Antifungal drug susceptibility profile of Pichia anomala isolates from patients presenting with nosocomial fungemia

In vitro susceptibility of 58 isolates of Pichia anomala to five antifungal drugs using two broth microdilution methods (CLSI and EUCAST) was analyzed. Low susceptibility to itraconazole was observed. Fluconazole, voriconazole, amphotericin B, and caspofungin showed good antifungal activity, although relatively high drug concentrations were necessary to inhibit the isolates.Inst Adolfo Lutz Registro, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Div Infect Dis, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Estadual Campinas, Fac Med Sci, Div Infect Dis, Campinas, SP, BrazilUniv Catolica Argentina, Fac Med, Buenos Aires, DF, ArgentinaUniv São Paulo, Hosp Clin, Lab Clin Micorbiol, São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Hosp Clin, Hosp Infect Control Dept, LIM 54, São Paulo, BrazilHosp Sirio Libanes, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Fed Rio de Janeiro, Dept Internal Med, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Hosp Clin, Dept Infect Dis, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Div Infect Dis, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Effect of Metal Ions, Chemical Agents and Organic Compounds on Lignocellulolytic Enzymes Activities

Lignocellulolytic enzymes have been extensively studied due to their potential for industrial applications such as food, textile, pharmaceutical, paper, and, more recently, energy. The influence of metal ions, chemical agents, and organic compounds on these enzyme activities are addressed in this chapter, based on data available in the scientific literature

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

Isolamento de fungos termofílicos produtores de celulases, xilanases e ferruloil esterase para bioconversão de bagaço de cana de açúcar em açúcares fermentescíveis

Dos 27 microrganismos recém isolados, A. fumigatus M.7.1 e Myceliophthora sp M.7.7 foram os melhores produtores de FPase (0,8 e 2,0 U/g de substrato) e xilanase (1040 e 1292 U/g de substrato), quando cultivados por fermentação em estado sólido (FES) em mistura de bagaço de cana e farelo de trigo (1:1). As produções máximas de xilanase (7237,9 U/g de substrato) e endoglucanase (46,2 U/g de substrato) por A. fumigatus M.7.1 foram observadas pelo cultivo do fungo em palha de milho e farelo de trigo (9:1 p/p) e bagaço de cana e farelo de trigo (9:1 p/p), respectivamente. Em relação ao isolado Myceliophthora sp M.7.7, os picos de produção de ambas as enzimas (xilanase: 1044,6 U/g de substrato; endoglucanase 53,7 U/g de substrato) foram obtidos quando este foi cultivado em mistura de bagaço de cana e farelo de trigo (9:1 p/p). A endoglucanase e xilanase produzida por A. fumigatus M.7.1 apresentaram atividade ótima em pH 4,5, a 70 e 60 ºC, respectivamente. Nos ensaios com a linhagem Myceliophthora sp M.7.7, ambas as enzimas apresentaram maior atividade em pH 5,0 a 65-70 ºC. Ambas as enzimas de Myceliophthora sp M.7.7 e a endoglucanase de A. fumigatus M.7.1 mantiveram aproximadamente 70-100% da atividade inicial na faixa de pH entre 3,5 a 9,0 e nas temperaturas de 35 a 65 ºC. A xilanase de A. fumigatus M.7.1 manteve-se estável em pH entre 5,5 e 10,5 e 40 e 50 ºC, respectivamente. Dos tratamentos ao qual o bagaço foi submetido, o que mostrou maior eficiência na liberação de açúcares redutores (0,09%) e compostos fenólicos (0,74%), foi a solução de glicerol em microondas por 5 min. O bagaço de cana pré tratado com glicerol foi incubado com o preparado enzimático de A. fumigatus M.7.1 a 55 ºC. Após 24 h de incubação, foram liberados 0,7 mg/mL de açúcar redutor. As mesmas condições foram utilizadas na sacarificação do bagaço utilizando o extrato enzimático...The microorganisms A. fumigatus M.7.1 and Myceliophthora SP M.7.7 were the best producers of FPase (0,8 and 2,0 U/g of substrate) and xylanase (1040 and 1292 U/g of substrate) of the 27 isolated microorganisms, when cultivated by solid state fermentation (SSF) in a mixture of cane bagasse and wheat bran (1:1). The greatest production of xylanase (7237,9 U/g of substrate) and endoglucanase (46,2 U/g of substrate) by A. fumigatus M.7.1 were noted by the fungi cultivation in corn straw and wheat bran (9:1 p/p) and cane bagasse and wheat bran (9:1 p/p), respectively. In the isolated Myceliophthora sp M.7.7, the peak production of the both enzymes (xylanase: 1044,6 U/g of substrate; endoglucanase 53,7 U/g of substrate) were obtained when the microorganism were cultivated in a mixture of cane bagasse and wheat bran (9:1 p/p). The endoglucanase and the xylanase produced by A. fumigatus M.7.1 showed higher activity in pH 4,5, at 70 and 60 oC, respectively. In the essays with the Myceliophthora sp M.7.7 strains, the both enzymes showed higher activity in pH 5,0, at 65-70 oC. The both enzymes of Myceliophthora sp M.7.7 and the endoglucanase of A. fumigatus M.7.1 maintained approximately 70-100% of the initial activity between pH 3,5 and 9,0 and between 35 and 65 oC. The xylanase of A. fumigatus M.7.1 was stable between the pH 5,5 and 10,5 and the temperature 40 and 50 oC. About the treatments of the bagasse, the most efficient in the liberation of reducing sugars (0,09%) and phenolic compounds (0,74%) was the glycerol solution in microwave for 5 minutes. The cane bagasse pretreated with glycerol was incubated with the enzymatic solution of A. fumigatus M.7.1 at 55 oC. After 24 hours of incubation, 0,7mg/mL of reducing sugar was liberated. The same conditions were used in the saccharification of the bagasse using the enzymatic extract produced by Myceliophthora sp. M.7.7, with a reducing sugar... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Relationship between the molecular structure of duckweed starch and its in vitro enzymatic degradation kinetics

Starch molecular structural effects in duckweed (Lemna minor and Landoltia punctata) controlling in vitro enzymatic degradation kinetics was studied. The molecular size distributions of fully-branched starches and the chain length distributions (CLDs) of enzymatically debranched duckweed starches were obtained using size-exclusion-chromatography (SEC). The CLDs of both debranched amylose and amylopectin were fitted with models using biologically-meaningful parameters. While there were no significant correlations between amylose content and starch degradation rate, the total amounts of amylose with shorter chain length negatively correlated with undigested starch content, and the amount of amylopectin long chains negatively correlated with the degradation rate coefficient. This provides new knowledge for the utilization of duckweed starches in bioethanol production

Fibrolytic enzyme production of Myceliophthora thermophila M.7.7. using inexpensive carbon sources and mineral nutrients

This study investigated the effect of inexpensive carbon and nitrogen sources on enzyme production by Myceliophthora thermophila M.7.7 in solid-state fermentation. Three kinds of lignocellulosic waste (corn straw, sugarcane bagasse and sugarcane straw) and six nitrogen sources (urea, calcium nitrate, analytical ammonium sulphate, yeast extract, agricultural fertilizer NPK 20-05-20 and fertilizing grade ammonium sulphate) were tested. Some physical-chermical parameters of the fermentation, such as temperature, initial pH and moisture content of the substrate on enzyme production, were evoluated. The maximum activities of xylanase (446.9 U/ml) endoglucanase (94.7 U/ml) and beta-glucosidase (2.8 U/ml) were observed in a mixture of corn straw and wheat bran (1:1 w/w) as the carbon source using fertilizer grade ammonium sulphate as the nitrogen source. This production occurred for an incubation period of 96 h, at 40°C, with initial moisture content of 70% and pH 5.0. These results have significant interest since they could be used for the future production of enzymes in a low-cost industrial process

Evaluation of microwave-assisted pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass immersed in alkaline glycerol for fermentable sugars production

A pretreatment with microwave irradiation was applied to enhance enzyme hydrolysis of corn straw and rice husk immersed in water, aqueous glycerol or alkaline glycerol. Native and pretreated solids underwent enzyme hydrolysis using the extract obtained from the fermentation of Myceliophthora heterothallica, comparing its efficiency with that of the commercial cellulose cocktail Celluclast (R). The highest saccharification yields, for both corn straw and rice husk, were attained when biomass was pretreated in alkaline glycerol, method that has not been previously reported in literature. Moreover, FTIR, TG and SEM analysis revealed a more significant modification in the structure of corn straw subjected to this pretreatment.Highest global yields were attained with the crude enzyme extract, which might be the result of its content in a great variety of hydrolytic enzymes, as revealed zymogram analysis. Moreover, its hydrolysis efficiency can be improved by its supplementation with commercial beta-glucosidase