Hemodialysis in patients with chronic renal failure promotes the removal of toxic substances, water, and minerals from the body and often takes place in specialized clinics. Microbial contamination of dialysis fluid is a serious problem in therapy. One of the sources of contamination is the water used to prepare the dialysate. In Brazil, legislation regulating the microbiological quality of water for dialysis does not cover waterborne microbes such as Pseudomonas, mycobacteria, and fungi. The aim of the present study was to quantify, isolate, and identify fungi present in water systems in six hemodialysis units in Curitiba, Paraná state, Brazil. Fungi were analyzed by surface plating and membrane filtration. Isolates were identified by morphology, while the dematiaceous fungi were identified by sequencing the rDNA ITS region. It was found that 66 % of the samples presented fungi, while black fungi were present in 46 % of all samples. Twenty-eight isolates from treated water for dialysis and dialysate were identified by sequencing and were found to be Exophiala pisciphila, E. cancerae, E. equina, and Rhinocladiella similis. The presence of dematiaceous fungi may pose a risk for debilitated hospitalized patients.

Durante muito tempo, o Brasil foi considerado como o maior produtor de café, sendo este café consumido pelo mercado, independente da sua preferência. Enquanto isso, outros países, como a Colômbia, investiram em qualidade e marketing, conseguindo uma maior valorização em relação ao café brasileiro, considerado de uma qualidade única e baixa (CARVALHO, 2001).O tempo de permanência dos frutos no chão está relacionado com o aumento na porcentagem de fungos encontrados no interior dos grãos (KRUG, 1940). Além da presença dos fungos, outros fatores alteram a qualidade da bebida, tais como: umidade, temperatura, altitude, tipo de solo, pluviosidade, estágio do fruto quando a colheita é realizada, processo de fermentação, entre outros de menor importância (KRUG, 1947).Os fungos também podem produzir metabólitos tóxicos quando estão se multiplicando nos alimentos. Estes metabólitos recebem a denominação genérica de "micotoxinas" e correspondem a produtos metabólicos secundários que, quando ingeridos com os alimentos, causam alterações AbstractBrazil is losing space in the international market due to the worsening in the quality of the coffee. The toxic substances released by fungi besides altering the quality of the drink, can also be harmful to the consumers' health. The purpose of this work was the isolation of fungi from coffee beans of the variety IAPAR 59 to analyze their effect on the quality of the drink. Grains were harvested from trees and were picked from the ground at different times (0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 days). The isolation of the fungi was made by the method "Pour-plate", and the Microcultive and Electronic Scanning Microscopy (MEV) was used to identify the fungi. There was a significant difference in the absolute number of fungi found in grains from trees (5393) in relation to the grains picked from the ground (1523). Seven genera were identified: Absidia, Acremonium, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Mucor, Paecilomyces e Penicillium. High levels of Ochratoxin A in some samples of coffee were identified. The drink lost quality according to the harvest time and the period the beans were left in the ground. In order to guarantee a better quality of the drink, it is recommended avoiding leaving the beans in their places of origin for too long before harvesting

Paecilomyces lilacinus has potential for pests control. We aimed to analyze mycelial growth and spore production in P. lilacinus strains in several agro-industrial residues and commercial media. This study suggests alternative nutrient sources for fungi production and that the biotechnological potential of agro-industrial refuses could be employed in byproducts development.

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