Ballast water (BW) is a major transport vector of exotic aquatic species and pathogenic microorganisms. The wide-ranging spread of toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 from harbor areas has been frequently ascribed to discharge of contaminated BW into eutrophic coastal environments, such as during the onset of the seventh cholera pandemic in South America in the early 1990s. To determine the microbiological hazards of BWs transported to Brazilian ports, we evaluated water and plankton samples taken from (i) BW tanks of recently arrived ships, (ii) port areas along the Brazilian coastline from ∼1 to 32°S and (iii) three coastal areas in São Paulo State. Vibrio concentration and toxigenic V. cholerae O1 occurrence were analyzed. Plankton-associated vibrios were more abundant than free-living vibrios in all studied environments. V. cholerae was found in 9.5% of ballast tanks and 24.2% of port samples, both as free-living and attached forms and, apart from the Santos harbor, was absent off São Paulo State. Toxigenic V. cholerae O1 isolates (ctxA+, tcpA+), involved in cholera disease, were found in BW (2%) and harbor (2%) samples. These results confirm that BW is an important carrier of pathogenic organisms, and that monitoring of vibrios and other plankton-attached bacteria is of paramount importance in BW management programs.
No presente estudo, analisou-se a qualidade microbiológica de dois importantes mananciais que abastecem a cidade de Goiânia, o rio Meia Ponte e o ribeirão João Leite, antes e após o tratamento nas Estações de Tratamento de Água (ETAs) municipais, bem como do esgoto bruto e do efluente tratado na Estação de Tratamento de Esgoto (ETE). Também foi analisada a correlação entre a densidade pluviométrica e os parâmetros físico-químicos e microbiológicos da água, utilizando-se o teste de correlação linear de Pearson. A concentração de coliformes, a presença de Salmonella spp e a análise dos parâmetros físico-químicos foram avaliados em amostras de água bruta e tratada, de esgoto e efluente tratado, coletados no ano de 2005 em rios, ETAs e na ETE de Goiânia. O rio Meia Ponte se enquadrou como manancial de Classe I durante o período analisado e o ribeirão João Leite, como Classe III. A densidade pluviométrica ocorrida no período correlacionou-se com a contaminação fecal e com alguns parâmetros físico-químicos da água (cor e turbidez) do rio Meia Ponte e ribeirão João Leite. O tratamento de água nas ETAs mostrou-se satisfatório, entretanto o tratamento primário do esgoto na ETE não foi suficiente para reduzir significativamente sua carga fecal, constituindo importante fonte de poluição para o rio Meia Ponte. DESCRITORES: Qualidade microbiológica. Água de abastecimento. Esgoto.Efluente. Salmonella.
In the present work, different Brazilian biomes aiming to identify and select cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase-producer bacteria are explored. This enzyme is responsible for converting starch to cyclodextrin, which are interesting molecules to carry other substances of economic interest applied by textile, pharmaceutical, food, and other industries. Based on the enzymatic index, 12 bacteria were selected and evaluated, considering their capacity to produce the enzyme in culture media containing different starch sources. It was observed that the highest yields were presented by the bacteria when grown in cornstarch. These bacteria were also characterized by sequencing of the 16S rRNA region and were classified as Bacillus, Paenibacillus, Gracilibacillus and Solibacillus.
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