Fungos anaeróbios

The discovery of obligatory anaerobic fungi in the rumen of sheep by Orpin in 1975 has motivated studies on such microorganisms in laboratories, in different parts of the world. Those studies have shown that the anaerobic fungi do not contain mitochondria; instead, they have organelles such as hydrogenosomes, which are involved in energy generation. They produce enzymes that can be found either associated to a multi-protein complex of a high molecular mass, similar to the cellulosome produced by anaerobic bacteria, or individually. Different hydrolytic enzymes produced by several species of those fungi, mainly cellulases and hemicellulases, have been isolated and characterized. In general, those enzymes have specific activities similar or higher than others produced by corresponding aerobic sources; therefore, they show great potential for industrial use.A descoberta de fungos anaeróbios obrigatórios no rume de ovelha por Orpin, em 1975, impulsionou estudos sobre tais microrganismos em laboratórios de diferentes partes do mundo. Estes estudos têm mostrado que os fungos anaeróbios não contêm mitocôndrias; em vez disso, apresentam organelas conhecidas como hidrogenossomas, que estão envolvidas na geração de energia. Estes fungos ainda produzem enzimas que são encontradas sob a forma de um complexo multiprotéico de alta massa molecular, similar ao celulossoma produzido por bactérias anaeróbias, ou individualmente. Diferentes enzimas hidrolíticas, produzidas por variadas espécies destes fungos, principalmente celulolíticas e hemicelulolíticas, têm sido isoladas e caracterizadas. Estas enzimas, em geral, têm atividades específicas similares ou maiores do que outras produzidas por fontes aeróbias correspondentes, tendo, portanto, grande potencial para aplicação industrial

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Leishmania infection in humans, dogs and sandflies in a visceral leishmaniasis endemic area in Maranhão, Brazil

Leishmania infection in humans, dogs and sandflies was examined in the endemic visceral leishmaniasis (VL) municipality of Raposa, state of Maranhão, Brazil. In this study, we examined Leishmania chagasi infection in the blood serum of both humans and Canis familiaris and the natural Leishmania sp. infection rate in the sandfly vector, Lutzomyia longipalpis. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, indirect immunofluorescence reaction and polymerase chain reaction were performed to detect Leishmania infections in humans, dogs and sandflies, respectively. Overall, 186 out of 986 studied human beings were infected with L. chagasi parasites, representing an infection prevalence of 18.9%. An even higher infection rate was detected in dogs, where 66 (47.8%) out of 138 were infected. Among all Lu. longipalpis captured (n = 1,881), only 26.7% were females. The Leishmania infection frequency for the vector Lu. longipalpis was 1.56%. Remarkably, all infected sandflies were found in the peridomiciliary area. Furthermore, a high incidence of asymptomatic forms of VL in the human and canine populations was observed. The results of this study suggest autochthonous transmission of L. chagasi in this endemic area for visceral leishmaniasis because infection by Leishmania sp. was identified in all important elements of the transmission chain