African Journal of Parasitology Research

African Journal of Parasitology Research ISSN 2756-3391 Vol. 7 (9), pp. 001-014, September, 2020. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Mycobiota associated with Platypus cylindrus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Platypodidae) in cork oak stands of North West Algeria, Africa

Latifa Belhoucine¹, Rachid T. Bouhraoua¹, Martin Meijer², Jos Houbraken², M. Jamal Harrak³, Robert A. Samson², Armando Equihua-Martinez⁴* and Juli Pujade-Villar⁵

¹Department of Forestry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Tlemcen, Tlemcen, Algeria.

²CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands.

³University of Amsterdam, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

⁴Instituto de Fitosanidad, Colegio de Postgraduados, 56230 Montecillo, Texcoco, Estado de México (México).

⁵Departmet Biologia Animal, Facultat Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Avda Diagonal, 645. 08028-Barcelona, Spain.

Accepted 02 September, 2020

Abstract

Platypus cylindrus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Platypodidae) is an important insect pest of the cork oak. These beetles maintain symbiotic relationships with many fungi that serve especially as food for the adults and larvae but also intervene in the mechanisms of establishment of the insect by further weakening the host-tree. 270 samples were taken by 3 sources: Galleries (30), mycangia and intestinal contents of male and female insects and intestinal contents of mature larvae (60 each). The results show the presence of 42 species of ambrosia fungi among which 17 are new to this association. The mycetophagy of these beetles is very rich and consisted essentially of Ophiostomatales. Other groups of fungi playing different roles were also isolated: entomopathogenic, antagonistic, saprophytic but especially pathogenic for the tree host. This group consists of many species and their dissemination by the insect and the inoculation in trees may have fatal consequences by accelerating the cycle of declining affected trees. In the present paper, we discuss the fungal species associated to the beetle, identified on the basis of phenotypic characters and ribosomal DNA sequences analysis, and their relationship with P. cylindrus.

Key words: Forest of M’sila (Oran- Algeria), Quercus suber, Platypus cylindrus, Ambrosia fungi.

African Journal of Parasitology Research ISSN 2756-3391 Vol. 7 (9), pp. 001-011, September, 2020. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Detection of Leishmania in human blood and tissue exudate ingested by Tunga penetrans

Elizabeth Sentongo^1*, Samuel Kalungi² and Jacinto Amandua³

¹Department of Microbiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, P. O. Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda.

²Department of Pathology, Mulago National Referral Hospital P. O. Box 7051 Kampala, Uganda.

³Department of Clinical Services, Ministry of Health P. O. Box 7272, Kampala, Uganda.

Accepted 16 September, 2020

Abstract

Communities in Uganda are experiencing a multiparasitism, blood microscopy often reveals Leishmania and microfilaria in patients with anaemia, haemorrhage and splenomegaly. Many are likely asymptomatic and probably exposed to insect vectors. We examined the blood and tissue exudate ingested by Tunga penetrans, from relatively healthy eastern Ugandans who had been afflicted by sand fleas in 2010. Comparison was thereafter made with Giemsa-stained blood and bone marrow aspirate smears from patients admitted to Mulago National Referral Hospital. In histology preparations of formalin-preserved paraffin-embedded enucleate stained with haematoxylin and eosin, were cross sections with columnar lining containing a pink substance. Within the substance were numerous lobular and circular organelles, representing nuclei of polymorphonuclear and mononuclear white blood cells. Clustered about the nuclei were translucent spheres containing two spots; one large and dark, the other small and red. No microfilaria were seen. In patients’ blood smears, where microfilaria were also demonstrable, the spheres clustered inside monocytes and in bone marrow aspirate smears they were Leishman-Donovan bodies. The findings, besides indicating an inflammatory reaction of the host, implied a cutaneous and/or systemic leishmanial infection. Persons with Leishmania in their body fluids can infect female sand flies or develop visceral, cutaneous or mucocutaneous disease.

Key words: Tungiasis, leishmaniasis, haematophagy, asymptomatic carriage.

African Journal of Parasitology Research ISSN 2756-3391 Vol. 7 (8), pp. 001-005, August, 2020. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Genotyping and antifungal susceptibility of CANDIDA ALBICANS  clinical isolates from Yangzhou region in China

Xiaofang Zhu¹, Naijun Dong², Qin Wang¹, Beibei Cheng¹, Liqian Zhu³, Jie Tao³, Guoqiang Zhu³* and Ping Bo⁴*

¹Department of Dermatology of Clinical Medical School, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225001, China.

²Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Clinical Medical School, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225001, China.

³College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China.

⁴Medical College, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225001, China.

Accepted 03 August, 2020

Abstract

In this report, 500 clinical isolates of CANDIDA ALBICANS originated from patients’ body sites (vaginal, rectum, tongue and pharynx) and samples (stool, urine) in Yangzhou-located region were selected, screened and characterized. C. ALBICANS DNA fragments spanning a potential transposable group I intron-containing region in 25S r DNA were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), cloned, sequenced and analyzed. Based on the DNA band, size and sequence data, they could be classified into three genotypes: genotype A (365 strains), genotype B (83 strains) and genotype C (52 strains). Sequence alignment analysis indicated that genotype B contained the conserved sequence element P, Q, R and S of group I intron, genotype C only harbored sequence element P and Q, while genotype A lacked these characteristic element sequences. 80 isolates covering the three genotypes were further selected to perform the IN VITRO antibiotics susceptibility test. The results indicated that strains of genotype A were much less susceptible to flucytosine than either strains of genotype B or genotype C. But no regularity was observed between the susceptibility of C. ALBICANS isolates to azoles, and to amphotericin B. To our knowledge, this is the first report about the prevalence and antibiotics susceptibility of Chinese-based C.

Key words: Candida albicans, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), genotyping, antifungal susceptibility.

African Journal of Parasitology Research ISSN 2756-3391 Vol. 7 (8), pp. 001-009, August, 2020.© International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Community diversity of bacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in different ecological regions of Loess Plateau in Shaanxi Province of China

Ye Feng^1,4, Ming Tang¹*, Hui Chen¹, Haoqiang Zhang², Wei Cong³ and Haihan Zhang²

¹College of Forestry, Northwest A and F University, Yangling Shaanxi 712100, China.

²College of Life Sciences, Northwest A and F University, Yangling Shaanxi 712100, China.

³College of Resources and Environment, Northwest A and F University, Yangling Shaanxi 712100, China.

⁴State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Yangling Shaanxi 712100, China.

Accepted 07 October, 2019

Abstract

The research of rhizosphere microorganism community structure in degraded areas has been a focus recently. The aim of this study is to analyze the community diversity of bacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in the rhizosphere of Amorpha fruticosa L., Hippophae rhamnoides L. and Robinia pseudoacacia L. in three different ecological regions of Loess Plateau in Shaanxi Province of China by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphisms (T-RFLP). Results obtained that the AMF and bacterial diversity differed greatly between regions and native plants species. Species richness and the Shannon diversity index of bacteria and AMF in rhizosphere of R. pseudoacacia were higher than that of H. rhamnoides and A. fruticosa in the three regions. The results of principal component analysis and redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated that host plants had no strict specificity with both AMF and bacterial community diversity while environmental condition did great influence on AMF community diversity and organic matter content, and pH were primary influencing factor. The community diversity of AMF was significant correlative to that of bacteria (p<0.01). These results suggest that the environmental conditions exhibit greater influence on the community diversity of AMF than the host plants. And organic matter and pH are more indicative of the change of community diversity of bacteria and AMF. 

Key words: Loess Plateau, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, rhizosphere bacteria, community diversity, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphisms (T-RFLP).

African Journal of Parasitology Research ISSN 2756-3391 Vol. 7 (8), pp. 001-007, August, 2020. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

The in vitro antioxidant properties of Bacillus simplex XJ-25 isolated from sand biological soil crusts

Z. R. Wang^1,2, J. P. Sheng¹, X. L. Tian², T. T. Wu², W. Z. Liu² and L. Shen^1*

¹College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineerin, China Agricultural University, Beijing100083, China.

¹School of Food Science, Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Xinxiang 453003, China.

Accepted 05 October, 2019

Abstract

XJ-25, a strain with strong antioxidant activity was isolated from sand biological soil crusts in Gurban Tonggut Desert, Xinjiang, China. Strain XJ-25 is closely related to Bacillus simplex through the 16s rDNA sequencing combined with morphological, physiological and biochemical analysis. The medium for optimal antioxidant activity was NB with 1.5 g/L glucose. Based on the kinetic assay, antioxidant activity began at early exponential growth phases; maximum activity was reached at the stationary phase. Scavenging effects on 2, 2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), the hydroxyl and superoxide radicals, T-AOC capacity and protection against lipid damage were evaluated. The main antioxidant compounds were in the extracellular secreted supernatant of XJ-25. The active compounds were very stable at a pH range of 2 to 12, and temperature from 40 to 121°C, as well as in some organic solvents. Thin layer chromatography assay by DPPH scavenging assay showed two active spots with a Rf values of 0.35 and 0.47, and both of them were ninhydrin positive.

Key words: Antioxidant activity, Bacillus simplex, TLC, bacteria, sand soil biological crusts.

African Journal of Parasitology Research ISSN 2756-3391 Vol. 7 (7), pp. 001-005, July, 2020. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Anti-bacterial activity of in vitro produced alkaloids in Catharanthus roseus L.

Farah Farahani*, Mohsen Zargar and Tahereh Nabavi

Department of Microbiology, Qom Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qom, Iran.

Accepted 16 October, 2019

Abstract

Antibacterial therapeutic failure due to emergence of resistant bacterial strain is a world wide phenomenon. The search for effective antibacterial substances from sources such as plants has become a necessity to overcome emergent of bacterial resistant in clinical practice. Catharanthus roseus L. belongs to the family Apocynaceae, is an erector procumbent herb or under shrub containing latex. It possesses known anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-diabetic, anticancer and antiviral activities. In the present study we carried out the screening of this plant for its antibacterial potential adopting the antibacterial assay. The in vitro hairy roots and the hairy roots from transgenic of C. roseus were used and extracts were subjected to anti-bacterial assay. The alkaloids hairy roots of transgenic of C. roseus exhibited anti-bacterial activity against Staphylococcus epidermis, Staphylococcus saprofiticous, Micrococcus roseous, Micrococcus luteous and Bacillus subtilis. Moreover, the alkaloids hairy roots of transgenic of C. roseous were also ineffective against Bacillus licheniformis. The alkaloid of hairy root of transgenic plants was more effective than the In vitro hairy roots (non-transgenic), which exhibited broad-spectrum anti-bacterial activity against bacteria with the zone of inhibitions measuring between 17-10 mm. The alkaloid of non-transgenic plants exhibited anti-bacterial activity against bacteria with the zone of inhibition ranging between 14-8 mm. The study implicates that bio-active compound(s) of C. roseus could potentially be exploited as antibacterial agents.

Key words: Catharanthus roseus, hairy roots, transgenic plant, antibacterial assay.