Non-poroid Aphyllophorales (Basidiomycota) in areas of the Atlantic Rain Forest in Northeast Brazil are reported. Auriscalpium villipes (Lloyd) Snell & E.A. Dick, Climacodon pulcherrimus (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) Nikol., Gloeodontia discolor (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) Boidin, Irpex lacteus (Fr.: Fr.) Fr. and Scytinostroma duriusculum (Berk. & Broome) Donk are new records to Northeast Brazil.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the major cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The risk to develop HCC increases with the severity of liver inflammation and hepatic fibrosis. It is believed that a balance between the releases of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines will determine the clinical course of HCV and the risk to develop HCC. The inteleukin-10 (IL-10) and the tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) play key roles in the Th1 and Th2 balance during the inflammatory response against HCV. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between polymorphisms in TNF-α -308 G>A (rs1800629), IL-10 -1082 G>A (rs1800896) and -819/-592 (rs1800871/rs1800872) with HCC risk in individuals with HCV. The present study evaluated 388 chronic HCV patients. Polymorphisms were determined by real-time PCR. Diplotypes associated with low IL-10 production and the TNF-α GG genotype were significantly associated with HCC occurrence after multivariate logistic regression analysis (P = 0.027 and P = 0.029, respectively). Additionally, the IL-10 -819 (-592) TT (AA) genotype was significantly associated with multiple nodules and HCC severity according to BCLC staging (P = 0.044 and P = 0.025, respectively). Patients carrying low production haplotypes of IL-10 and the TNF-α GG genotype have higher risk to develop HCC. J. Med. Virol. 88:1587-1595, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

With the aim of increasing the knowledge about endophytic fungi, a group of microorganisms with high biotechnological potential and a valuable source of useful metabolites, a survey in leaves of mangrove

A new poroid genus with two conspicuous and common species growing on living Fabaceae trees is described from the Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests biome of Brazil. Both taxa in this forest pathogen genus resemble Phellinus rimosus macroscopically, but are distinguished by a dimitic hyphal system with skeletal hyphae present only in the trama of the tube layer while the context remains monomitic, and by the ellipsoid, thick-walled, adaxially flattened, yellow basidiospores that turn chestnut brown in KOH solution. Molecular and morphological studies of Brazilian specimens macroscopically similar to the Phellinus rimosus species complex were carried out to solve their phylogenetic relationships among the Hymenochaetaceae. Phellinotus gen. nov. with P. neoaridus sp. nov. as the genus type and P. piptadeniae comb. nov. are presented and described. Phylogenetically, Phellinotus is closely related to Arambarria, Inocutis, Fomitiporella and other taxonomically unresolved terminal clades, and unrelated to Fulvifomes and Phylloporia. Phellinotus and other genera of poroid Hymenochaetaceae that lack setae or setal hyphae and produce thick-walled, colored (pale yellow to rusty brown) basidiospores form a phylogenetic group here named the ‘phellinotus clade’. Our results indicate the need to include taxa from unexplored areas in order to get a thorough understanding of the phylogeny of the Hymenochaetaceae.

O solo é considerado um dos principais hábitats para a população de microrganismos, dentre os quais estão os fungos. A região de Xingó é caracterizada por apresentar ecossistema típico de Caatinga. Com objetivo de isolar e identificar fungos filamentosos na região Xingó, utilizou-se amostras de solo coletadas nos municípios de Canindé de São Francisco (SE), Olho D'água do Casado (AL) e Piranhas (AL), durante o período chuvoso (maio e julho/2000) e de estiagem (março/2001), tanto na superfície do solo quanto a 20 cm de profundidade. Foram identificados 96 táxons pertencentes a oito espécies de Ascomycota, oito espécies de Zygomycota e 80 anamorfos, sendo uma espécie de Coelomycetes e 79 espécies de Hyphomycetes. Penicillium e Aspergillus foram os gêneros mais diversos com 31 e 17 espécies, respectivamente.

-(Filamentous fungi isolated from corn derived products). The diversity of filamentous fungi was investigated in three corn derived products: corn meal, corn starch and pre-cooked corn flour. For isolation it was used the plating method, in surface and in depth, with Dichloran Rose Bengal Chloramphenicol Medium (DRBC). Twenty three species of fungi, belonging to eight genera were identified. The highest percentage of species was found in corn meal (47%) followed by corn starch (29.5%) and pre-cooked corn flour (23.5%). Aspergillus flavus Link, Fusarium moniliforme Sheldon, Penicillium funiculosum Thom and P. duclauxii Delacroix were found in all substrates; Penicillium brevicompactum Dierckx was present in corn meal and corn starch, while P. aurantiogriseum Dierckx and Rhizopus oryzae Went & Prinsen Geerlings were detected in corn meal and pre-cooked corn flour. Fusarium moniliforme formed the highest number of colonies forming units (352). Monascus ruber van Tieghen is being cited for the first time to Brazil, in processed corn. Species of Absidia, Aspergillus, Curvularia, Emericella, Fusarium, Monascus, Penicillium and Rhizopus have been mentioned as contaminant of corn derived products.

The aim of this work was to isolate and identify yeasts from sand and sea water collected in two beaches of Olinda, Pernambuco state, Brazil. Thirty two samples of both sand and water in both beaches were obtained in the dry (December 2000 and February 2001) and rainy (June and July 2001) seasons. Two hundred and ninety two strains of yeast were obtained, and they belonged to four genera and 31 species. Candida was the most prevalent genus. Candida catenulata, C. fenica, C. sake, Brettanomyces bruxelenses and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa were the most commonly found species in both beaches Bairro Novo and Casa Caiada.

Filamentous fungi able to hydrolyse inulin have been isolated from the rhizosphere of plants whose roots contain this polysaccharide. This study reports results concerning the isolation and identification of filamentous fungi from the soil used for sunflower cultivation and from the sunflower rhizosphere cultivated in field and in greenhouse. Fungi were evaluated according to their capacity to hydrolyse inulin and the variation in the diversity of these fungi during the plant's life cycle was also accessed. Forty-nine species of filamentous fungi were isolated. Penicillium and Aspergillus were the genera that presented higher number of species, nine and seven, respectively. At the end of the sunflower life cycle, cultivated both in field and in the greenhouse, a lower numbers of species were isolated. One hundred and fifty nine strains of filamentous fungi were isolated from soil and from the sunflower rhizosphere; from these, 79 (49.7%) were able to hydrolyse inulin. There was not significant difference in the proportion of species able to hydrolyse this polysaccharide during the sunflower's life cycle, in plants cultivated in field or in greenhouse. Although the sunflower's rhizosphere is a source of filamentous fungi able to hydrolyse inulin, that might be used in biotechnological processes. This system does not present a higher density of such microorganisms. Species of Aspergillus, Chaetomium, Cunninghamella, Emericela, Eupenicillium, Fusarium, Myrothecium, Neosartorya, Neocosmospora, Penicillium and Thielavia are being related by first time as inulinase producers.