Histoplasma capsulatum (H. capsulatum) is a thermal-dimorphic fungus, the causal agent of histoplasmosis. Its presence in the environment is related with chicken manure due to their high nitrogen and phosphorus content. In Colombia, chicken manure is the most used raw material in the composting process; however, there is no information about the capacity of H. capsulatum to survive and remain viable in a composted organic fertilizer. To address this question, this study shows three assays based on microbiological culture and the Hc100 nested PCR. First, a composting reactor system was designed to transform organic material under laboratory conditions, and the raw material was inoculated with the fungus. From these reactors, the fungus was not isolated, but its DNA was detected. In the second assay, samples from factories where the DNA of the fungus was previously detected by PCR were analyzed. In the raw material samples, 3 colonies of H. capsulatum were isolated and its DNA was detected. However, after the composting process, neither the fungus was recovered by culture nor DNA was detected. In the third assay, sterilized and nonsterilized organic composted samples were inoculated with H. capsulatum and then evaluated monthly during a year. In both types of samples, the fungus DNA was detected by Hc100 nested PCR during the whole year, but the fungus only grew from sterile samples during the first two months evaluated. In general, the results of the assays showed that H. capsulatum is not able to survive a well-done composting process.
An estimated one-third of tuberculosis (TB) cases go undiagnosed or unreported. Sputum samples, widely used for TB diagnosis, are inefficient at detecting infection in children and paucibacillary patients. Indeed, developing point-of-care biomarker-based diagnostics that are not sputum-based is a major priority for the WHO. Here, in a proof-of-concept study, we tested whether pulmonary TB can be detected by analyzing patient exhaled breath condensate (EBC) samples. We find that the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb)-specific lipids, lipoarabinomannan lipoglycan, and proteins in EBCs can efficiently differentiate baseline TB patients from controls. We used EBCs to track the longitudinal effects of antibiotic treatment in pediatric TB patients. In addition, Mtb lipoarabinomannan and lipids were structurally distinct in EBCs compared to ex vivo cultured bacteria, revealing specific metabolic and biochemical states of Mtb in the human lung. This provides essential information for the rational development or improvement of diagnostic antibodies, vaccines and therapeutic drugs. Our data collectively indicate that EBC analysis can potentially facilitate clinical diagnosis of TB across patient populations and monitor treatment efficacy. This affordable, rapid and non-invasive approach seems superior to sputum assays and has the potential to be implemented at point-of-care.
Este es un artículo publicado en acceso abierto (Open Access) bajo la licencia Creative Commons Attribution, que permite su uso, distribución y reproducción en cualquier medio, sin restricciones siempre que el trabajo original sea debidamente citado. Caracterización del aceite microencapsulado de cardamomo (Elettaria cardamomum) extraído por fluidos supercríticos a escala semi-industrial Characterization of microencapsulated cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) oil extracted using supercritical fluids on a semi-industrial scale ResumenEl objetivo de este trabajo radicó en encontrar las condiciones óptimas para la obtención de un aceite de cardamomo, extraído por FSC a escala semi-industrial, con rendimientos iguales o superiores a los métodos convencionales, pero con calidad sensorial y técnica competitiva para los mercados internacionales, así como la producción de microcápsulas del aceite que permitieran incrementar la solubilidad, sin afectar las características sensoriales como aroma y sabor. Las semillas de cardamomo se obtuvieron en el municipio de Tarso, (Antioquia, Colombia), se acondicionaron para ser extraídas por FSC a escala de laboratorio a 200.400 bar y 50 °C, 60 °C, con tres réplicas al centro a 300 bar y 55 °C, de acuerdo a un diseño central compuesto y la optimización de los resultados por superficie de respuesta según el rendimiento (%) y contenido de 1,8-cineol y acetato de α-terpenilo. Las condiciones finales (50 °C, 400 bar) se escalaron a un extractor semi-industrial hasta obtener un aceite con un rendimiento de 8,54 ± 1,09% y una concentración de 1,8-cineol (28,37 ± 1,80% p/p) y acetato de α-terpenilo (32,93 ± 1,24% p/p), analizados por GC-FID. La caracterización complementaria del aceite se encaminó al perfil sensorial y pruebas fisicoquímicas, con un resultado de atributos balanceados (herbal: 3,0, menta: 2,6, floral: 2,4 y cítrico: 2,3) e índice de color entre (+2 y +20). El aceite fue microencapsulado por secado por aspersión con una mezcla de goma arábiga, maltodextrina y almidón modificado (4/6, 1/6, 1/6) respectivamente. Se obtuvieron microcápsulas con un tamaño de partícula entre 12,2 y 25,78 µm y una distribución de la misma en solución acuosa de 13,18 µm, lo que permitió el aumento de la solubilidad del aceite en una matriz polar a temperatura ambiente. Palabras clave: Elettaria cardamomum; Fluidos supercríticos; Microencapsulación; Secado por aspersión; 1,8-cineol;Acetato de α-terpenilo. AbstractThe objective of this study was to find the optimal conditions to obtain cardamom oil extracted by SCF on a semi-industrial scale, with yields equal or superior to those obtained using the conventional methods, but with sensory quality and a technique competitive for international markets. In addition microcapsules were produced allowing for an increase in oil solubility, without affecting sensory features such as aroma and flavour. The cardamom seeds were obtained in the city of Tarso-Antioquia (Colombia), and were conditioned to be extracted by SCF on a laboratory scale at 200 and 400 Bar a...
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