About
87
Publications
9,107
Reads
How we measure 'reads'
A 'read' is counted each time someone views a publication summary (such as the title, abstract, and list of authors), clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the full-text. Learn more
2,471
Citations
Introduction
Current institution
Additional affiliations
February 1974 - present
Position
- Professor (Full)
Description
- Teaching classes in general microbiology and taxonomy of microbes, and research mostly focused on on taxonomy and ecology of yeasts.
Publications
Publications (87)
Yeast counts were made at 24 marine and estuarine sites in the vicinity of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Mean salinities of estuarine sites ranged from 14.2 to 27.4 per thousand, and mean temperatures ranged from 25 to 28 degrees C. Total coliform counts varied from 80% above 100,000 colony-forming units (CFU)/100 ml at heavily polluted sites to 100% bel...
The succession of yeasts colonizing the fallen ripe amapa fruit, from Parahancornia amapa, was examined. The occupation of the substrate depended on both the competitive interactions of yeast species, such as the production of killer toxins, and the selective dispersion by the drosophilid guild of the amapa fruit. The yeast community associated wit...
Cultures of a novel nutritionally specialized, fermentative yeast species were isolated from 34 water tanks of five bromeliad species, two mangrove sediment samples and one swamp water sample in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Sequence analysis of the D1/D2 domains of the large subunit of the rRNA gene showed that the novel species belongs to the genus Kaz...
Yeasts are consistently isolated from soils and some groups are typically present in soils. Historically, they have received little attention from soil microbiologists and they have rarely been included in general discussions on this subject. Recently the use of these organisms in agriculture has drawn some attention, especially in tropical regions...
The leachate pond of a Zn processing plant in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, released Zn and Cd into a mangrove during three decades. Soil, root, stems, leaves and phloem bark samples of Avicenna schaueriana from the mangrove were collected and analyzed. Zn and Cd levels were measured by atomic absorption and were much more concentrated in soil at 76 kg/h...
Ten strains representing a single anamorphic novel yeast species were isolated from the external surface (DMKU-SP23 and DMKU-SP40) and tissue (DMKU-SE89, DMKU-SE99, DMKU-SE100 and DMKU-SE147) of sugarcane leaves in Thailand, and phylloplane (IMUFRJR 52034) and rhizoplane (IMUFRJ 52036 and 52037) of sugarcane and associated soil (IMUFRJ 52035) in Br...
Aquatic ecotone habitats, like wetlands and phytotelmata, contain higher nutrient levels than are found in open waters resulting from degradation of organic materials like leaf litter. This allows much larger autochthonous yeast populations to develop than in more traditionally studied open water habitats. The single-celled morphology of yeasts mak...
Nine strains representing a single anamorphic novel yeast species in dispersed tropical and subtropical habitats were isolated from sugarcane leaf tissue (DMKU-SE24, DMKU-SE45T, DMKU-SE129 and DMKU-SE134) and corn leaf tissue (DMKU-CE36) in Thailand, phylloplane and rhizoplane of sugarcane in Brazil (IMUFRJ 52018 and IMUFRJ 52019), bromeliad leaf t...
Five strains representing a single novel anamorphic yeast species were isolated from sugarcane. Two strains were from tissue (DMKU-SE38, DMKU-SE59T) and two from the external surface (DMKU-SP385, DMKU-SP403) of leaves collected in Thailand and the fifth (IMUFRJ 52020) from rhizoplane of sugarcane in an organically cultivated field in Brazil. On the...
Two novel yeast species were isolated during three independent studies of yeasts associated with natural substrates in Brazil and Taiwan. Analysis of the sequences of the D1/D2 domains of the large subunit rRNA gene showed that these new species belong to the Wickerhamiella clade. The first was isolated from freshwater and a leaf of sugarcane in Br...
Kluyveromyces aestuarii was found in sediments from 7 of 8 mangroves in Rio de Janeiro; and absent only at one site with heavy plastic bag pollution. Its presence suggests influence in other habitats from a mangrove and its absence in a mangrove suggests some non-fecal pollution or other habitat alteration.
Kluyveromyces aestuarii was found in sediments from 7 of 8 mangroves in Rio de Janeiro; and absent only at one site with heavy plastic bag pollution. Its presence suggests influence in other habitats from a mangrove and its absence in a mangrove suggests some non- fecal pollution or other habitat alteration.
A novel yeast species within the Metschnikowiaceae is described based on a strain from the sugarcane (Saccharum sp.) rhizoplane of an organically managed farm in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The D1/D2 domain of the large subunit ribosomal RNA gene sequence analysis showed that the closest related species were Candida tsuchiyae with 86.2% and Candida tha...
Riparian forests are protected by Brazilian law to preserve rivers and their margins. A sugar cane field adjacent to a strip of young riparian forest bordering an older riparian forest along a stream was used to study the riparian forest as a buffer zone to prevent pesticides pollution. Concentrations of the herbicides diuron, hexazinone and tebuth...
Fruit and soil yeasts isolated from the Amazon, Atlantic Rainforests and an organic farm were screened for killer activity against yeasts. Killer yeasts were then tested against the phytopathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa (syn. Crinipellis perniciosa) and a Dipodascus capitatus strain and a Candida sp strain inhibited its growth.Leveduras de frutas...
Fruit and soil yeasts isolated from the Amazon, Atlantic Rainforests and an organic farm were screened for killer activity against yeasts. Killer yeasts were then tested against the phytopathogen Moniliophthora perniciosa (syn. Crinipellis perniciosa) and a Dipodascus capitatus strain and a Candida sp strain inhibited its growth.
The ability of Geotrichum candidum to produce fruity aroma in food grade sucrose, molasses, corn steep liquor and peptone based culture media was tested by sensory evaluation and analyzed by gas chromatography - mass spectrometry. A strong and sweet fruity aroma was produced from molasses, with peptone or corn steep liquor stimulating aroma product...
Microbial displacement in the soil is an important process for bioremediation and dispersal of wastewater pathogens. We evaluated cell movement in surface and subsurface red-yellow podzolic soil driven by advection and microbial motility and also survival of a microbial population at high pressure as is prevalent in deep soil layers. Pseudomonas fl...
The prevalence of subgingival Candida species was studied in 52 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive and 42 HIV-negative children. Candida was cultured from 22 (42.3%) and 3 (7.1%) HIV-infected and control children, respectively. C. albicans was the most common Candida species isolated from HIV-infected children, followed by C. dubliniensis,...
Candida yeasts frequently cause life-threatening systemic infections in immunocompromised hosts. In the present study, gelatin-SDS-PAGE analysis was used to characterize extracellular proteinases in 44 oral clinical isolates of Candida albicans from HIV-positive (29/50) and healthy children (15/50). Our survey indicates that these oral clinical iso...
The 240 yeasts isolated from soils of the Maracá Ecological Station in the Brazilian Amazon were identified and screened for mycocin production. These strains included 82% of ascomycetous and 18% basidiomicetous affinities and the prevalent species were Candida etchellsii, Candida famata, Candida robusta, Candida rugosa, Candida valida, Debaryomyce...
The host specificity of yeast-yeast interactions was investigated for two yeast types, represented by six pairs of Pichia membranifaciens clade yeasts (Pichia membranifaciens or Issatchenkia occidentalis) with apiculate yeasts (Kloeckera apis, Kloeckera africana, or Saccharomycodes ludwigii), commonly found in fruits. Competitive interactions betwe...
Nosocomial infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are a major cause of outbreaks in intensive care units. Infants make up a sector of the population that presents a high risk for MRSA infections. Mother-to-infant transmission has been indicated as a possible cause of MRSA infections in neonates. The occurrence and c...
Two hundred and fifty-seven strains belonging to 28 ascomycetous yeast species were isolated from fallen guava fruit (Psidium guajava) from an Atlantic forest and a rural area in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The most frequent species were Kloeckera af-ricana, K. apis, Pichia kluyveri and P membranifa-ciens. Issatchenkia sp A and Issatchenkia sp B, two p...
We collected and analyzed 500 samples of human milk, from five Brazilian cities (100 from each) to detect methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) producing enterotoxins. We found 57 strains of MRSA, and the mecA gene, responsible for resistance, was detected in all of them using a specific molecular probe. We examined 40 strai...
Two hundred and fifty-seven strains belonging to 28 ascomycetous yeast species were isolated from fallen guava fruit (Psidium guajava) from an Atlantic forest and a rural area in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The most frequent species were Kloeckera africana, K. apis, Pichia kluyveri and P. membranifaciens. Issatchenkia sp A and Issatchenkia sp B, two pr...
Two hundred and fifty-seven strains belonging to 28 ascomycetous yeast species were isolated from fallen guava fruit (Psidium guajava) from an Atlantic forest and a rural area in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The most frequent species were Kloeckera africana, K. apis, Pichia kluyveri and P. membranifaciens. Issatchenkia sp A and Issatchenkia sp B, two pr...
The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of rDNA was used for taxonomic inferences in ascomycetous yeasts. The Debaryomyces species had a 640-690 ITS size. The analyzed Candida species can be differentiated by its distinct ITS size. The enzymatic digestion of the ITS region show large homogeneity in Debaryomyces, with polymorphism for only two...
Yeast communities associated with sugarcane leaves, stems and rhizosphere during different phases of plant development were studied near Campos, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Atmospheric temperature, soil granulometry and pH, and sugar cane juice degree Brix and pH were determined. Yeast communities associated with sugarcane were obtained after cellul...
Yeasts had mean counts of above 106 CFU/g in the fecal pellets of small mammals from tropical forest fragments. Most of the 55 species isolated were fermentative ascomycetes, with the most frequent being Debaryomyces hansenii, Pichia membranifaciens and Issatchenkia orientalis, whereas Rhodotorula mucilaginosa was the most frequent yeast of basidio...
Yeasts with counts of above 106 g−1 wet weight and high diversity were found in the fecal pellets of rodents and marsupials from a mosaic of forest fragments, grasslands, cultivated fields and pasture in Rio de Janeiro. The most frequently isolated yeasts were Debaryomyces hamsenii, Pichia membranaefaciens and Issatchenkia orientalis (and its anamo...
Pseudomonas fluorescens strain BR-5 stimulated the growth of maize in a natural soil and inhibited fungal root pathogens in vitro. Strain BR-5 was detected inside plant cells, indicating that it is able to colonize the endorhizosphere. No significant effect was detected on soil or ectorhizosphere microbial population after inoculation of strain BR-...
Bromeliad tank waters were studied as an example of yeast diversity in tropical ecosystems. Many isolates found in these microhabitats were phenotypically similar to Saccharomyces cerevisiae and including a probable new species. Other frequent isolates were Candida intermedia, Debaryomyces hansenii (+Candida famata), and Cryptococcus albidus. The p...
The transport of a genetically modified strain of Pseudomonas fluorescens, BR12, and its parent, BR5, was studied after irrigation of undisturbed clayey and sandy soil cores, simulating heavy tropical rainfall (56.6 mm/h). Vertical transport of both inoculant strains was detected in all soil cores. Transport was negatively affected by the organic m...
Four different intertidal estuarine sediments had distinct yeast communities. One-hundred-ninety-three yeast isolates were classified in 47 species, with 34 of these in the genus Candida. Candida tropicalis was the only ascomycetous species isolated from all four sites. Other opportunistic pathogens including Candida glabrata, Candida guilliermondi...
The response of a genetically modified Pseudomonas fluorescens to nutrient starvation and starvation-induced stress cross-protection were investigated. Strain BR12 was starved for carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur individually and for all nutrients in defined mineral media and exposed for 6 h to chemical (ethanol 20%), oxidative (H2O2 20μM),...
A small microcosm, based on optimized in vitro transformation conditions, was used to study the ecological factors affecting the transformation of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus BD413 in soil. The transforming DNA used was A. calcoaceticus homologous chromosomal DNA with an inserted gene cassette containing a kanamycin resistance gene, nptII. The effe...
The presence of killer and proteolytic yeasts was studied among 944 isolates representing 105 species from tropical yeast communities. We found 13 killer toxin producing species, with Pichia kluyveri being the most frequent. Other killer yeast isolates were Candida apis, Candida bombicola, Candida fructus, Candida krusei, Candida sorbosa, Hansenias...
In a previous publication describing the geographic distribution of yeasts associated with cactus necroses (W. T. Starmer, M.-A. Lachance, H. J. Phaff, and W. B. Heed, Evol. Biol. 24:253-296, 1990), 127 isolates were identified as strains of Candida ingens van der Walt et van Kerken on the basis of morphology and certain phenotypic characteristics....
Genetic hybridization, molecular karyotyping and UP-PCR analysis showed that the taxonomic complex Hansenula polymorpha De Morais et Maia consists of three biological sibling species. H. angusta Teunisson et al. (= Pichia angusta (Teunisson et al.) Kurtzman) is not synonymous with H. polymorpha and must be reinstated as a separate species. The thir...
Pseudomonas strains were isolated from the rhizosphere of maize grown in yellow-red latosol from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to serve as a delivery system for heterologous genes and for risk assessment studies in tropical soils. Selected strains were modified by insertion of the cryIVB gene from Bacillus thuringiensis and tested for pathogenicity gene...
The size of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region as measured by gel electrophoresis of PCR products, amplified by primers ITS1 and ITS4, was over 800 bp for all Saccharomyces sensu stricto species, but yeasts belonging to other Saccharomyces species had a shorter ITS region, making this characteristic potentially useful in the identificatio...
Yeast-Drosophila interactions in Tropical Rain Forests of Brazil are specialized when compared to temperate ecosystems, and tropical species of Drosophila have preferences that vary in the degree of choice of yeasts. Yeasts associated with Drosophila of the forest-inhabiting tripunctata, willistont and guarani groups are probably of fruit origin. T...
Yeast species on flowers and fruits from 4 trees (cashew, Anacardium occidentalis; cajá, Spondia lutea; umbu, Spondia sp.; and mango, Mangifera indica) of the Northeastern region of Brazil were studied in field and market samples. Vigorous shaking removed most yeasts from fruit surfaces, and blending suspended and disaggregated the more firmly atta...
The size of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region as measured by gel electrophoresis of PCR products, amplified by primers ITS1 and ITS4, was over 800 bp for all Saccharomyces sensu stricto species, but yeasts belonging to other Saccharomyces species had a shorter ITS region, making this characteristic potentially useful in the identificatio...
The ascomycetous yeast communities associated with 3 bivalve mollusk, and 4 crab species were studied in the mangrove at Coroa Grande on Sepetiba Bay in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. These were made up mostly of diverse but sparse and apparently allochtonous yeast populations. The striking exception was a prevalent population of the species Kluyveromyces...
The distribution of yeasts was studied in different plant substrata of beach and restinga ecosystems in southeastern Brazil. Candida sonorensis, Clavispora opuntiae, Pichia barkeri, Pichia cactophila and Geotrichum sp. were generally prevalent in yeast communities associated with necrotic tissues of the cacti Cereus pernambucensis, Selenicereus riz...
A new species of oligotrophie, methionine-or cysteine-requiring yeast was isolated from ripening fruits of the AmazonianParahancornia amapa tree. This species resemblesCandida sorboxylosa and species ofIssatchenkia but is nonfermentative and forms abundant pseudomycelia. The new species was isolated only fromP. amapa fruits, and not from other frui...
Genetic and karyotypic studies of some Saccharomyces sensu stricto yeasts from Brazil revealed a genetically isolated population which apparently represents a new sibling species of S. cerevisiae.
Yeast communities associated with four species of the Drosophila fasciola subgroup (repleta group) in tropical rain forests were surveyed in an abandoned orchard, and rain forest sites of Rio de Janeiro and Ilha Grande, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Adult flies of Drosophila carolinae, Drosophila coroica, Drosophila fascioloides and Drosophila o...
Normal 0 21 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabela normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001p...
The yeast communities from necrotic tissues, decaying flowers and fruits, and from larval feeding sites of the mothSigelgaita sp. in the cactusPilosocereus arrabidae were surveyed in three restinga ecosystems in Southeastern Brazil. Insects associated with these substrates were sampled to verify the vectoring of yeasts. The cactusPilosocereus arrab...
The feeding behavior of Drosophila serido on the yeast communities of necrotic stem tissue of Pilosocereus arrabidae were studied in a sand dune ecosystem of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The prevalence of cactophilic yeasts including Pichia barkeri, Candida sonorensis and Geotrichum sp. in the crops and external surfaces of D. serido reflected its assoc...
A genetically modified strain of Pseudomonas fluorescens and its parent showed grossly similar decline rates following introduction into subtropical clay and sandy soils. In unplanted clay soit at pH 6.9 and 25°C, population densities declined progressively from about 108 to 103 colony forming units (cfu) g−1 dry soil over 75 days, but in unplanted...
Yeasts and coliform bacteria were isolated from water that accumulated in the central cups and adjacent leaf axilae of two bromeliads, Neoregelia cruenta of a coastal sand dune and Quesnelia quesneliana of a mangrove ecosystem near the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The mean total coliform counts were above 10,000 per 100 mL for waters of both pla...
Counts of Pseudomonas aeruginosa had a high positive correlation with counts of coliforms, fecal streptococci, presumptive pathogenic yeasts, and heterotrophic bacteria in surface waters of Rio de Janeiro. Pseudomonas aeruginosa counts were notably higher in fresh than in marine waters, and it was isolated from about 50% of marine and 100% of nonch...
Phylogenetic relationships of species assigned to the genus Metschnikowia were estimated from the extents of divergence among partial sequences of rRNA. The data suggest that the aquatic species (Metschnikowia australis, Metschnikowia bicuspidata, Metschnikowia krissii, and Metschnikowia zobellii) and the terrestrial species (Metschnikowia hawaiien...
The distribution and diversity of yeast species vectored by and from the crop of eight species groups of Drosophila is described for two rain forest sites and an urban wooded area in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The typical forest Drosophila groups guarani, tripunctata, and willistoni showed a higher diversity of yeasts than the cosmopolitan melanogaste...
Clavispora opuntiae was the prevalent yeast associated with the feeding sites of Sigelgaita sp. larvae in the cactus Pilosocereus arrabidae. Also associated with this habitat were Candida sonorensis, Pichia cactophila, Pichia barkeri, Candida sp. A, Geotrichum sp., Geotrichum sericeum and the yeast like organisms Prototheca zopfii and Acremonium sp...
The succession of yeasts colonizing the fallen ripe amapa fruit, fromParahancornia amapa, was examined. The occupation of the substrate depended on both the competitive interactions of yeast species, such as the production of killer toxins, and the selective dispersion by the drosophilid guild of the amapa fruit. The yeast community associated with...
Samples were collected in a polluted site with mean fecal coliform counts of the water being 9.0 x 10(2)/100 ml and less polluted areas including commercial fishing areas with fecal coliforms typically below 2.0 x 10(1)/100 ml. Yeast populations from the polluted site were 4.6 x 10(2) to 9.2 x 10(3)/g of shrimp intestine, 1.0 x 10(1) to 2.4 x 10(2)...
During a survey of yeasts occurring in exudates of various tree species in the Pacific Northwest of North America, 24 strains of an imperfect yeast were isolated in a wide geographic area, mainly from species of the genus Populus. The isolates were studied by traditional as well as molecular methods, and the results revealed a new species of the ge...
The specificity of indicators that depend on elevated incubation temperature as a selective factor for their enumeration was questioned because of the possibility of interference from autochthonous microorganisms adapted to high ambient temperatures. Lactose-fermenting cultures isolated from fecal coliform tests of tropical marine surface waters we...
DNA hybridization studies were conducted to determine the taxonomic status of the aquatic group of Metschnikowia species and their varieties. Among the DNAs of the four varieties of Metschnikowia bicuspidata, that of Metschnikowia bicuspidata var. australis showed 37 to 51% relative binding with the DNAs of Metschnikowia bicuspidata var. bicuspidat...
Yeasts were found concentrated at the sediment surface and with the highest counts at the most polluted site. Candida krusei, Pichia membranaefaciens and similar species typically forming rugose colonies with radiating ridges were the prevalent yeasts in these sediments, and species like Rhodotorula rubra related to basidiomycetous fungi were found...
Although the petroleum degrading ability of Candida lipolytica is well known, its ability to grow in seawater is questionable. Sixteen strains of C. lipolytica were isolated from marine sites in Rio de Janeiro. Some variations from the standard description were noted including strains intermediate between the varieties lipolytica and deformans. A r...
Sixty two strains of Rhodotorula rubra which were all isolated from marine and estuarine waters of Rio de Janeiro were found variable for 19 to 32 carbon assimilation tests used in yeast taxonomy. Two R. rubra strains which had latent assimilation of maltose and melizitose appeared to be intermediate with R. pilimanae. Strains of R. glutinis var da...
Yeasts were isolated from domestically polluted sea water in Rio de Janeiro Brazil. The most consistently isolated species were Rhodotorula rubra and Candida krusei. Other species in the genus Candida, Torulopsis, Cryptococcus, Trichosporon, Rhodotorula, Kloeckera, Hanseniaspora, Aureobasidium and Prototheca were also found. Yeast populations (up t...
RNA, DNA, and NCP content were measured in fast- and slow-twitch skeletal muscle of normal and dystrophic mice (HDM) and their littermates at ages 4 through 29 weeks. In normal and litter mate mice RNA and DNA content were far greater in the soleus than in the gastrocnemius while the RNA/DNA ratio and NCP content were greater in the gastrocnemius....
