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Yeasts discarded in industrial processes can be used as a nutritional supplement and to extract cellular components with biotechnological aims. In this study, the humoral immune response of Swiss mice treated with mannoproteins (MP) from the yeast Saccharomyces uvarum was evaluated. The mice were treated with MPs at different doses and times and inoculated with 2% sheep red blood cells. An increase in total Ig in mice treated with 100 μg of MP at the time of immunization or 24 h before was observed in the primary immune response; in the secondary immune response, an increase was observed in total Ig values for all groups, and an increase of IgG was observed in the mice treated with MPs (100 μg) at the time of immunization or 24 h before. These results show that S. uvarum MPs present an immunostimulatory action on the humoral immune response in mice.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the sexual transmission of GBV-C/HGV, through RNA detection in cervicovaginal smears. Therefore the GBV-C/HGV RNA in cervicovaginal smears from apparently healthy women was investigated using routine proceedings for prophylactic screening to cervical cancer. GBV-C/HGV RNA was detected by reverse transcriptase and polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Only one woman presented co-infection with human papilloma virus (HPV). The GBV-C/HGV RNA was detected in 13/73 (17.57%) healthy women and it's prevalence in participating women between 28-43 years old was 53.85%. No association was found with GBV-C/HGV for the age of first sexual intercourse and number of pregnancies. In GBV-C/HGV RNA positive women, 69.23% were married. In conclusion, the present findings show that cervical and vaginal specimens could contain the GBV-C/HGV RNA.O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar a transmissão sexual de GBV-C/HBV, através da detecção do RNA viral em raspados cérvico-vaginais. Portanto, a presença do RNA GBV-C/HGV foi investigada em raspados cérvico-vaginais em mulheres aparentemente saudáveis que realizaram exames preventivos para câncer cervical. GBV-C/HGV RNA foi detectado por reação de transcriptase reversa e reação em cadeia da polimerase (RT-PCR). Apenas uma mulher apresentou a co-infecção com o papiloma vírus humano (HPV). O RNA GBV-C/HGV foi detectado em 13/73 (17,57%) mulheres saudáveis e sua prevalência entre participantes da idade de 28-43 anos foi de 53,85%. Não foi observada relação entre a presença do RNA GBV-C/HGV com a idade de primeira relação sexual, nem com o número de gestações. Entre as mulheres que apresentavam o RNA viral, 69,23% eram casadas. O presente estudo demonstrou que secreções cérvico-vaginais podem conter o RNA viral GBV-C/HBV.

The aim of this work was to isolate, clone and characterize the iron uptake gene iutA from avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC). The iutA gene was isolated from the strain APEC 9, serotype O2:H9, which was cloned in the expression vector pET101/D-TOPO. The gene of 2.2 Kb was sequenced (AY602767, which showed high similarity to the iutA gene from three plasmids, two from APEC, pAPEC-02-ColV (AY545598.4) and pTJ100 (AY553855.1), and one from a human invasive E. coli strain, the pColV K30. The recombinant protein IutA was over expressed in E. coli BL21(DE-3) and was solubilized with urea and purified by Ni-NTA column. This method produced a relatively high yield of r-IutA of approximately 74kDa, which was used to produce the antibody anti-IutA. This anti-IutA reacted with the protein r-IutA and native IutA of APEC 9, as demonstrated by Western blot, showing that the r-IutA conserved epitopes and its antigenicity was preserved. The anti-IutA IgY was able to inhibit the IutA biological activity, inhibiting the sensitivity to cloacin DF13 of APEC9. However, it did not inhibit the growth of APEC9 in M9 and did not protect the chickens inoculated with the APEC, suggesting that the APEC possessed another iron acquisition mechanism distinct of aerobactin.A proteína de membrane externa IutA (iron uptake transport) é o receptor para aerobactina férrica, um fator de virulência encontrado mais frequentemente entre as amostras de E. coli pathogênicas para aves (APEC) do que entre os isolados fecais de aves saudáveis. O gene iutA da amostra APEC 9, sorotipo O2:H9, foi amplificado e clonado no vetor pET101/D-TOPO. O gene iutA 2.2 Kb foi sequenciado (AY602767) e mostrou alta similaridade para gene iutA de três plasmidios, dois da APEC, pAPEC-02-ColV (AY545598.4) e pTJ100 (AY553855.1), e um da amostra E. coli invasiva humana, pColV K30. A proteína IutA recombinante (r-IutA) foi produzida em Escherichia coli BL21(DE-3), solubilizada com uréia e purificada em coluna de níquel Ni-NTA. A r-IutA tem aproximadamente 74kDa e foi utilizada para produzir anticorpos anti-IutA. Este anticorpo reagiu com a r- IutA e com IutA da APEC13, como demonstrado por Western blot, mostrando que a r-IutA tem epitopos conservados e sua antigenicidade foi preservada. O anticorpo anti-IutA foi capaz de inibir a atividade biológica da IutA, inibindo o teste positivo de sensibilidade à cloacina DF13 apresentada pela APEC 9, contudo não inibiu o crescimento da APEC9 crescida em M9 e não protegeu os pintinhos inoculados com APEC 9, sugerindo que a APEC possui outro mecanismo de captação de íons ferro distinto da aerobactina.