Meningococcal disease is the acute infection caused by Neisseria meningitidis, which has humans as the only natural host. The disease is widespread around the globe and is known for its epidemical potential and high rates of lethality and morbidity. The highest number of cases of the disease is registered in the semi-arid regions of sub-Saharan Africa. In Brazil, it is endemic with occasional outbreaks, epidemics and sporadic cases occurring throughout the year, especially in the winter. The major epidemics of the disease occurred in Brazil in the 70's caused by serogroups A and C. Serogroups B, C and Y represent the majority of cases in Europe, the Americas and Australia. However, there has been a growing increase in serogroup W in some areas. The pathogen transmission happens for respiratory route (droplets) and clinically can lead to meningitis and sepsis (meningococcemia). The treatment is made with antimicrobial and supportive care. For successful prevention, we have some measures like vaccination, chemoprophylaxis and droplets' precautions. In this review, we have described and clarify clinical features of the disease caused by N. meningitidis regarding its relevance for healthcare professionals.

The microbiota associated with coffee plants may play a critical role in the final expression of coffee quality. However, the microbial diversity in coffee cherries is still poorly characterized. Here, we investigated the endophytic diversity in cherries of Coffea arabica by using culture-independent approaches to identify the associated microbes, ultimately to better understand their ecology and potential role in determining coffee quality. Group-specific 16S rRNA and 26S rRNA genes polymerase chain reaction - denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and clone library sequencing showed that the endophytic community is composed of members of the 3 domains of life. Bacterial sequences showing high similarity with cultured and uncultured bacteria belonged to the Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, and Firmicutes phyla. Phylogenetic analyses of cloned sequences from Firmicutes revealed that most sequences fell into 3 major genera: Bacillus, Staphylococcus, and Paenibacillus. Archaeal sequences revealed the presence of operational taxonomic units belonging to Euryarchaeota and Crenarchaeota phyla. Sequences from endophytic yeast were not recovered, but various distinct sequences showing high identity with filamentous fungi were found. There was no obvious correlation between the microbial composition and cultivar or geographic location of the coffee plant. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating internal tissue colonization of plant fruits by members of the Archaea domain. The finding of archaeal small-subunit rRNA in coffee cherries, although not sufficient to indicate their role as active endophytes, certainly expands our perspectives toward considering members of this domain as potential endophytic microbes.

The relationships between plants and endophytic bacteria significantly contribute to plant health and yield. However, the microbial diversity in leaves of Eucalyptus spp. is still poorly characterized. Here, we investigated the endophytic diversity in leaves of hybrid Eucalyptus grandis x E. urophylla (Eucalyptus "urograndis") by using culture-independent and culture-dependent approaches, to better understand their ecology in leaves at different stages of Eucalyptus development, including bacteria with N2 fixation potential. Firmicutes, Proteobacteria (classes alpha-, beta- and gamma-) and Actinobacteria were identified in the Eucalyptus "urograndis" endophytic bacterial community. Within this community, the species Novosphingobium barchaimii, Rhizobium grahamii, Stenotrophomonas panacihumi, Paenibacillus terrigena, P. darwinianus and Terrabacter lapilli represent the first report these bacteria as endophytes. The diversity of the total endophytic bacteria was higher in the leaves from the 'field' (the Shannon-Wiener index, 2.99), followed by the indices obtained in the 'clonal garden' (2.78), the 'recently out from under shade (2.68), 'under shade' (2.63) and 'plants for dispatch' (2.51). In contrast, for diazotrophic bacteria, the highest means of these indices were obtained from the leaves of plants in the 'under shade' (2.56), 'recently out from under shade (2.52)' and 'field' stages (2.54). The distribution of the endophytic bacterial species in Eucalyptus was distinct and specific to the development stages under study, and many of the species had the potential for nitrogen fixation, raising the question of whether these bacteria could contribute to overall nitrogen metabolism of Eucalyptus.

Endophytic bacteria colonize the internal tissues of plants without causing infection or negative effects on their hosts. This study investigates the occurrence and diversity of culturable endophytic bacteria in the fruits of Coffea canephora at three developmental stages. Isolation and quantification were performed in R2A culture medium, and the diversity was established using molecular methods and analysis of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME). α-and γ-Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes were identified in the investigated community. Kocuria turfanensis and Pantoea vagans were identified as endophytes for the first time. Of the 18 species that were found, the following seven had not been previously described as endophytic in coffee fruits: Bacillus thuringiensis, Bacillus licheniformis, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter hormaechei, Chryseobacterium sp., and Ochrobactrum sp. The diversity of endophytic bacteria varied during the three developmental stages that were investigated, and the diversity was greatest in fruits during the green stage, during which Bacillus subtilis predominated. The number of Gram-positive bacteria was larger than the number of Gram-negative bacteria during the two earliest developmental stages, whereas their numbers were similar during the ripe stage. The diversity was lowest during the ripe stage, and Klebsiella oxytoca was the predominant species at this stage, probably due to the higher caffeine and sugar contents in the fruits.

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OBJETIVO: apresentar revisão dos aspectos epidemiológicos, profiláticos e de controle da malária no Brasil. MÉTODOS: revisão da literatura, foram consultadas as fontes PubMed (U. S. National Library of Medicine), SciELO (Scientific Eletronic Library Online), e Lilacs (Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde). RESULTADOS: a malária constitui um importante problema de saúde pública no mundo e uma das principais causas de morte por doenças infecciosas, resultando em mais de 300 milhões de casos e cerca de um milhão de óbitos por ano. No Brasil, a ocorrência de malária é concentrada na área da Amazônia Legal, compreendendo os seguintes estados: Acre, Amazonas, Amapá, Rondônia, Roraima, Pará, Tocantins, Maranhão e Mato Grosso. CONCLUSÃO: a despeito dos avanços no tratamento da malária, destaca-se a grande relevância das ações de profilaxia e de controle da doença, as quais têm repercussões – positivas – em termos individuais e coletivos.

Eucalyptus species are among the most widely grown and most economically valuable trees worldwide. In Brazil, eucalyptus is of major environmental and economic importance because it generates thousands of jobs and offers an alternative to using wood from native forests. In forest ecosystems, plant shoots are considered a common habitat for various microorganisms, and plants of the family Myrtaceae are an important source of fungal biodiversity. However, very little is known about the diversity and microbial distribution in eucalyptus leaves. This study aimed at showing the diversity and distribution of endophytic fungi in the leaves of eucalyptus plants aged 18 and 72 months. The leaves were collected at the onset of the rainy period, during the rainy period, and during the dry period. Diversity was measured using DNA extraction, 18S rRNA subunit amplifi cation, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), and sequencing of eluted bands. The endophytic fungal community was affected by plant location. Differences observed in the distribution of the phylogenetic groups found in the upper, middle and lower thirds of the tree canopy indicate that the endophytic community distribution in eucalyptus is dependent on leaf position. The age of the plants affected the diversity of endophytic fungi in Eucalyptus "urograndis". Phylogenetic analysis showed that the phyla Basidiomycota and Ascomycota dominate in the environments studied. The description of endophytic fungal diversity in this important forest species is an important step for assessing this genetic resource in the search for metabolites and processes tha t can contribute to improving plant development.

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