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Background/Objectives: In this study, the efficacy of benzo[h]chromene derivatives as antiprotozoal and antimycobacterial agents was explored. Methods: A total of twenty compounds, including benzo[h]chromene alkyl diesters and benzo[h]chromene-triazole derivatives, were synthesized and tested against Trypanosoma cruzi , Leishmania braziliensis , L. infantum , and strains of Mycobacterium abscessus and Mycobacterium intracellulare LIID-01. Notably, compounds 1a , 1b , 2a , and 3f exhibited superior activity against Trypanosoma cruzi , with IC 50 values of 19.2, 37.3, 68.7, and 24.7 µM, respectively, outperforming the reference drug benznidazole (IC 50 : 54.7 µM). Results: Compounds 1b and 3f showed excellent selectivity indices against Leishmania braziliensis , with SI values of 19 and 18, respectively, suggesting they could be potential alternatives to the commonly used, but more selective, miltefosine (IC 50 : 64.0 µM, SI: 43.0). Additionally, compounds 1a , 1b , and 3f were most effective against Leishmania infantum , with IC 50 values of 24.9, 30.5, and 46.6 µM, respectively. Compounds 3f and 3h were particularly potent against various Mycobacterium abscessus strains, highlighting their significance given the inherent resistance of these bacteria to standard antimicrobials. Conclusions: The sensitivity of Mycobacterium intracellulare LIID-01 to these compounds also underscored their potential in managing infections by the Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex.

Introduction: Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome is a potentially life-threatening, drug-induced adverse reaction characterized by skin eruptions, lymphadenopathy, fever, and a broad range of other bodily manifestations. The spectrum of histopathologic and clinical presentations is wide; therefore, DRESS syndrome can mimic other diseases., Case Presentation: We present a case of a 4-year-old male patient who started chemotherapy with vincristine, cytarabine, and etoposide. The first clinical signs were fever, hemodynamic in-stability, and maculopapular erythema. Biopsies of skin lesions were taken, and hyperkeratosis, focal parakeratosis, acanthosis with slight spongiosis, and intraepithelial dyskeratotic cells were observed. There was a perivascular lymphoid infiltrate with abundant eosinophils in the dermis, and eosinophil permeations to the acrosyringium and epithelium were found., Conclusion: DRESS syndrome is a drug-induced reaction that shares histopathological findings in skin biopsies with those seen in graft-versus-host disease. Although the histological findings are non-pathognomonic, they were characteristic enough to be of importance in the differential diagnosis., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© 2024 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Objective: Ceftazidime-avibactam (CZA) is a good option for Gram-negative bacilli infections that produce carbapenemase Classes A (especially blaKPC) and D (blaOXA). However, it is unknown whether it would have an impact on metallo-β-lactamases (blaMBL) selection. The aim of the study was to compare carbapenem and CZA Klebsiella pneumoniae (KPN) susceptibility profiles for a period of two years following the introduction of CZA., Methods: The study was conducted in a 36-bed adult ICU of a tertiary hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Antimicrobial consumption was expressed as days of treatment per 100 patients-day (DOT)., Results: A total of 123 KPN strains in the first year and 172 in the second year were analyzed. An alarming decrease in carbapenem susceptibility was detected in the second year (OR 0.5 [0.3-0.8] p<.001). In parallel, there was a decrease in CZA susceptibility (OR 0.5 [0.3-0.9] p<.05). These findings were linked to a rise in blaMBL-KPN (32.1% vs. 45.1%, OR 1.7 [1.1-2.9], p <.04) during the second year. This new KPN susceptibility profile promoted an increment in CZA (1.0 DOT vs. 6.6 DOT, OR 6.6 [4.9-9.1] p<.001) and aztreonam (0.3 DOT vs. 4.1 DOT, OR 16.3 [9.1-29.3] p<.001) consumption. Thus, there was a decrease in carbapenem prescription (17.8 DOT vs. 15.4 DOT, OR 0.8 [0.8-0.9] p<.001)., Conclusions: There was an escalation of blaMBL-KPN rate two years after CZA introduction, leading to a decrease in CZA and carbapenem susceptibility and an increase in CZA and aztreonam prescriptions., (©The Author 2024. Published by Sociedad Española de Quimioterapia. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).)

Background: Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease caused by a parasite protozoon from the genus Leishmania. Among the molecular techniques applied for detecting these parasites, real-time PCR with High Resolution Melting (PCR-HRM) proved advantageous since it simultaneously determines both the presence and species of the pathogen in one step, through amplification and later analysis of curves generated by melting temperature., Methods: Based on this molecular technique, the goal of this study was to estimate the PCR-HRM sensitivity for Leishmania spp. detection in different canine tissues by evaluating biological samples obtained from popliteal, submandibular, and pre-scapular lymph nodes, from bone marrow and ear pinnae of 28 stray dogs captured in the metropolitan area of Asunción (Paraguay)., Results: The rk39 immunochromatographic test showed that 25/28 tested dogs (89%) presented antibodies against L. infantum. In 20/25 dogs that tested positive for rk39 (80%), it was possible to detect Leishmania spp. by PCR-HRM and determine that the species corresponded entirely to L. infantum. Regarding the analysis of different tissues, the parasite was detected in all popliteal lymph node samples, followed by high detection in submandibular (at 95%) and pre-scapular lymph nodes (at 90%), bone marrow (at 85%), and ear pinnae (at 85%)., Conclusions: This study demonstrated that the use of real-time PCR-HRM using the molecular marker hsp70 was a highly sensitive method for simultaneously detecting and identifying Leishmania species in different tissues taken from infected dogs. In addition, the usefulness of ear pinnae as easily accessible tissue for molecular diagnosis was emphasized.

Background and Aim: Lepidium meyenii Walp (Maca) is an herbaceous plant that grows in the Peruvian Andes and it has been widely used as a nutritional supplement and fertility enhancer and has been used in the treatment of a variety of diseases, such as rheumatism, respiratory disorders, and anemia. The most notable feature of Maca is its potent antioxidant capacity, which helps in the scavenging of free radicals and protection of cells from oxidative stress. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro effect of Maca extract on thawed sperm cells from bulls., Materials and Methods: Three dilutions of 1, 10, and 100 mg/mL of Maca extract were incubated with frozen-thawed bovine semen and analyzed at 1, 3, and 24 h of exposure time, evaluating the activity of the extract on the DNA, motility, morphology, viability, integrity of the membrane and acrosome of spermatozoa., Results: The Maca extract improved the studied sperm parameters of motility, acrosome integrity, vitality, and DNA integrity of sperm cells at a concentration of 10 mg/mL, and at 1 mg/mL, an improvement was observed in the morphology and integrity of the membrane. However, the best activity of the Maca extract was observed on the DNA integrity of the sperm, which was effective at the three concentrations evaluated after 24 h of incubation., Conclusion: The results indicate that L. meyenii can help in maintaining spermatozoa cellular integrity after the frozen-thaw process, especially in the protection against DNA fragmentation. Therefore, Maca would be a feasible supplementation to protect sperm to maintain their fertile ability after thawing., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright: © Leiva-Revilla, et al.)

Cymbopogon winterianus, known as “citronella grass”, is an important aromatic and medicinal tropical herbaceous plant. The essential oil of C. winterianus (EOCw) is popularly used to play an important role in improving human health due to its potential as a bioactive component. The present study aimed to identify the components of the essential oil of C. winterianus and verify its leishmanicidal and trypanocidal potential, as well as the cytotoxicity in mammalian cells, in vitro. The EOCw had geraniol (42.13%), citronellal (17.31%), and citronellol (16.91%) as major constituents. The essential oil only exhibited significant cytotoxicity in mammalian fibroblasts at concentrations greater than 250 μg/mL, while regarding antipromastigote and antiepimastigote activities, they presented values considered clinically relevant, since both had LC50 < 62.5 μg/mL. It can be concluded that this is a pioneer study on the potential of the essential oil of C. winterianus and its use against the parasites T. cruzi and L. brasiliensis, and its importance is also based on this fact. Additionally, according to the results, C. winterianus was effective in presenting values of clinical relevance and low toxicity and, therefore, an indicator of popular use.

Weeds are an important source of natural products; with promising biological activity. This study investigated the anti-kinetoplastida potential (in vitro) to evaluate the cytotoxicity (in vitro) and antioxidant capacity of the essential oil of Rhaphiodon echinus (EORe), which is an infesting plant species. The essential oil was analyzed by GC/MS. The antioxidant capacity was evaluated by reduction of the DPPH radical and Fe 3+ ion. The clone Trypanosoma cruzi CL-B5 was used to search for anti-epimastigote activity. Antileishmanial activity was determined using promastigotes of Leishmania braziliensis (MHOM/CW/88/UA301). NCTC 929 fibroblasts were used for the cytotoxicity test. The results showed that the main constituent of the essential oil was γ-elemene. No relevant effect was observed concerning the ability to reduce the DPPH radical; only at the concentration of 480 μg/mL did the essential oil demonstrate a high reduction of Fe 3+ power. The oil was active against L. brasiliensis promastigotes; but not against the epimastigote form of T. cruzi . Cytotoxicity for mammalian cells was low at the active concentration capable of killing more than 70% of promastigote forms. The results revealed that the essential oil of R. echinus showed activity against L. brasiliensis ; positioning itself as a promising agent for antileishmanial therapies.

Croton heliotropiifolius Kunth (Euphorbiaceae), whose occurrence has already been registered in the most varied Brazilian biomes, is commonly found in the Chapada do Araripe, Ceará. The species is traditionally used to treat fungal, parasitic, and degenerative diseases. This study investigated the chemical composition and pharmacological potential (antioxidant, antifungal, antiparasitic, and cytotoxic) of an aqueous extract obtained from the roots of C. heliotropiifolius . Following a qualitative phytochemical screening, the chemical constituents were identified by ultra-efficiency liquid chromatography coupled witha quadrupole/time-of-flight system (UPLC-QTOF). The antioxidant potential was verified by thin-layer chromatography (TLC). The direct and combined antifungal activity of the extract against opportunistic Candida strains was investigated using the microdilution method. The minimal fungicidal concentration (MFC) was determined by subculture, while the modulation of the morphological transition (fungal virulence) was evaluated by light microscopy. The in vitro antiparasitic activity was analyzed using epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi and promastigotes of Leishmania braziliensis and Leishmania infantum, while cytotoxicity was determined in cultures of mouse fibroblasts. The phytochemical analysis identified the presence of acids, terpenes, flavonoids, lignans, and alkaloids. Among these constituents, the presence of polar and non-polar phenolic compounds with known antioxidant action was highlighted. While the extract showed clinically ineffective antifungal effects, it could enhance the effectiveness of fluconazole, in addition to inhibiting the morphological transition associated with increased virulence in Candida strains. Although the extract showed low cytotoxicity against fibroblasts, it also had weak antiparasitic effects. In conclusion, Croton heliotropiifolius is a source of natural products with antifungal and antioxidant potential.

The species Cordia verbenacea DC (Boraginaceae), known as the whaling herb and camaradinha, is a perennial shrub species native to the Atlantic Forest. Its leaves are used in folk medicine as an anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiulcerogenic and curative agent, in the form of teas or infusions for internal or topical use. The present study aimed to verify the cytotoxicity of the essential oil and the leishmanicidal and trypanocidal potential of C. verbenacea . The essential oil was characterized by GC-MS. The in vitro biological activity was determined by anti-Leishmania and anti-Trypanosoma assays. The cytotoxixity was determined using mammalian fibroblasts. The C. verbenacea species presented α-pinene (45.71%), β-caryophyllene (18.77%), tricyclo[2,2,1-(2.6)]heptane (12.56%) as their main compounds. The essential oil exhibited strong cytotoxicity at concentrations below 250 μg/mL (LC 50 138.1 μg/mL) in mammalian fibroblasts. The potent anti-trypanosome and anti-promastigote activities occurred from the concentration of 62.5 μg/mL and was considered clinically relevant. The results also demonstrate that at low concentrations (<62.5 μg/mL), the essential oil of C. verbenacea managed to be lethal for these activities. This can be considered an indication of the power used in daily human consumption. Therefore, it can be concluded that the essential oil of C. verbenacea contains a compound with remarkable antiparasitic activities and requires further research.

A new library of twenty triazole-lapachol and nor-lapachol derivatives was synthesized. The compounds were evaluated against the epimastigotes form of Trypanosoma cruzi and promastigotes of Leishmania braziliensis and L. infantum. The cytotoxicity of the compounds was determined on murine fibroblasts and used to assess the selectivity index. The introduction of triazole rings in the naphthoquinone derivatives improved activity against the parasitic protozoa T. cruzi and Leishmania species. Some of the derivatives were three to six times more potent than benznidazole against T. cruzi, with similar or slightly better selectivity indexes. The results against L. braziliensis showed that the derivatives 5b and 5e were the most selective compounds. However, they were less selective than the reference compound, miltefosine. Among all products, the derivative 3a was the most selective compound against L. infantum. Nevertheless, it was less potent and less selective than miltefosine. Also, the minimum inhibitory concentration values of the derivatives against nine different bacteria were determined. Moderate antibacterial activity was observed for compound 5c against Staphylococcus aureus., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The Paraguayan Chaco is an isolated environment with its own unique ecosystem. In this region, Chagas disease remains a health problem. Chagas disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi , and it is primarily transmitted by triatomines. In order to identify the blood meal sources of triatomines, specimens of the vector were collected in domestic and peridomestic areas and the PCR-RFLP method was implemented. Cytochrome b was amplified from the samples and later subjected to digestion with two restriction enzymes: Hae III and Xho I.It was possible to generate distinct restriction patterns on the amplified material to identify several blood meal sources for the vectors. We employed the blood from several species as positive controls: human, chicken, canine, feline, and armadillo blood. However, we identified only 3 sources for the blood meals of the insect vectors: human, chicken and canine blood. In total, 76 triatomines were captured. T. cruzi was not found in any of them. In 61% of the captured specimens, the blood meal sources for the vectors could be identified. In 30% of these cases, the presence of DNA from more than one vertebrate was detected in the same triatomine. The most common blood meal source found was chicken blood. The presence of human and chicken blood in triatomines captured in domestic and peridomestic areas strongly suggests that the parasite can freely move amongst both areas regardless of food availability. Free vector movement in these areas constitutes an epidemiological threat for the inhabitants of the community under study.

Introduction: Chagas disease and Leishmaniasis are among the most important parasitic diseases. They are considered to be within the most relevant group of neglected tropical diseases and have been included as priorities for searching new drugs due to their several treatment limitations. These parasitic diseases caused by flagellated protozoans affect more than 20 million people predominantly in developing countries., Methodology: In this study, we prepared a series of 2-substituted 1,4-benzenediols by an efficient, green, and lithium salt-free synthesis in water/ethanol as solvent to test their anti-parasitic activity. All 36 phenolic derivatives were evaluated in vitro for their activity against T. cruzi epimastigotes, L. infantum, and L. braziliensis promastigotes, as well as their cytotoxicity on macrophage and fibroblast cell lines., Results: Based on the results obtained, the compounds that presented a methyl, trifluoromethyl or bromo group at the para-position of the second benzene ring were found the most active analogs, with higher selective index values on the three parasites assayed., Conclusion: This evidence suggests that the anti-parasitic activity observed in these analogs is affected by the size of the group at the 4-position of the second ring, but not related with electronic factors.This study identified hit compounds with the potential to target several kinetoplastid parasites., Competing Interests: No Conflict of Interest is declared, (Copyright (c) 2019 Enrique Miguel Pandolfi, Miriam Rolon, Alejandro Peixoto de Abreu Lima, Cathia Coronel, Celeste Vega, Antonieta Rojas de Arias.)

Alpinia speciosa K. Schum, known as colônia (colony), is native to tropical Asia and found in parts of tropical America. Its leaves are used to wrap food, rhizomes for food preparation and seeds for health maintenance, and have been widely used by the population as a diuretic, antihypertensive, antiulcerogenic and sedative. The present study aimed to verify the leishmanicidal and trypanocidal potential, as well as the cytotoxicity, of the A. speciosa essential oil, in vitro. A. speciosa presented 1,8-cineole (28.46%), camphor (17.10%) and sabinene (9.95%) as major constituents. The cytotoxic activity of the essential oil presented a low value, while the antipromastigote and antiepimastigote activity presented values considered clinically relevant, since it had an action below 500 μg/mL. In relation to this study, it can be concluded that this is a pioneer in the potential of the A. speciosa essential oil and in the use against the parasites Trypanosoma cruzi Chagas and Leishmania brasiliensis Vianna, having its importance also rooted in this fact. Still in accordance with the results, A. speciosa was effective because it presented values of clinical relevance and low toxicity. It was also observed that the chemical constitution of the above identified compounds with remarkable antiparasitic activities., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In the search for new therapeutic agents against neglected diseases, both aqueous and hydroethanolic extracts from Psidium guajava L. and P. brownianum Mart ex DC leaves were investigated regarding their antiparasitic effect and cytotoxic potential. The extracts were tested at three concentrations (250, 500 and 1000 μg/mL) against Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigote forms (Chagas, 1909), Leishmania braziliensis (Vianna, 1911) and L. infantum promastigotes forms (Nicolle, 1908), as well as against fibroblasts. P. guajava showed no activity against T. cruzi forms, while the hydroethanolic (PBHE), aqueous by decoction (PBAED) and aqueous by infusion (PBAEI) P. browninaum extracts were responsible, respectively, for inhibiting 100, 100 and 92.68% of T. cruzi epimastigote growth at the 1000 μg/mL concentration. The P. brownianum hydroethanolic extract (PBHE) at the highest concentration caused 58.46% death in L. braziliensis, thus demonstrating moderate activity, however when tested against L. infantum, the PBHE inhibited their growth by 37.16%, revealing its low activity. As for the cytotoxicity assays, the P. brownianum aqueous extract by decoction (PBAED) obtained the highest death percentage when compared to the others, causing 90.85% fibroblast mortality at the 1000 μg/mL concentration., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The treatment for leishmaniasis and Chagas disease can be hard and painful, such that many patients give up on the treatment. In order to find an alternative path for the treatment of these diseases, researchers are using natural products to fight these parasites. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antiprotozoan and cytotoxic activities of red propolis samples collected from different Brazilian states and seasons whilst searching for possible activity differences. We also compared the red propolis results with the ones obtained for the plant resin extract collected from Dalbergia ecastaphyllum trees. The hydroethanolic red propolis extracts from Pernambuco and Alagoas, and the D. ecastaphyllum resin were evaluated regarding their antileishmanial, antitrypanosomal and cytotoxic activity. All extracts showed antiprotozoan and cytotoxic activity. RP-PER showed to be more cytotoxic against protozoan parasites and fibroblast cells. All propolis extracts showed a higher cytotoxic activity when compared to resin extracts. The propolis sample collected in Pernambuco during the rainy season killed the parasites with lower concentrations than the sample collected in the dry season. The IC 50 observed against the parasites could be used without high fibroblast cell damage., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The evaluation of the leishmanicidal and trypanocidal activity of the hydroalcoholic extract of the bark of Stryphnodendron rotundifolium Mart. (EHCSR) was carried out to find an alternative treatment for parasitic diseases. EHCSR was prepared and used at four different concentrations (1000, 500, 250, 125 μg/mL) in in vitro assays for activity against Leishmania promastigotes using the species Leishmania brasiliensis and Leishmania infantum and for trypanocidal activity using the epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi . We also tested EHCSR for cytotoxicity against adhered cultured Murine J774 fibroblasts. The tests were performed in triplicate, and the percent mortality of parasites, IC 50 and percent toxicity were determined. With regard to anti-leishmania activity against L. infantum , there was a mean mortality of 45% at all concentrations, and against L. brasiliensis , a substantial effect was seen at 1000 μg/mL with 56.38% mortality, where the IC 50 values were 1338.76 and 987.35 μg/mL, respectively. Trypanocidal activity was notably high at 1000 μg/mL extract with 82.31% mortality of epimastigotes. Cytotoxicity at the highest extract concentrations of 500 and 1000 μg/mL was respectively 75.12% and 94.14%, with IC 50  = 190.24 μg/mL. Despite that the extract has anti-parasitic activity, its substantial cytotoxicity against fibroblasts cells makes its systemic use nonviable as a therapeutic alternative.

Despite sustained efforts for eliminating Triatoma infestans , reinfestation still persists in large part of the endemic area of Chagas disease from the Gran Chaco region. Sylvatic T. infestans populations seem to threat success of control programs of domestic T. infestans . In this study, we analyze whether T. infestans collected after a community-wide spraying were survivors or were immigrants from elsewhere using geometric morphometric tools. We used 101 right wings of female T. infestans captured before and after intervention program carried out in 12 de Junio and Casuarina, villages from Paraguayan Chaco, and in Puerto Casado during presprayed collection. There were no significant differences in wing size of domestic T. infestans between pre- and postspraying populations, and between domestic and sylvatic ones. When shape variables originating from postintervention individuals from 12 de Junio were introduced one by one into a discriminant analysis, the greatest weight (53%) was allocated to the sylvatic group. Furthermore, from the prespraying population, 25% were reallocated as postintervention individuals. Only 11% of the insects were reassigned to other groups Puerto Casado and Casuarina. These results suggest that postspraying individuals appear to have different origins. Half of the postspraying individuals from 12 de Junio were similar to the sylvatic ones and 25% of these were similar to those captured in the prespraying period. This remarkable morphometric wings similarity between sylvatic and domestic populations is new evidence suggesting that they could be highly related to each other in the Paraguayan Chaco; human-fed bugs from sylvatic area also support this.

A series of fifty arylideneketones and thiazolidenehydrazines was evaluated against Leishmania infantum and Leishmania braziliensis . Furthermore, new simplified thiazolidenehydrazine derivatives were evaluated against Trypanosoma cruzi . The cytotoxicity of the active compounds on non-infected fibroblasts or macrophages was established in vitro to evaluate the selectivity of their anti-parasitic effects. Seven thiazolidenehydrazine derivatives and ten arylideneketones had good activity against the three parasites. The IC 50 values for T. cruzi and Leishmania spp. ranged from 90 nM-25 µM. Eight compounds had multi-trypanocidal activity against T. cruzi and Leishmania spp. (the etiological agents of cutaneous and visceral forms). The selectivity of these active compounds was better than the three reference drugs: benznidazole, glucantime and miltefosine. They also had low toxicity when tested in vivo on zebrafish. Trying to understand the mechanism of action of these compounds, two possible molecular targets were investigated: triosephosphate isomerase and cruzipain. We also used a molecular stripping approach to elucidate the minimal structural requirements for their anti- T. cruzi activity.

Tropical parasitic diseases such as Chagas disease and leishmaniasis are considered a major public health problem affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide. As the drugs currently used to treat these diseases have several disadvantages and side effects, there is an urgent need for new drugs with better selectivity and less toxicity. Structural modifications of naturally occurring and synthetic compounds using click chemistry have enabled access to derivatives with promising antiparasitic activity. The antiprotozoal activity of the terpenes dehydroabietic acid, dehydroabietinol, oleanolic acid, and 34 synthetic derivatives were evaluated against epimastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi and promastigotes of Leishmaniabraziliensis and Leishmania infantum . The cytotoxicity of the compounds was assessed on NCTC-Clone 929 cells. The activity of the compounds was moderate and the antiparasitic effect was associated with the linker length between the diterpene and the triazole in dehydroabietinol derivatives. For the oleanolic acid derivatives, a free carboxylic acid function led to better antiparasitic activity.

Context Melissa officinalis subsp. inodora Bornm. (Lamiaceae) has been used since ancient times in folk medicine against various diseases, but it has not been investigated against protozoa. Objective To evaluate the activities of M. officinalis against Leishmania braziliensis, Leishmania infantum and Trypanosoma cruzi as well as its cytotoxicity in fibroblast cell line. Materials and methods The fresh leaves were chopped into 1 cm(2) pieces, washed and macerated with 99.9% of ethanol for 72 h at room temperature. Antiparasitic activity of M. officinalis was accessed by direct counting of cells after serial dilution, while the cytotoxicity of M. officinalis was evaluated in fibroblast cell line (NCTC929) by measuring the reduction of resazurin. The test duration was 24 h. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to characterise the extract. Results The extract at concentrations of 250 and 125 μg/mL inhibited 80.39 and 54.27% of promastigote (LC50  value = 105.78 μg/mL) form of L. infantum, 80.59 and 68.61% of L. brasiliensis (LC50 value  = 110.69 μg/mL) and against epimastigote (LC50 value  = 245.23 μg/mL) forms of T. cruzi with an inhibition of 54.45 and 22.26%, respectively, was observed. The maximum toxicity was noted at 500 μg/mL with 95.41% (LC50  value = 141.01 μg/mL). The HPLC analysis identified caffeic acid and rutin as the major compounds. Discussion The inhibition of the parasites is considered clinically relevant (< 500 μg/mL). Rutin and caffeic acids may be responsible for the antiprotozoal effect of the extract. Conclusion The ethanol extract of M. officinalis can be considered a potential alternative source of natural products with antileishmania and antitrypanosoma activities.

Unlabelled: We report the first case in Argentina of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus with intermediate susceptibility to vancomycin and nonsusceptibility to daptomycin., Case Report: A male patient with a history of chronic renal failure on hemodialysis and hip fracture osteosynthesis was admitted to hospital for persistent febrile syndrome following the displacement of the prosthesis by trauma. Blood cultures grew community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. During treatment with vancomycin and daptomycin, a gradual increase in vancomycin MIC of 1 μg/ml (VSSA) to 2 μg/ml (h-VISA) and 4 μg/ml (VISA) was observed, as well as the emergence of non-susceptibility to daptomycin (MIC = 4 μg/ml). By suspending vancomycin and daptomycin, the strain reversed to the susceptible phenotype to both drugs. It is mandatory to evaluate by MIC the susceptibility to vancomycin and daptomycin during treatment when these drugs are used as therapy.

Chagas' disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, is considered a public health problem. Nowadays, chemotherapy is the only available treatment for this disease, and the drugs currently used, nifurtimox and benzonidazole, present high toxicity levels. Alternatives for replacing these drugs are natural extracts from Eugenia jambolana, a plant used in traditional medicine because of its antimicrobial and biological activities. An ethanol extract from E. jambolana was prepared. To research in vitro anti-epimastigote activity, T. cruzi CL-B5 clone was used. Epimastigotes were inoculated at a concentration of 1×10(5)/mL in 200 μL of tryptose-liver infusion. For the cytotoxicity assay J774 macrophages were used. To examine antifungal activity, Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, and Candida krusei were used. This is the first record of trypanocide activity for E. jambolana. The effective concentration capable of killing 50% of the parasites was 56.42 μg/mL. The minimum inhibitory concentration was ≤1,024 μg/mL. Metronidazole showed a potentiation of its antifungal effect when combined with the ethanol extract of E. jambolana. Thus our results indicate that E. jambolana could be a source of plant-derived natural products with anti-epimastigote and antifungal modifying activity with moderate toxicity.

In the Gran Chaco region, control of Triatoma infestans has been limited by persistent domestic infestations despite the efforts of the Vector Control Services. In Paraguay, this region is the highest endemic area in the country, showing high levels of indoor and outdoor infestation. Although sylvatic T. infestans have been found in the Bolivian and Argentine Chaco, similar searches for sylvatic populations of this species in Paraguay had been unsuccessful over the last 20 years. Here we present a new approach to detecting sylvatic Triatominae, using a trained dog, which has successfully confirmed sylvatic populations of T. infestans and other triatomine species in Paraguay. A total of 22 specimens corresponding to dark morph forms of T. infestans were collected, and 14 were confirmed as T. infestans by the mitochondrial cytochrome B gene analysis. Through this analysis, one of which were previously reported and a second that was a new haplotype. Triatomines were captured from amongst vegetation such as dry branches and hollows trees of different species such Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco, Bulnesia sarmientoi and Stetsonia coryne. The colonies found have been small and without apparent infection with Trypanosoma cruzi. During the study, Triatoma sordida and Triatoma guasayana have also been found in ecotopes close to those of T. infestans.