This study aimed to evaluate DNA damage in animal and plant cells exposed to water from the Água Boa stream (Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil) by using bioassays, and to identify the chemical compounds in the water to determine the water quality in the area. Through the cytotoxicity bioassay with Allium cepa, using micronucleus test, and comet assay, using Astyanax altiparanae fish, the results indicated that biological samples were genetically altered. Micronuclei were observed in erythrocytes of A. altiparanae after exposure to water from locations close to industrial waste discharge. The highest DNA damage observed with the comet assay in fish occurred with the exposure to water from locations where the presence of metals (Cu, Pb, Cd, Ni) was high, indicating the possibility of genotoxic effects of these compounds. Thus, these results reinforce the importance of conducting genotoxicity tests for developing management plans to improve water quality, and indicate the need for waste management before domestic and industrial effluents are released into the rivers and streams.

Anthropic activities are directly related to the contamination of aquatic ecosystems owing to the release of numerous chemicals from agricultural and urban waste. These contaminants cause environmental degradation and a decrease in the availability of water quality. The objective of this search was to evaluate the efficiency of physicochemical, chemical, and microbiological tests; extraction of chlorophyll a; and genetic parameters to identify anthropic activities and weather condition effects on the stream water quality and the consequences of its use by the population. The physicochemical parameters were within the limits allowed by the Brazilian law. However, contamination by metals (Cd 0.510 mg L, Co 0.405 mg L, and Ni 0.316 mg L) has been found at various collection points to be more than the allowable values. The antibiotic oxytetracycline was detected in stream water in quantities of up to 89 μg L. In relation to microbiological contamination, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas spp. have been isolated. The averages of chlorophyll a were up to 0.15558 mg cm. Genetic tools identified greater number of micronuclei and DNA damage in periods that showed lower rainfall rates and lower amounts of metals. The analysis used for monitoring was efficient to verify the interference that animal breeding and planting of different cultures have caused on that stream. Thus, the continued use of this water for drinking, irrigation of vegetables, and recreational activities makes the population susceptible to contamination by bacteria and creates conditions for the development of genetic alterations in the long run.

Water quality monitoring is used to determine the impact of human activities on the environment. We evaluated water quality in the Água Boa stream, located within the municipality of Dourados, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, by analyzing physico-chemical, chemical, and microbiological parameters, as well as chlorophyll concentrations. Five sets of water samples were collected between December 2012 and November 2013 from three locations within the stream. The results showed the presence of Escherichia coli and antibiotic-resistant Pseudomonas spp. strains and high concentrations of organic matter (total dissolved solids), inorganic species (Mg, Ca, and Fe), and agrochemical residues (thiamethoxam). The main stream water contaminants are derived from urban, industrial, and agricultural activities within the watershed. Given the presence of contaminants, it is important that such findings are disseminated in order to highlight the risks that contact with this water may pose to human health. To preserve the environment and improve site conditions, people would need to participate by demanding that normative national and international standards be respected and that the situation be supervised by the competent governmental agencies; this would make it possible to reverse or minimize contamination problems within the Água Boa stream.

Marcadores moleculares basados en el ADN mitocondrial (ADNmt) tienen herencia materna y se pueden utilizar para evaluar relaciones filogenéticas y taxonómicas. El diagnóstico de similaridad en los seres vivos se puede lograr mediante análisis genómico del ARN ribosomal 16S (16S rARN). El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el potencial de marcador molecular en el16S ARNr como una metodología para la identificación de las diferentes especies de animales y determinar el grado de similitud genética entre estos individuos. Para ello, el ADN se extrajo a partir de 13 animales, 5 ovinos, 4 bovinos y 4 peces, a continuación se amplificaron, se purificaron y se secuenciaron las muestras. Los análisis de las secuencias se realizaron en los programas MEGA 5.10 y BLAST. Las secuencias identificadas en GenBank® mostraron que los animales pertenecían a las espécies Ovis aries (ovino), Bos taurus (bovino), Prochilodus lineatus (curimba) Pseudoplatystoma corruscans (pintado), Pseudoplatystoma reticulatum (cachara) y Leporinus obtusidens (piau). La distancia genética entre los diferentes grupos de animales fue de 0,10 bovinos/ovinos, 0,66 bovinos/peces y 0,65 ovinos/peces. La construcción del árbol filogenético ha determinado dos clases distintas siendo Mammalia, que contiene las subfamilias: Bovinae y Caprinae, y Actinopterygii que contiene las órdenes: Caraciforme (curimba y piau) y Siluriforme (pintado y cachara). La tecnología de los marcadores moleculares del ADNmt demonstró la posibilidad de utilizarla como herramienta en la identificación y diferenciación de las especies asistiendo a la obra de los taxonomistas. Por lo tanto, la secuenciación parcial de la región del gen 16S rARN fue suficiente para la identificación de ovinos, bovinos y diferentes especies de peces sobre la base de la similitud del gen en programa BLAST.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the water quality of the Água Boa stream and the lakes of the parks Arnulpho Fioravante and Antenor Martins (Dourados - MS), through physico-chemical parameters, microbiological analysis and mutagenicity test to monitor interference from Antropic activities and water depuration capacity. Initially the water samples were processed for coliform analysis using the Most Probable Number (MPN) technique. For the research of Salmonella spp., it was performed the pre-enrichment and enrichment of the water sample and streaking in Xylose Lysine Deoxicolate (XLD) agar. For the evaluation of the mutagenicity, smear peripheral blood of the specimens Astyanax lacustris were collected from the places studied. The Arnulpho Fioravante Park had higher mean values for Electrical Conductivity (353.5 uS cm-2), Total Dissolved Solids (179.3 mg L-1) and the highest values for total coliforms. Salmonella spp. it was identified in the water in both parks. The highest numbers of micronucleus were observed in Água Boa stream. Considering microbiological contamination and higher micronucleus number, it’s relevant to highlight the effects of anthropic interferences in local biota. Therefore, it’s of great importance to intensify the supervision of the municipal legislation, in order to conserve and preserve these ecosystems