Conidia production of Isaria fumosorosea (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae) in organic substrates through two propagation techniques / Produção de conídios de Isaria fumosorosea (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae) en substratos orgânicos atraves de duas técnicas de propagação

In the last decades, the use of entomopathogenic fungi for the control of pest insects has increased globally, however a key step to achieve the successful application of fungal propagules as biocontrol agents depends of various factors, inoculum production being one of the essential stages for these microorganisms to be used in pest management programs. The objective of this study was to evaluate theproduction of conidia by solid fermentation and biphasic culture in different sporulation matrices for four native isolates and a strain of Isaria fumosorosea that have been shown potential for the control of various insects at the laboratory level. The experimental design was completely randomized, two propagation methods were used with six treatments and ten repetitions per treatment; the data were analyzed using an analysis of variance and the means were compared using the Tukey test (p≤ 0.05). In the production by solid fermentation the minimum value of 5.30 × 105 conidia g-1 was registered with the pericarp of peanut and the maximum of 2.35 × 107 conidia g-1 in the corn grain; in the biphasic culture the minimum of 7.60 × 105 conidia g-1 was observed in birdseed and the maximum of 2.07 × 107 conidia g-1 in rice. The differences were significant (p ≤0.05) in the production by method and by substrate, in solid fermentation 6.84 × 106 conidia g-1 and in biphasic culture 8.85 × 106 conidia g-1. In the production by substrate, the rice showed 1.75 × 107 conidia g-1 and the lesser canary seed concentration (7.80 × 105 conidia g-1). The average production per isolate and / or strain was of the order of 106 and significant difference was registered (p ≤ 0.05) among the fungi, the isolate HIB-9 showed concentration in average higher in the production (7.90 × 106 conidia g-1) and the isolated HIB-19 was the least effective, with only 1.08 × 106 conidia g-1. The results obtained show marked differences between the isolates with respect to their capacity to use the different substrates used as propagation media to obtain conidia of I. fumosorosea.

Nas últimas décadas, o uso de fungos entomopatogênicos para o controle de insetos-pragatem aumentado globalmente, porém um passo fundamental para o sucesso da aplicação de propágulos fúngicos como agentes de biocontrole depende de varios fatores, sendo a produção de inóculo um dos estágios essenciais para esses insetos microorganismos a serem usados em programas de controle de pragas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a produção de conídios por meio de fermentação sólida e cultura bifásica emdiferentes matrizes de esporulação para quatro isolados nativos e um alinhagem de Isaria fumosorosea que tem demonstrado potencial para o controle de varios insetos em nível laboratorial. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado, foram utilizados dois métodos de propagação com seis tratamentos e dezrepetições por tratamento; os dados foraman alisados por meio de análise de variância e as médias comparadas pelo teste de Tukey (p ≤ 0.05). Naprodução por fermentação sólida foi registrado o valor mínimo de 5.30 × 105 conídios g-1 com o pericarpo de amendoim e o máximo de 2.35 × 107 conídios g-1 no grão de milho; na cultura bifásica, o mínimo de 7.60 × 105 conídios g-1 foi observado emsementes de aves e o máximo de 2.07 × 107conídios g-1em arroz. As diferençasforam significativas (p ≤ 0.05) na produção pelo método e pelo substrato, na fermentação sólida 6.84 × 106 conídios g-1 e na cultura bifásica 8.85 × 106 conídios g-1. Naprodução por substrato, o arroz apresentou 1.75 × 107conídios g-1 e a menor concentração de sementes de canário (7.80 × 105conídios g-1). A produção média por isolado e / ou cepa foi da ordem de 106 e registrou-se diferença significativa (p ≤ 0.05) entre os fungos, o isolado HIB-9 apresentou concentração em média maior na produção (7.90 × 106conídios g-1) e o isolado HIB-19 foi o menos efetivo, com apenas 1.08 × 106 conídios g-1. Os resultados obtidos mostram diferenças marcantes entre os isolados quanto à capacidade de utilização dos diferentes substratos utilizados como meio de propagação para obtenção de conídios de I. fumosorosea.

Hypocholesterolemia in Patients with an Amebic Liver Abscess

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Many parasites induce changes in the lipid profiles of the host. Cholesterol increases the virulence of Entamoeba histolytica in animal models and in vitro culture. This study aimed to determine, in patients with an amebic liver abscess, the correlation between cholesterol and other features, such as the size and number of abscesses, standard hematological and serum chemistry profiles, liver tests, and duration of hospital stay. METHODS: A total of 108 patients with an amebic liver abscess and 140 clinically healthy volunteers were investigated. Cholesterol and triglycerides were measured in the sera. The data from medical observations and laboratory tests were obtained from the clinical records. RESULTS: A total of 93% of patients with an amebic liver abscess showed hypocholesterolemia not related to any of the studied parameters. Liver function tests correlated with the size of the abscess. The most severe cases of amebic liver disease or death were found in patients whose cholesterol levels continued to decrease despite receiving antiamebic treatment and hospital care. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that the hypocholesterolemia observed in patients with an amebic liver abscess is not related to any of the clinical and laboratory features analyzed. This is the first study relating hypocholesterolemia to severity of hepatic amebiasis.