Helicobacter pylori transiently in the mouth may participate in the transmission of infection

Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with peptic ulcer and gastric carcinoma. The oral cavity may be a reservoir for H. pylori; however, the results of studies on this subject are controversial. We employed single-step and nested polymerase chain reactions (PCR) to detect the presence of the vacA, ureA and 16S rDNA genes of H. pylori in the stomach, saliva and dental plaque of 30 subjects. The results were confirmed by sequencing. Nested 16S rDNA and ureA amplification was achieved in 80 percent of gastric, 30 percent of saliva and 20 percent of dental plaque specimens. Sequencing of 10, seven and four 16S rDNA products from stomach, saliva and dental plaque, respectively, showed > 99 percent identity with H. pylori. Sequencing of the other four oral cavity PCR products showed similarity with Campylobacter and Wolinella species. Additionally, the vacA genotype identified in the samples of different sites was the same within a given subject.H. pylori may be found in the oral cavity of patients with gastric infection, thus it could be a source of transmission. However, results obtained with detection methods based only on PCR should be interpreted with caution because other microorganisms that are phylogenetically very close to H. pylori are also present in the mouth.

Trehalose accumulation, invertase activity and physiological characteristics of yeasts isolated from 24 h fermentative cycles during the production of artisanal Brazilian cachaça

Trehalose accumulation, invertase activity and physiological characteristics of 86 yeast isolates from short fermentative cycles during the production of cachaça in three artisanal distilleries of the State of Minas Gerais were studied. Among these isolates, 70 percent were able to grow at temperatures between 40 and 42ºC. Only Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolates were able to grow over 40ºC. Lower temperatures (<40ºC) favoured the growth of yeasts such as Candida parapsilosis-like, C. maltosa-like, Kloeckera japonica, S. exiguus and C. bombicola-like. The isolates from all three distilleries were ethanol tolerant, produced invertase, and accumulate trehalose in the presence of glucose. The strains isolated from distillery A presented more resistance to ethanol (around 84.2 percent of the strains were able to grow in the presence of 12 percent ethanol) when compared to the ones from distilleries C and B (9.5 percent and no strain, respectively). The strains of S. cerevisiae isolated from the three distilleries presented a higher capacity to produce invertase and accumulate trehalose in the presence of glucose. Based on the results of thermal and ethanol stress experiments, it was possible to identify strong relationship between intracellular trehalose accumulation and cell viability. The increase in cell viability was even more pronounced when the strains were subjected to a pre-treatment at sublethal temperatures