal ST-103Um surto de doença meningocócica foi detectado em 2009 no estado da Bahia (NE) com onze casos confirmados e sete óbitos. A partir do material coletado dos onze casos foi possível isolar cinco cepas de meningococos do sorogrupo C, sendo quatro pertencentes ao complexo clonal hipervirulento ST-103 (cc103), enquanto que uma cepa não foi associada a nenhum complexo clonal. O sequenciamento dos genes codificantes das proteínas de membrana PorA e FetA resultou no genótipo P1.5-1,10-1,36-2;F3-9 para todas as cepas. O cc103 foi isolado pela primeira vez na região sul do Brasil em 2007, mas não de um surto. A análise por MLST detectou a presença de três novos entre os isolados, o que mostra a contínua evolução do clone cc103 e a necessidade do monitoramento de seu avanço na população susceptível

J. Infect. Dis.

Surveillance for Haemophilus influenzae meningitis cases was performed in Salvador, Brazil, before and after introduction of H. influenzae type b (Hib) immunization. The incidence of Hib meningitis decreased 69% during the 1-year period after initiation of Hib immunization (from 2.62 to 0.81 cases/100,000 person-years; P<.001). In contrast, the incidence for H. influenzae type a meningitis increased 8-fold (from 0.02 to 0.16 cases/100,000 person-years; P=.008). Pulsed-field gel electrophoretic analysis demonstrated that H. influenzae type a isolates belonged to 2 clonally related groups, both of which were found before Hib immunization commenced. Therefore, Hib immunization contributed to an increased risk for H. influenzae type a meningitis through selection of circulating H. influenzae type a clones. The risk attributable to serotype replacement is small in comparison to the large reduction in Hib meningitis due to immunization. However, these findings highlight the need to maintain surveillance as the use of conjugate vaccines expands worldwide

Trans. R. Soc. Trop. Med. Hyg

This study aimed to describe the clinical, epidemiological and microbiological features of meningococcal meningitis in Salvador, Brazil. Between February 1996 and January 2001, a hospital based surveillance prospectively identified cases of culture-positive meningococcal meningitis. Demographic and clinical data were collected through interview and medical chart review. Antisera and monoclonal antibodies were used to determine the serogroup and serotype: serosubtype of the isolates, respectively. Surveillance identified a total of 408 cases of meningococcal meningitis, with a case fatality rate of 8% (32/397). The mean annual incidence for the 304 culture-positive cases residing in metropolitan Salvador was 1.71 cases per 100 000 population. Infants <1 year old presented the highest incidence (14.7 cases per 100 000 population). Of the 377 serogrouped isolates, 82%, 16%, 2% and 0.3% were serogroups B, C, W135 and Y, respectively. A single serotype:serosubtype (4,7:P1.19,15) accounted for 64% of all cases. Continued surveillance is necessary to characterise strains and to define future prevention and control strategies

Population-Based Survey of Antimicrobial Susceptibility and Serotype Distribution of Streptococcus pneumoniae from Meningitis Patients in Salvador, Brazil

Penicillin-nonsusceptible strains were isolated from 15% of 303 individuals with pneumococcal meningitis identified during a 4-year surveillance study in Salvador, Brazil. The estimated rate of coverage of the seven-valent conjugate vaccine was 74% among patients <5 years of age and 94% among those infected with nonsusceptible isolates, indicating that the use of conjugate vaccines may be an approach to the control of emerging penicillin resistance in Brazil

Poor clinical outcome for meningitis caused by Haemophilus influenzae serotype A strains containing the IS1016-bexA deletion

Submitted by Martha Silveira Berbert ([email protected]) on 2012-11-14T19:54:31Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Lima Josilene et al.pdf: 1281768 bytes, checksum: 8f3d780dd2627af3074616cd65ffd73e (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2012-11-14T19:54:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Lima Josilene et al.pdf: 1281768 bytes, checksum: 8f3d780dd2627af3074616cd65ffd73e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-11Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, BrasilFundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, BrasilFundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, BrasilFundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, BrasilSecretaria de Saúde do Estado da Bahia. Hospital Couto Maia. Salvador, BA, BrasilImperial College London. Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology. London, UKFundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, BrasilFundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, BrasilUniversidade Federal da Bahia. Faculdade de Farmácia. Salvador, BA, Brasilince the introduction of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) conjugate vaccines, meningitis caused by serotypes other than Hib has gained in importance. We conducted active hospital-based surveillance for meningitis over an 11-year period in Salvador, Brazil. H. influenzae isolates were serotyped and analyzed by polymerase chain reaction, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and DNA sequencing to identify strains with a specific deletion (IS1016) in the bexA gene (IS1016-bexA). We identified 43 meningitis cases caused by non-type b H. influenzae: 28 (65%) were caused by type a (Hia), 9 (21%) were caused by noncapsulated strains, and 3 (7%) each were caused by types e and f. Hia isolates clustered in 2 clonal groups; clonal group A strains (n = 9) had the IS1016-bexA deletion. Among children <5 years of age, meningitis caused by Hia from clonal group A had higher case-fatality than meningitis caused by clonal group B. Despite small numbers, these results indicate that the presence of the IS1016-bexA deletion is associated with enhanced virulence in non-type b H. influenzae