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A análise multivariada da composição química dos óleos essenciais das folhas de Eugenia uniflora com diferentes cores de fruto indicou a presença de três grupos de óleos em relação ao biótipo do fruto das amostras. O primeiro grupo incluiu amostras de frutos amarelos, vermelhos escuros e roxos contendo altas percentagens de germacreno B (11,1-30,7%), germacrona (9,8-54%) e atractilona (0-19,9%). No grupo II, com amostras de frutos vermelhos claro, os constituintes majoritários foram o curzereno (42,0-43,2%), germacreno D (8,7-9,0%) e germacreno A (5,9-8,9%), enquanto que o grupo III incluiu amostras com frutos vermelho-alaranjado, caracterizadas por um alto conteúdo de selina-1,3,7(11)-trien-8-ona (40,3-55,4%) e epóxido de selina-1,3,7(11)-trien-8-ona (12,7-24,4%). Os óleos essenciais foram investigados frente ao fungo Paracoccidioides brasiliensis pela técnica de macrodiluição em caldo. O resultado mais significativo foi obtido com o óleo do grupo II, com a forma leveduriforme de P. brasiliensis sendo inibida completamente na concentração de 62,5 mg mL -1 .The multivariate chemical analysis of essential oils of Eugenia uniflora leaves with different fruit colours indicated the presence of three oil clusters regarding sample biotypes. The first cluster included yellowish, dark red and purple fruits with high percentages of germacrene B (11.1-30.7%), germacrone (9.8-54%) and atractylone (0-19.9%). In cluster II, with bright red fruit samples, the major constituents were curzerene (42.0-43.2%), germacrene D (8.7-9.0%) and germacrene A (5.9-8.9%), whereas cluster III included red-orange fruit samples containing high contents of selina-1,3,7(11)-trien-8-one (40.3-55.4%) and selina-1,3,7(11)-trien-8-one epoxide (12.7-24.4%). The clustered oils were investigated against the systemic fungus Paracoccidioides brasiliensis via the broth macrodilution method. The oil from cluster II revealed the most significant result. The yeast form of P. brasiliensis was completely inhibited at a concentration of 62.5 mg mL -1 . Keywords: Eugenia uniflora, essential oil, chemical variability, antifungal activity, Paracoccidioides brasiliensis IntroductionFungal infections are common in tropical countries and may have a major impact on public health. Whereas the dermatophyte fungi group is of common occurrence, 1 the incidence of systemic infections due to Paracoccidioides brasiliensis (Splendore) Almeida has increased in the last two decades. 2 P. brasiliensis is an etiological agent of paracoccidioidomycosis, the most prevalent human systemic mycosis in Latin America, where up to 10 million individuals are estimated to be infected. 3 This thermally dimorphic fungus grows as a filamentous saprobe (mycelium) in the soil at 25 °C and as a multicelular parasitic form (yeast) in the host. The shift from the mycelial to the yeast form (36 °C) is crucial for the infection of the human host. The heat shock response of P. brasiliensis to an abrupt increase in environmental temperature during infection results in the expression of the heat shock...

Resumo Criptococose é considerada a infecção fúngica sistêmica oportunista mais comum em pacientes com AIDS. Nestes pacientes tem predominado como agente etiológico Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans, e muito raramente relata-se C. neoformans var. gattiii, mesmo nas regiões onde se verifica a sua prevalência. Foram estudados 50 pacientes com lesões de criptococose meningoencefálica associada com AIDS. Os isolados foram identificados através de características microscópicas e macroscópicas exibidas em meios de ágar Sabouraud, ágar niger e Christensen. As variedades de C. neoformans foram determinadas pela reação de coloração obtida em meio de L-canavanina glicina-azul de bromotimol (CGB). Em todos os pacientes examinados foram isolados C. neoformans, sendo identificados C. neoformans var. neoformans em 47 isolados e C. neoformans var. gattii em 3. Os resultados encontrados mostram que a criptococose em pacientes com AIDS pode também ser causada por C. neoformans var. gatti, apesar de haver predominância de C. neoformans var neoformans nesta população. Palavras-chaves: Criptococose. Cryptococcus neoformans. AIDS.Abstract Cryptococcosis is considered the most frequent fungal systemic opportunist infection in patients with AIDS. C. neoformans var. neoformans infects the patients with AIDS more often than C. neoformans var. gattii which has been rarely isolated from patients with AIDS. Even in endemic regions of C. neoformans var. gattii, the variety of neoformans is still the most common agent diagnosed in cryptococcosis of patients with AIDS. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from fifty patients with neurocryptococcosis associated with AIDS were studied. The fungi were isolated in agar Sabouraud medium, and were identified by microscopic and macroscopic examination by agar Sabouraud, agar niger and Christensen's urea medium. The variety was determined based on a color characteristic reaction on glycine-L-canavanina-bromothymol blue agar. From all of the fifty patients' cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) we were able to recover C. neoformans. The isolates were identified as C. neoformans var. neoformans in 47 patients and as C. neoformans var. gattii. in the 3 remaining patients. These findings suggest that both varieties, gattii and neoformans, are agents of neurocryptococcosis in patients with AIDS.

The seed and leaf essential oils of Caryocar brasiliensis were analysed by GC/MS. The major constituent of the seed oil was ethyl hexanoate, while the leaf oil contained octacosane, heptadecane and hexadecanol. The pattern of geographic variation indicated that essential oils are mainly produced in lower rainfall periods and with plants grown at higher latitudes. The seed essential oil was investigated against human pathogenic systemic and opportunistic fungi using the agar dilution method. Based on the MIC values, the most significant results were obtained against Cryptococcus neoformans and Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. It was observed that the yeast-form of P. brasiliensis was inhibited at a concentration of 500 mg/ml, whereas 24% of C. neoformans strains exhibited inhibition with MIC £ 250 mg/ml.

SUMMARYA comparison of the Etest and the reference broth macrodilution susceptibility test for fluconazole, ketoconazole, itraconazole and amphotericin B was performed with 59 of Candida species isolated from the oral cavities of AIDS patients. The Etest method was performed according to the manufacturer´s instructions, and the reference method was performed according to National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards document M27-A guidelines. Our data showed that there was a good correlation between the MICs obtained by the Etest and broth dilution methods. When only the MIC results at ± 2 dilutions for both methods were considered, the agreement rates were 90.4% for itraconazole, ketoconazole and amphotericin B and 84.6% for fluconazole of the C. albicans tested. In contrast, to the reference method, the Etest method classified as susceptible three fluconazole-resistant isolates and one itraconazoleresistant isolate, representing four very major errors. These results indicate that Etest could be considered useful for antifungal sensitivity evaluation of yeasts in clinical laboratories.