Anisakid nematodes of the blackspot seabream, Pagellus bogaraveo, from Madeiran waters, Portugal

Two hundred and eighty-one anisakid larvae were found encapsulated in stomachs and mesenteries of 69 blackspot seabreams, Pagellus bogaraveo from Madeiran waters. Ninety-four larvae were identified as Anisakis simplex s.s., Anisakis pegreffii (Type I larvae), Anisakis simplex s.l. (Type II larvae) and Hysterothylacium sp. Prevalence of infection with anisakids increased with host length from 81.3% to a maximum of 96.3%. Mean intensity ranged from 3.5 (at length class 25 cm) to 4.8 (at length class 35 cm), with the majority of fish infected with only 1 or 2 parasites. A positive but not significant correlation was found between intensity and length (rs = 0.0419, p = 0.717). The high values of prevalence and low values of intensity may indicate that the anisakid larvae are dispersed within their hosts. No particular histopathological lesions were found associated with the presence of the nematodes, corroborated by a positive but not significant correlation that was found between intensity and condition fac tor (rs = 0.242, p = 0.035)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Endohelminth parasites of the leafscale gulper shark, Centrophorus squamosus (Bonnaterre, 1788) (Squaliformes:Centrophoridae) off Madeira Archipelago

The endohelminth parasite fauna of a deep water shark, the leafscale gulper shark, Centrophorus squamosus, examined from Madeiran waters, from September 2009 to January 2010, consisted of larval and juvenile cestodes of two orders, namely Trypanorhyncha and Tetraphyllidea, and L3 stages of Anisakis spp. Infection with Anisakis spp. could be due to the shark’s opportunistic feeding on squids and black-scabbard fish, Aphanopus carbo, which is heavily parasitized by Anisakis spp. in Madeira waters. The occurrence of larval and juvenile cestodes only, in this shark, suggests that the leafscale gulper shark features as a paratenic or a dead-end host for the parasites.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Bothrops moojeni Venom and Its Components Strongly Affect Osteoclasts’ Maturation and Protein Patterns

Osteoclasts (OCs) are important for bone maintenance, calcium balance, and tissue regeneration regulation and are involved in different inflammatory diseases. Our study aimed to evaluate the effect of Bothrops moojeni’s venom and its low and high molecular mass (HMM and LMM) fractions on human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC)-derived OCs’ in vitro differentiation. Bothrops moojeni, a Brazilian lanced-head viper, presents a rich but not well-explored, venom composition. This venom is a potent inducer of inflammation, which can be used as a tool to investigate the inflammatory process. Human PBMCs were isolated and induced to OC differentiation following routine protocol. On the fourth day of differentiation, the venom was added at different concentrations (5, 0.5, and 0.05 µg/mL). We observed a significant reduction of TRAP+ (tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase) OCs at the concentration of 5 µg/mL. We evaluated the F-actin-rich OCs structure’s integrity; disruption of its integrity reflects bone adsorption capacity. F-actin rings phalloidin staining demonstrated that venom provoked their disruption in treated OCs. HMM, fraction reduces TRAP+ OCs at a concentration of 5 µg/mL and LMM fraction at 1 µg/mL, respectively. Our results indicate morphological changes that the venom induced cause in OCs. We analyzed the pattern of soluble proteins found in the conditioned cell culture medium OCs treated with venom and its fractions using mass spectrometry (LC-MS/IT-Tof). The proteomic analyses indicate the possible pathways and molecular mechanisms involved in OC reduction after the treatment

Endohelminth parasites of the blacktail comber Serranus atricauda (Pisces: Serranidae), from Madeira Archipelago (Atlantic Ocean)

Four different endohelminth parasite taxa were found in the viscera of the blacktail comber Serranus atricauda Günther, 1874 caught in the Madeira Archipelago. Nematodes were the dominant group, represented by 2 different taxa, Hysterothylacium spp. Ward & Magath, 1917 and Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) halitrophus Fusco & Overstreet, 1978 comb. n. Plerocerci of the trypanorhynch Pseudogrillotia epinepheli (synonym: Grillotia epinepheli) Scholz, Garippa & Scala, 1993, and cystacanths of the acanthocephalan Bolbosoma vasculosum Rudolphi, 1819 were found in the visceral cavity. New host records for P. (S.) halitrophus and P. epinepheli and the extension of the geographic distribution of these 2 parasite species provide evidence of parasite transference between the Madeira Archipelago, the Mediterranean and the Gulf of Mexico. The paucity of the parasite fauna of blacktail comber reflect a combination of fish host selective feed ing on particular dietary items and its territorial behaviour.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

In Vitro Activity of Two Novel Antimicrobial Compounds on MDR-Resistant Clinical Isolates

International audienceThe development of novel antibiotics is mandatory to curb the growing antibiotic resistance problem resulting in difficult-to-treat bacterial infections. Here, we have determined the spectrum of activity of cystobactamids and chelocardins, two novel and promising classes of molecules with different modes of action. A panel of 297 clinically relevant Gram-negative and Gram-positive isolates with different antibiotic susceptibility profiles, going from wild type to multi- or even extremely drug resistant (MDR, XDR) and including carbapenem-resistant isolates, were tested using broth microdilution assays to determine the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs), MIC50s and MIC90s of two cystobactamids derivatives (CN-861-2 and CN-DM-861) and two chelocardin derivatives (CHD and CDCHD). Cystobactamids revealed potent activities on the majority of tested Enterobacterales (MIC50s ranging from 0.25 to 4 µg/mL), except for Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates (MIC50s is 128 µg/mL). Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii showed slightly higher MIC50s (4 µg/mL and 8 µg/mL, respectively) for cystobactamids. Chelocardins inhibited the growth of Enterobacterales and Stenotrophomas maltophilia at low to moderate MICs (0.25–16 µg/mL) and the chemically modified CDCHD was active at lower MICs. A. baumannii and P. aeruginosa were less susceptible to these molecules with MICs ranging from 0.5 to 32 µg/mL. These molecules show also interesting in vitro efficacies on clinically relevant Gram-positive bacteria with MICs of 0.125–8 µg/mL for cystobactamids and 0.5–8 µg/mL for chelocardins. Taken together, the cystobactamid CN-DM-861 and chelocardin CDCHD showed interesting antibiotic activities on MDR or XDR bacteria, without cross-resistance to clinically relevant antibiotics such as carbapenems, fluoroquinolones, and colistin