Occurrence, antifungal susceptibility, and virulence factors of opportunistic yeasts isolated from Brazilian beaches

BACKGROUND Opportunistic pathogenic yeast species are frequently associated with water habitats that have pollution sources of human or animal origin. Candida albicans has already been suggested as a faecal indicator microorganism for aquatic environments. OBJECTIVES The goal of this study was to investigate the occurrence of C. albicans and other opportunistic yeasts in sand and seawater samples from beaches in Brazil to assess their correlation with Escherichia coli, and to characterise the pathogenic potential of the yeast isolates. METHODS Opportunistic species (yeasts that grow at 37ºC) were isolated from sand and seawater samples from eight beaches in Brazil during the summer and the winter. Opportunistic yeast species were evaluated for their susceptibility to antifungal drugs, virulence factors, and the in vitro and in vivo biofilm formation. Strains were selected to carry out virulence tests using BALB/c mice. FINDINGS Several water samples could be classified as inappropriate for primary contact recreation in relation to E. coli densities. C. albicans was isolated in low densities. Of the 144 opportunistic yeasts evaluated, 61% displayed resistance or dose-dependent sensitivity to at least one tested drug, and 40% produced proteinase. Strains of C. albicans and Kodamaea ohmeri exhibited the highest rates of adhesion to buccal epithelial cells. All the C. albicans strains that were tested were able to undergo morphogenesis and form a biofilm on catheter fragments in both in vitro and in vivo experiments. It was possible to confirm the pathogenic potential of three of these strains during the disseminated infection test. MAIN CONCLUSIONS The identification of opportunistic yeast species in seawater and sand samples from Brazilian beaches suggest a potential risk to the health of people who use these environments for recreational purposes.

Aderência e frequência em programas de atividades físicas: a influência de diferentes níveis de aptidão física / Adherence and frequency in physical activity programs at a gym: the influence of different levels of physical fitness

O objetivo de presente estudo foi verificar a relação entre a aderência e frequência dos indivíduos em programas de atividades físicas e a influência de diferentes níveis de aptidão física diante deste processo. Os 1.573 indivíduos foram distribuídos em quatro subgrupos em relação à prática de suas atividades físicas: “regulares de alta” e de “baixa frequência” e “não regulares de alta” e “baixa frequência”. Neste sentido, foi possível observar que, indivíduos com aptidão física inicial acima da média eram mais regulares e frequentes que àqueles com aptidão aeróbia abaixo da média (p< 0,002); o grupo “não regulares com baixa frequência” apresentou menor valor médio de VO2max (32,53 ml-1.kg-1.min) e, em contrapartida, níveis iniciais de flexibilidade não influenciaram na manutenção aos programas de atividade física. A comparação entre o status inicial, “ativo” ou “menos ativo”, antes de se iniciar o programa com a posterior análise do estado de adesão aos exercícios físicos, não apresentou resultado significativo. Desta forma, é possível concluir que o fato do individuo apresentar uma maior aptidão física aeróbia pode estar associado a uma maior adesão ao exercício e que, não necessariamente um perfil “ativo” ou “menos ativo” influencia no comportamento posterior em relação à regularidade e a frequência das atividades.

The aim of the present study was to investigate associations between adherence and frequency in physical activity programs and the influence of different levels of physical fitness. The 1573 participants were distributed into four groups: high/low-frequency regular and high/low-frequency non-regular. From this, it could be seen that individuals whose initial physical fitness was above average were more regular and frequent than those whose aerobic fitness was below average (P < 0.002). It was also seen that the “low-frequency non-regular” group presented lower mean VO2max values (32.53 ml-1.kg-1.min). On the other hand, the initial flexibility levels did not influence maintenance in physical activity programs. There was no association between physical activity practices prior to the program and the manner of joining in the program. Therefore, it could be concluded that if individuals presented greater physical fitness, this might be associated with joining in exercise programs more greatly. However, regardless of whether individuals’ profile was “active” or “less active”, this did not necessarily influence subsequent behavior relating to regularity and frequency of activities.