Effect of Different N:P Ratios on the Growth, Toxicity, and Toxin Profile of Gymnodinium catenatum (Dinophyceae) Strains from the Gulf of California.

The harmful microalgae Gymnodinium catenatum is a unique naked dinoflagellate that produces paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins (PSTs). This species is common along the coasts of the Mexican Pacific and is responsible for paralytic shellfish poisoning, which has resulted in notable financial losses in both fisheries and aquaculture. In the Gulf of California, G. catenatum has been related to mass mortality events in fish, shrimp, seabirds, and marine mammals. In this study, the growth, toxin profiles, and toxin content of four G. catenatum strains isolated from Bahía de La Paz (BAPAZ) and Bahía de Mazatlán (BAMAZ) were evaluated with different N:P ratios, keeping the phosphorus concentration constant. All strains were cultivated in semi-continuous cultures (200 mL, 21.0 °C, 120 µmol photon m-2s-1, and a 12:12 h light-dark cycle) with f/2 + Se medium using N:P ratios of: 4:1, 8:1, 16:1, 32:1, and 64:1. Paralytic toxins were analyzed by HPLC with fluorescence detection. Maximum cellular abundance and growth were obtained at an N:P ratio of 64:1 (3188 cells mL-1 and 0.34 div day-1) with the BAMAZ and BAPAZ strains. A total of ten saxitoxin analogs dominated by N-sulfocarbamoyl (60-90 mol%), decarbamoyl (10-20 mol%), and carbamoyl (5-10 mol%) toxins were detected. The different N:P ratios did not cause significant changes in the PST content or toxin profiles of the strains from both bays, although they did affect cell abundance.

Decades of Experience in the Diagnosis of Dengue Fever in the Northwest of Mexico.

BACKGROUND: The State of Baja California Sur is in an arid region of Mexico, the southern half of the Baja California Peninsula. Given its aridity and physical isolation from mainland Mexico, there were no records of dengue fever in the state before 1985. Until now, no data on dengue incidence had been published. OBJECTIVE: To study some epidemiological features of dengue fever in Baja California Sur, Mexico in the last 30 years. METHODS: Total number of cases, general population, sex, age groups, serotypes, mortality, and incidence data were analyzed. RESULTS: There was a 652% increase in reported cases from 2012 through 2014. Age groups mostly affected were adults aged 15-24 and 45-64 years old. CONCLUSIONS: This study makes a thorough analysis of the incidence of dengue and makes recommendations to face the epidemiological challenge.

Effects of exposure to oxamyl, carbofuran, dichlorvos, and lindane on acetylcholinesterase activity in the gills of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas.

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity has been used to test the exposure of mollusk bivalves to pesticides and other pollutants. The Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas is a species with a worldwide distribution, and it has a high commercial value. The use of this species as a bioindicator in the marine environment, and the use of measurements of AChE activity in tissues of C. gigas require prior evaluation of organisms exposed to several toxic compounds in the laboratory. In our study, the effects of pesticides on AChE activity in the gills and mantle tissues of C. gigas were analyzed by exposing animals to organophosphate (dichlorvos), carbamate (carbofuran and oxamyl), and organochlorine (lindane) pesticides. Adult Pacific oysters were exposed to several concentrations (0.1-200 microM) of dichlorvos, carbofuran, and oxamyl for 96 h, and lindane (1.0 and 2.5 microM) was applied for 12 days. In gill tissues, all pesticides analyzed caused a decrease in AChE activity when compared to the control unexposed group. The mean inhibition concentration (IC(50)) values were determined for dichlorvos, carbofuran, and oxamyl pesticides. Dichlorvos had the highest toxic effect, with an IC(50) of 1.08 microM; lesser effects were caused by oxamyl and carbofuran, with IC(50)s of 1.67 and 3.03 microM, respectively. This study reports the effects of pesticides with several chemical structures and validates measurement of AChE activity in the gill tissues of C. gigas for use in environmental evaluations or food quality tests.

Partial characterization of the lectin of runner beans (Phaseolus coccieneus) var. Alubia.

We extracted and partial characterized lectin from runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus L.). This lectin shows a great affinity to fetuin-agarose column like others lectins and the electrophoretic gels point one band of approximately 45 kDa. In addition to the previous assays, we detected the presence of lectins by agglutination assays. We know that lectins are non-enzymatic proteins or glycoproteins that bind carbohydrates. The biological function of plant lectins is not fully understood, but they are hypothesized to be involved in a number of intrinsic processes. Many of those processes include hemagglutination. We believe that the P. coocineus lectin will be an important tool for know the properties of many lectins, included their capacity to detected and quantify tumor markers.