SUMMARYOropharyngeal candidiasis is the most common opportunistic fungal infection in individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus. CD4+ lymphocytes count and the quantification of viral RNA in blood plasma have been found to be the main markers of HIV disease progression. The present study was conducted to evaluate Candida sp. diversity in the oral cavity of HIV-infected patients and to determine whether there was association of CD4 + cell count and viral load with asymptomatic oral Candida carriage. Out of 99 HIV-positive patients studied, 62 (62.6%) had positive culture for Candida (oral carriage) and 37 patients (37.4%) had Candida negative culture (no oral carriage). The etiologic agents most common were C. albicans and C. tropicalis. The range of CD4 + was 6-2305 cells/mm 3 in colonized patients and 3-839 cells/mm 3 for non-colonized patients, while the viral load was 60-90016 copies/mL for colonized patients and 75-110488 copies/mL for non colonized patients. The viral load was undetectable in 15 colonized patients and in 12 non colonized patients. Our results showed that there was no significant difference of the variables CD4 + cell count and viral load between oral candida carriage and no oral candida carriage patients.

In this study, we investigated the yeasts colonization of genus Candida, including C. dubliniensis, isolated of HIV-infected patients oral cavities and we accessed in vitro susceptibility pattern of the Candida isolates to four antifungal agents. Out of 99 patients investigated, 62 (62.6%) were colonized with yeasts. C. albicans was the prevailing species (50%). C. dubliniensis isolates were not recovered in our study. We verified that 8.1% of the yeasts isolated were resistant to fluconazole, 8.1% to itraconazole and 3.2% to voriconazole. The isolates demonstrated very low voriconazole MICs, in which 79% (49/62) presented values of 0.015 mug/ml. All Candida isolates were susceptible to amphotericin B. The results reported here showed that although C. albicans continues to be present in one-half of oral Candida carriage of HIV-infected patients, Candida non-albicans species are increasing among these patients. Besides, the findings of resistant isolates endorse the role of antifungal susceptibility testing whenever antifungal treatment with azoles is planned.

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Cryptococcal infection had an increased incidence in last yearsCryptococcal infections have increased dramatically over the last years. This high incidence can be due in large part to the explosion of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic around the world and the use of more potent immunosuppressive agents by increasing numbers of solid organ transplant recipients (Mitchell & Perfect 1995, Dromer et al. 1996.Cryptococcal meningitis, the most common infection of cryptococcosis is usually chronic and uniformly fatal if untreated (Collazos 2003). Some antifungal drugs, such as polyene macrolides (amphotericin B) and azoles (itraconazole and fluconazole) are currently used in antifungal therapies with certain limitations due to side effects as toxicity and emergence of resistant strains (Terrel 1999, Saag et al. 2000. The lack of response to treatment and resistance in vitro to fluconazole, the drug that now commands maintenance treatment protocols for AIDS patients has began to emerge with Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans in immunocompromissed patients undergoing prolonged azole treatment (Alves et al. 1997, Momoff & Parrish 2003 The medicinal plants have been used for several purposes including antimicrobial effects and have showed inhibition of growth to fungi. Caryocar brasiliensis, plant widely distributed in Brazil, has in vitro activity against Paracoccidioides brasiliensis and C. neoformans while Hyptis ovalifolia, plant native from Brazilian cerrado, has inhibitory effect on dermatophytes (Souza et al. 2002). We are interested on antifungal activity of Ocimum gratissimum, plant known as alfavaca cravo, which has presented in vitro inhibitory effect against bacteria as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and some fungi as dermatophytes (Lima et al. 1993, Nakamura et al. 1999.The occurrence of cryptococcosis in Goiânia and its importance in immunocom-promised patients justify in studying Cryptococcus species in this city localized in the Brazilian midwest region. In this paper the antifungal activity of ethanolic crude extract, ethyl acetate, hexane and chloroformic fractions, essential oils and eugenol from O. gratissimum leaves towards 25 isolates of C. neoformans, important pathogen commonly found in our geographic area , was investigated. Chemical analysis of essential oil -Oil sample analysis was performed on a Shimadzu QP5050A gas chromatograph interfaced to a mass spectrometer (GC/MS) instrument employing the following conditions: fused silica capillary column (CBP-5; 30 m x 0.25 µm x 0.25 µm) which was programmed as follows: 60ºC for 2 min and then up to 240ºC at 3ºC/min, then to 270ºC at 10ºC/min ending with a 10 min at 270ºC. The carrier gas was He at a flow rate of 1 ml/min, split mode, with ratio of 1:5, and injection volume of 1 µl in CH 2 Cl 2 and the ionization voltage, 70 EV. The calculation of the retention indexes was made through co-injection with C 8 -C 32 n alkanes series (Van Den Doll & Kratz 1963). Identification of the oil constituents was made based on the ...

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Onychomycosis defined as fungal infection of the nail represents more than 50% of all onychopathies. Epidemiological studies have shown that this mycosis is worldwide in occurrence, but with geographical variation in distribution. The direct microscopy and culture of the nail samples were performed to identify the causative agent. Out of 2273 patients with nail infection examined between January 2000 and December 2004 in Goiania, state of Goias, Brazil, diagnosis of onychomycosis was confirmed in 1282 cases, with dermatophytes and Candida species being the most common aetiological agents isolated. Dermatophyte onychomycosis was more common in toenails than in fingernails, while onychomycosis caused by yeast had a similar frequency in both toenails and fingernails. Among the species identified, Candida albicans was responsible for 492 cases (38.4%) of onychomycosis, Trichophyton rubrum was found in 327 cases (25.6%) and Trichophyton mentagrophytes in 258 cases (20.1%). Other fungi isolated from nail infections included Aspergillus sp., Trichosporon sp., Geotrichum sp. and Fusarium sp. In our study, yeast of the genus Candida were the dominant cause of onychomycosis in women and dermatophytes were the principal cause of this condition in men.

The development of more effective and less toxic antifungal agents is required for the treatment of dermatophytosis. Plants and their preparations have been used as medicines against infectious diseases. Extracts of Ocimum gratissimum leaves were investigated for in vitro antifungal activity, using agar dilution technique against dermatophytes. The extracts (hexane, chloroform fractions, the essential oil and eugenol) produced antifungal activities against Microsporum canis, M. gypseum, Trichophyton rubrum and T. mentagrophytes. Trichophyton rubrum, the most common aetiological agent of dermatophytosis in Goiânia, state of Goiás, Brazil, was also the most susceptible dermatophyte. The hexane fraction and eugenol were the most active. Hexane fraction inhibited the growth of 100% of dermatophytes at a concentration of 125 microg ml(-1), while eugenol inhibited the growth of 80% of dermatophytes at this same concentration. These results show that extracts of O. gratissimum are active in vitro against human pathogenic dermatophytes.

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...