Biological activities of essential oils from six genotypes of four Ocotea species

Abstract Essential oils from four Ocotea species collected in southern Brazil were evaluated for chemical composition using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The primary compound identified in O. acutifolia essential oil was an unsaturated tetracyclic diterpene, phyllocladene (67.7%), followed by a sesquiterpene hydrocarbon, ß-selinene (18.0%). The sesquiterpene fraction was predominant in oils from two collections of O. puberula; ß-caryophyllene (25.2%) and globulol (22.6%) were the major compounds identified in collections 1 and 2, respectively. O. silvestris essential oil contained predominantly germacrene D and bicyclogermacrene. These compounds were also predominant in essential oil from O. indecora leaves collected from shady habitats. By contrast, essential oil extracted from O. indecora grown under direct sunlight contained mainly oxygenated sesquiterpenes, such as guaiol (30.2%), α-eudesmol (27.6%), and ß-eudesmol (12.7%). Chemotaxis assays showed that Ocotea essential oils had no significant inhibitory activity on leukocyte migration compared with a chemotactic stimulant (lipopolysaccharide from Escherichia coli). However, the oils exhibited antifungal activity against Candida parapsilosis, with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 500 µg/mL. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the in vitro antifungal and antichemotactic activities of essential oils from Ocotea species native to southern Brazil

Candida blankii: um patógeno emergente de difícil diagnóstico e tratamento clínico / Candida blankii: an emerging pathogen difficult to diagnose and to treat clinically

O gênero Candida possui várias espécies conhecidas e que podem tornar-se patogênicas em determinadas situações. Candida blankii é uma espécie emergente que, na última década, foi identificada como um agente de doenças sistêmicas. Ainda não existe um protocolo de tratamento específico, apesar de que n os poucos casos registrados na literatura a terapia adotada foi efetiva. O objetivo deste estudo foi realizar uma revisão bibliográfica para coletar informações relevantes sobre este patógeno como um possível agente etiológico em infecções sistêmicas, bem como sua epidemiologia e os aspectos de sua patogenicidade. (AU)

The genus Candida has several known species and may become pathogenic in certain situations. Candida blankii is an emerging species that in the past decade has been identified as an agent of systemic diseases. There is no specific treatment protocol yet, although in the few cases reported in the literature the therapy adopted was effective. The objective of this study was to conduct a literature review to collect relevant information about this pathogen as a possible etiological agent in systemic infections, as well as its epidemiology and aspects of pathogenicity. (AU)

Candida auris: emergence and epidemiology of a highly pathogenic yeast

Candida auris is a multidrug-resistant emerging yeast, which was responsible for healthcare-associated infection outbreaks, and was cataloged as a new species in 2009, after being isolated from a patient's ear canal secretion in Japan. Since the notification of this first occurrence, numerous cases have been reported throughout the world, including Brazil. C. auris affects mainly inpatients, patients in intensive care units, exposed to broad-spectrum antifungal medications and who make use of vascular catheters. Currently, this yeast is one of the main responsible for invasive infections in hospitals and has been cause of concern by authorities and organs due to its rapid dissemination and difficult treatment caused by its low susceptibility to antifungal agents traditionally used in clinical practice. As a contributor to the severity of infections associated with C. auris, the transmission mechanism is still unknown, which implies in a lack of control of the microorganism and high mortality rates. Thus, this literature review presents relevant information in order to alert the importance of C. auris as an etiological agent of systemic infections, as well as its epidemiology and the real challenges of the treatment (AU)

Dermatofitoses: agentes etiológicos, formas clínicas, terapêutica e novas perspectivas de tratamento / Dermatophytoses: etiologic agents, clinical forms, therapy and new perspectives of treatment

As dermatofitoses têm ocorrência mundial, sendo mais prevalentes em países de clima tropical e subtropical. Dados epidemiológicos indicam que essas micoses estão entre as infecções fúngicas de maior ocorrência. O quadro clínico mais comum de dermatofitose inclui despigmentação, placas anulares, prurido e perda de cabelo, com lesões tipicamente conhecidas como tineas, ocasionadas por fungos filamentosos dermatofíticos de três gêneros anamórficos: Microsporum, Trichophyton e Epidermophyton. O tratamento das dermatofitoses, em geral, está relacionado ao uso de antifúngicos tópicos e/ou sistêmicos, apresentando como problemática o surgimento de espécies multirresistentes. Esta revisão aborda as dermatofitoses e seus agentes etiológicos de forma aprofundada em aspectos epidemiológicos, apresentando a importância clínica do tema, com ênfase na causa, prevenção, tratamento e prognóstico dessa micose cutânea (AU)

Dermatophytoses have worldwide occurrence with higher prevalence in tropical and subtropical countries. Epidemiological data show that these mycoses are among the most frequent fungal infections. The most common symptoms of dermatophytoses include depigmentation, annular plaques, itching and hair loss, with lesions such as tinea, caused by dermatophytic filamentous fungi of three anamorphic genera: Microsporum, Trichophyton and Epidermophyton. Topical and/or systemic antifungalmedications are used in the treatment of dermatophytoses in general, resulting in problems such as the emergence of multidrug-resistant species. This review discusses dermatophytoses and their etiological agents with a focus on epidemiological aspects, presenting the clinical importance of the issue, with emphasis on cause, prevention, treatment and prognosis of this skin mycosis (AU)