Fungi and bacteria were isolated from surface disinfected leaf tissues of several citrus rootstocks. The principal bacterial species isolated were Alcaligenes sp., Bacillus spp. (including B. cereus, B. lentus, B. megaterium, B. pumilus, and B. subtilis), Burkholderia cepacia, Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens, Enterobacter cloacae, Methylobacterium extorquens, and Pantoea agglomerans, with P. agglomerans and B. pumilus being the most frequently isolated species. The most abundant fungal species were Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Guignardia citricarpa, and Cladosporium sp. Genetic variability between 36 endophytic bacterial isolates was analysed by the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique, which indicated that B. pumilus isolates were more diverse than P. agglomerans isolates, although genetic diversity was not related to the host plants. In vitro interaction studies between G. citricarpa isolates and the most frequently isolated endophytic bacteria showed that metabolites secreted by G. citricarpa have an inhibitory growth effect on some Bacillus species, and a stimulatory growth effect on P. agglomerans.

Fungi and bacteria were isolated from surface disinfected leaf tissues of several citrus rootstocks. The principal bacterial species isolated were Alcaligenes sp., Bacillus spp. (including B. cereus, B. lentus, B. megaterium, B. pumilus, and B. subtilis), Burkholderia cepacia, Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens, Enterobacter cloacae, Methylobacterium extorquens, and Pantoea agglomerans, with P. agglomerans and B. pumilus being the most frequently isolated species. The most abundant fungal species were Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Guignardia citricarpa, and Cladosporium sp. Genetic variability between 36 endophytic bacterial isolates was analysed by the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique, which indicated that B. pumilus isolates were more diverse than P. agglomerans isolates, although genetic diversity was not related to the host plants. In vitro interaction studies between G. citricarpa isolates and the most frequently isolated endophytic bacteria showed that metabolites secreted by G. citricarpa have an inhibitory growth effect on some Bacillus species, and a stimulatory growth effect on P. agglomerans.

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Aims: The effects of medium composition, calcium, iron and oxygen tension on the haemolytic activity of Plesiomonas shigelloides were investigated. Methods and Results: The haemolytic activity of seven strains of Ple. shigelloides was tested on the surface of Luria Agar (LA), Brain Heart Infusion Agar (BHIA) and Trypitic Soy Agar (TSA) containing 5% (v/v) sheep blood, and in the Agar Overlay (AO) assay. All strains produced b-haemolysis in the AO assay in three media, and on the surface of LA. The kinetics of growth and haemolytic activity of Ple. shigelloides 9P3-1 were evaluated in six different media, and the highest production of haemolysin occurred in Luria Broth (LB). The haemolytic activity of 9P3-1 was stimulated by Ca 2+ and inhibited by EDTA. Addition of iron to the culture medium did not affect bacterial growth, although it reduced bacterial haemolytic activity. In the presence of an iron chelator, growth of the 9P3-1 was inhibited, but its haemolytic activity was enhanced. Conclusions: The haemolytic activity of Ple. shigelloides depends on medium composition, and that it is regulated by iron and is calcium-dependent. Signi®cance and Impact of the Study: These results show the importance of optimization of media composition and oxygen tension for detection of Ple. shigelloides haemolytic activity.

Attaching and effacing Escherichia coli (AEEC) have been implicated in diarrhoea in humans in several countries. A total of 919 E. coli strains, isolated from 125 children with diarrhoea and 98 without diarrhoea, was investigated by PCR for the presence of the EAF, bfp, eae and stx genes. Thirty-four of these isolates were found to carry the eae gene; they were isolated from 27 (79·4 %) children with diarrhoea and seven (20·6 %) controls, in the city of Londrina, Brazil. These strains were investigated for their genotypic and phenotypic characteristics. Different genetic profiles were observed; strains containing the eae gene alone were most common (47·1 %). The characteristic genetic profile of typical enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), eae, bfp and EAF, was only found in isolates from children with diarrhoea. The stx gene was not detected in any of the 34 strains studied. Ten (29·4 %) strains were negative in the fluorescent actin-staining test. Localized adhesion (LA) was the most common pattern of adhesion (44·1 %), followed by the aggregative adhesion (AA) (23·5 %) and localized adhesion-like (LAL) (14·7 %) patterns. The results showed a strong association between strains presenting the LA pattern and diarrhoea. Forty-seven per cent of the strains studied belonged to classical O-serogroups of EPEC. The most common serotype found was O119 : H6; these isolates all showed the LA pattern, were positive for fluorescent actin-staining and were associated with diarrhoea. Intimin â was detected in seven strains, four of which belonged to serotype O119 : H6 and three to serotype ONT : H7; all were associated with diarrhoea. On the other hand, intimin å was detected in two strains of serotype O111 : H38 and one of serotype ONT : H19, isolated from children without diarrhoea. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the occurrence of intimin å in strains of E. coli isolated from humans in Brazil.

ResumoO chá verde e o chá preto são preparados com folhas da mesma planta, Camellia sinensis. O chá preto é responsável por 75% do chá consumido no mundo e o chá verde, por apenas 22%. O chá que era consumido como medicamento, passou a ser do gosto popular devido as suas característica organolépticas. Seus componentes flavonóides e catequinas apresentam uma série de atividades biológicas, antioxidante, quimioprotetora, antiinflamatória e anticarcinogênica. Vários estudos vêm sendo desenvolvidos por pesquisadores em varias regiões do mundo para comprovar estas atividades terapêuticas, objetivando compreender os mecanismos de ação do chá verde. Diante do acima citado, esta revisão tem por finalidade apresentar as varias linhas de pesquisa em andamento e os resultados já obtidos sobre o efeito quimioprotetor/antioxidante do chá verde. Palavras-chave: Camellia sinensis. Chá Verde. Quimioproteção. Flavonóides e catequinas. AbstractGreen and black teas are both prepared with leaves of the same plant, Camellia sinensis. The black tea is responsible for 75% of the total tea consumed worldwide, and the green tea, for 22%. In the beginning, tea was consumed as a medicine; it became popular due to its organoleptic characteristics. Its components, flavonoids and catechins, are considered antioxidant, chemoprotective, anti-inflammatory and anticarcinogenic. Several studies have been developed in different parts of the world, in order to prove these therapeutic activities and understand their mechanisms. Considering the above mentioned, this revision has the purpose of presenting the several reseach lines in progress and the results obtained so far on the chemoprotective/antioxidant effect of the green tea.

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The survival and conjugation ability of sporogenic and asporogenic Bacillus thuringiensis strains were investigated in broth, in non-amended sterile clay soil monoculture and in mixed soil culture. The 75 kb pHT73 plasmid carrying an erythromycin resistance determinant and a cry1Ac gene was transferred in mating broth and soil microcosm. Survival of strains was assessed in soil monoculture and in mixed soil culture for up to 20 days. Sporogenic strains rapidly formed viable spores which were maintained until the end of the experiment. The asporogenic strains were no longer recovered after 8 days of incubation. This study shows that the environmental impact of asporogenic B. thuringiensis strains is lower than that of sporogenic B. thuringiensis strains. Thus, the use of asporogenic strains may significantly reduce any potential risk (gene transfer, soil and plant contamination) due to the dissemination of B. thuringiensis-based biopesticides in the environment.