Soil contamination of a public park by human and canine mastadenovirus, as well as hookworms and Toxocara spp eggs.

Public parks are leisure environments widely used by both, adults and children, often accompained by their pets. Soil contamination of these environments by enteric viruses and intestinal parasites occurs through these animals feces. The aim of this work was to detect Carnivore protoparvovirus 1 (CPV-1) and different species of Mastadenovirus in soils samples from a park located in a medium-sized city in Brazil and evaluate the presence of helminth eggs and larvae in 18 points of a public park soil samples, as well as feces found on this site during six months. Parasitological analyzes were conducted through flotation and sedimentation techniques, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used for viral detection. Of the 216 soil and 16 feces samples, 49% (106/216) and 12% (2/16) were positivefor nematodes larvae, respectively, through sedimentation techniques. Toxocara spp eggs were found in one soil sample and one feces sample, Trichuris spp eggs were found in only one feces sample and Hookworms eggs were found in four soil samples. After reconstruction work in the streets near the park, 30% (64/216) of the samples were positive for Human Mastadenovirus C (HAdV-C), 1.4% (3/216) for HAdV-E and 0.4% (1/216) for Canine Mastadenovirus A (CAdV-A). The parasitic forms found in this study have demonstrated that the contamination of the park's soil pose a threat to human and animal health. This was the first study to report the presence of HAdVs and CAdVs in soil samples.

Saponins from Quillaja saponaria and Quillaja brasiliensis: Particular Chemical Characteristics and Biological Activities.

Quillaja saponaria Molina represents the main source of saponins for industrial applications. Q. saponaria triterpenoids have been studied for more than four decades and their relevance is due to their biological activities, especially as a vaccine adjuvant and immunostimulant, which have led to important research in the field of vaccine development. These saponins, alone or incorporated into immunostimulating complexes (ISCOMs), are able to modulate immunity by increasing antigen uptake, stimulating cytotoxic T lymphocyte production (Th1) and cytokines (Th2) in response to different antigens. Furthermore, antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial, antiparasitic, and antitumor activities are also reported as important biological properties of Quillaja triterpenoids. Recently, other saponins from Q. brasiliensis (A. St.-Hill. & Tul.) Mart. were successfully tested and showed similar chemical and biological properties to those of Q. saponaria barks. The aim of this manuscript is to summarize the current advances in phytochemical and pharmacological knowledge of saponins from Quillaja plants, including the particular chemical characteristics of these triterpenoids. The potential applications of Quillaja saponins to stimulate further drug discovery research will be provided.