Relationship between Physicochemical Characteristics and Pathogenic Leptospira in Urban Slum Waters.

Leptospirosis, a zoonosis caused by pathogenic Leptospira, primarily affects tropical, developing regions, especially communities without adequate sanitation. Outbreaks of leptospirosis have been linked with the presence of pathogenic Leptospira in water. In this study, we measured the physicochemical characteristics (temperature, pH, salinity, turbidity, electrical conductivity, and total dissolved solids (TDS)) of surface waters from an urban slum in Salvador, Brazil, and analyzed their associations with the presence and concentration of pathogenic Leptospira reported previously. We built logistic and linear regression models to determine the strength of association between physicochemical parameters and the presence and concentration of Leptospira. We found that salinity, TDS, pH, and type of water were strongly associated with the presence of Leptospira. In contrast, only pH was associated with the concentration of the pathogen in water. The study of physico-chemical markers can contribute to a better understanding of the occurrence of Leptospira in water and to the identification of sources of risk in urban slum environments.

A strategic study using mutant-strain entrapment in calcium alginate for the production of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells with high invertase activity.

Entrapped cells and entrapped cells grown inside of a calcium alginate matrix as well as free cells have been investigated using Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant strains with regard to their pattern of growth and invertase activity. The repression of invertase by glucose and glucose-consumption ability were considered in the selection process of the mutants. Efficient sucrose bioconversion due to high invertase activity was obtained when entrapped mutant strain Q6R2 cells were grown within calcium alginate gel beads using sucrose plus glucose as the carbon source. Under these conditions, 1 mg (dry weight) of entrapped cells is able to produce 20 micromol of inverted sugar in 3 min (the maximum activity obtained was 20 units x mg(-1)). The experiments were carried out for 6 months without appreciable loss of either bead integrity or invertase activity. The biocatalyst was also stored at 4 degrees C for 6 months without appreciable loss of the invertase activity. This work shows that entrapped yeast cells with a weak ability to consume sugar may be used to produce inverted sugar.