Effects of resveratrol and genistein on growth, nutrient utilization and fatty acid composition of rainbow trout.

The replacement of the finite and costly resource fish oil is an important task for aquaculture nutrition. A promising approach could be the use of plant bioactives that may have the potential to influence the metabolism and the synthesis of n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially EPA (20:5n-3) and DHA (22:6n-3). In this study, the two phytochemicals resveratrol (RV) and genistein (G) were investigated for their effects on fish growth, nutrient utilization and body nutrient composition alongside their effects on whole body fatty acid (FA) composition. In a feeding trial lasting 8 weeks, rainbow trout (initial BW: 81.4±0.5 g) were held in a recirculating aquaculture system and fed six experimental diets with varying fish oil levels as plain variants or supplemented with 0.3% of dry matter (DM) of either RV or G. The six diets were as follows: diet F4 had 4% DM fish oil, diet F0 had 0% DM fish oil, diets F4+RV, F4+G, F0+RV and F0+G were equal to the diets F4 and F0, respectively, and supplemented with the phytochemicals RV and G. The feeding of the F0+RV diet resulted in reduced feed intake, growth rate and slightly reduced whole body lipid levels. At the same time, the amount of polyunsaturated FA and the n-3/n-6 ratio were significantly increased in whole body homogenates of rainbow trout fed diet F0+RV in comparison to the F0 control. The feeding of the F0+G diet led to reduced feed intake, slightly increased protein utilization but did not significantly affect the whole body FA composition. Overall, feeding the fish oil-free diet supplemented with the phytochemicals resulted in more pronounced effects on fish performance and FA composition than the single factors per se (dietary fish oil level or phytochemical). Present data indicate that G might not be of profitable use for trout nutrition. In terms of FA composition, RV could be a potentially useful complement for fish oil. However, the impairment of growth and performance parameters as observed in the present study discourages its use in trout diets.

Human cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis in Santiago del Estero, Argentina: identification of parasites by monoclonal antibodies and isoenzymes

Estudos de diagnostico, caracterizacao parasitaria e identificacao foram conduzidos em pacientes humanos com lesoes cutaneas de leishmaniose na Provincia de Santiago del Estero, no norte da Argentina. Os procedimentos de diagnostico foram: biopsias de lesoes para utilizacao em esfregacos e inoculacao em hamster; aspiracao (com agulha) de ulceras, para cultura "in vitro". As tecnicas a IFAT-IgG e o teste intradermico de Montenegro. Oito cepas de parasitas foram isoladas, sendo estas obtidas de pacientes com lesoes ativas...

Human cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis in Santiago del Estero, Argentina: identification of parasites by monoclonal antibodies and isoenzymes.

Diagnostic and parasite characterization and identification studies were carried out in human patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis lesions in Santiago del Estero, Northern Province of Argentina. Diagnostic procedures were biopsies of lesions for smears and inoculations in hamster, needle aspirations of material from ulcers for "in vitro" cultures. Immunodiagnostic techniques applied were IFAT-IgG and Montenegro skin test. Primary isolation of eight stocks of leishmanial parasites was achieved from patients with active lesions. All stocks were biologically characterized by their behaviour in hamster, measurements of amastigote and promastigotes and growth "in vitro". Eight stocks were characterized and identified at species level by their reactivity to a cross-panel of sub-genus and species-specific Monoclonal Antibodies through an Indirect Immunofluorescence technique and a Dot-ELISA. We conclude from the serodeme analysis of Argentina stocks that: stocks MHOM/AR/92/SE-1; SE-2; SE-4; SE-8; SE-8-I; SE-30; SE-34 and SE-36 are Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis. Three Leishmania stocks (SE-1; SE-2 and SE-30) did not react with one highly species-specific Monoclonal Antibody (Clone: B-18, Leishmania-(Viannia) braziliensis marker) disclosing two serodeme group patterns. Five out of eight soluble extracts of leishmanial promastigotes were electrophoresed on thin-layer starch gels and examined for the enzyme MPI, Mannose Phosphate Isomerase; MDH, Malate Dehydrogenase; 6PGD, 6 Phosphogluconate Dehydrogenase; NH, Nucleoside Hydrolase, 2-deoxyinosine as substrate; SOD, Superoxide Dismutase; GPI, Glucose Phosphate Isomerase and ES, Esterase. From the isoenzyme studies we concluded that stocks: MHOM/AR/92/SE-1; SE-2; SE-4; SE-8 and SE-8-I are isoenzymatically Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis. We need to analyze more enzymes before assigning them to a braziliensis zymodeme.

A case study of xenodiagnosis.

Estudo de um caso de xenodiagnostico em paciente com doenca de Chagas agudo. A suscetibilidade do D. maximus para a cepa de Barreiras do T. cruzi foi estudada com 100 ninfas do terceiro estagio alimentadas em uma paciente com Doenca de Chagas agudo. A taxa de infeccao nestes triatomineos foi tao alta que nao foi possivel identificar um grupo refratario para a criacao