Vanete Thomaz-Soccol

• Professor
• Molecular Biology Laboratory Head at Federal University of Paraná

Leishmaniasis is a neglected disease prevalent in remote and economically disadvantaged regions. Its diagnosis can be achieved through various methods, with electroanalysis emerging as an excellent alternative for antigen detection due to its simplicity, sensitivity, and cost-effectiveness. Herein, a qualitative electrochemical paper-based analytic...

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a respiratory disease caused by Mycobacterium bovis, posing a significant threat to animal health and the livestock industry. Current control strategies for bTB rely on diagnostic tests and slaughter policies. However, the limitations of existing diagnostic methods, which depend on PPD antigens, necessitate the explorat...

Weeds cause significant agricultural losses worldwide, and herbicides have traditionally been the main solution to this problem. However, the extensive use of herbicides has led to multiple cases of weed resistance, which could generate an increase in the application concentration and consequently a higher persistence in the environment, hindering...

The leishmaniases represent a group of chronic diseases with epidemiological diversity and a broad clinical spectrum that affect 350 million people worldwide. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are the best tools for controlling the disease. Immunological methods have been widely used as a screening tool for diagnosis. In this work a platfor...

Animal cell culture has marked a significant revolution in science, allowing different fields to benefit from its use. The aim of this chapter is to introduce animal cell culture, covering its main advances over the years, its main applications, such as the use of animal cell culture for vaccine production, and to address the main challenges facing...

Upscaling the production of cultured meat from laboratory flasks to an industrial scale is undeniably a great challenge, yet it is imperative for the process to achieve economic viability and commercial potential. The transition to a large-scale operation introduces a myriad of concerns spanning various themes, including the supply and storage of r...

Background Recombinant milk protein production is emerging as a pivotal innovation in the dairy industry, driven by the need for sustainable and ethically produced dairy alternatives. Traditional dairy production faces challenges such as greenhouse gas emissions, ethical concerns about animal welfare, and fluctuating productivity due to environment...

In recent decades, environmental concerns have directed several policies, investments, and production processes. The search for sustainable and eco-friendly strategies is constantly increasing to reduce petrochemical product utilization, fossil fuel pollution, waste generation, and other major ecological impacts. The concepts of circular economy, b...

In recent years, concerns about a good-quality diet have increased. Food supplements such as prebiotics have great nutritional and health benefits. Within the diverse range of prebiotics, xylooligosaccharides (XOs) show high potential, presenting exceptional properties for the prevention of systemic disorders. XOs can be found in different natural...

The recent geographic spread of Leishmania infantum along the borders of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay has been highlighted. In our previous study, Lutzomyia longipalpis was found in 55 of 123 patches surveyed, and in some patches, sandflies were found at higher densities, forming hotspots. Based on the One Health approach, we investigated the sea...

Biological contamination is one of the main bottlenecks in microalgae production, reducing quality and productivity and sometimes leading to the complete loss of the cultures. Selecting terpenes can be a pathway toward eco-friendly contamination control in microalgae cultures. This work evaluated the presence of bacterial contaminants in N. oleoabu...

Biological contamination is one of the main bottlenecks in microalgae production, reducing quality and productivity and sometimes leading to the complete loss of the cultures. Selecting terpenes can be a pathway toward eco-friendly contamination control in microalgae cultures. This work evaluated the presence of bacterial contaminants in N. oleoabu...

Sugarcane ethanol production generates about 360 billion liters of vinasse, a liquid effluent with an average chemical oxygen demand of 46,000 mg/L. Vinasse still contains about 11% of the original energy from sugarcane juice, but this chemical energy is diluted. This residue, usually discarded or applied in fertigation, is a suitable substrate for...

The global demand for algae-derived products is following consumer preferences for healthy, nutritious, and vegan products. However, some unpleasant odors, such as fishy and earthy/muddy, have restricted algae processing in foodstuff. Thus, strategies and alternatives are necessary to avoid off-flavors and odors. Deodorization is an important step...

The skin microbiome is composed of a complex association of bacteria, fungi, and viruses. The maintenance of skin commensal microbes is essential for preventing the overgrowth of pathogenic microorganisms or already present opportunistic pathogens. Thus, the development of bioactive compounds capable of modulating skin microbiome has become an impo...

Biological contamination is one of the main bottlenecks in microalgae production, reducing quality and productivity and sometimes leading to the complete loss of the cultures. Selecting terpenes can be a pathway toward eco-friendly contamination control in microalgae cultures. This work evaluated the presence of bacterial contaminants in N. oleoabu...

Soybean hulls are lignocellulosic residuesgeneratedinthe industrial processing of soybean, representing about 5% of the mass of the whole bean. This by-product isan importantsource of polymers suchas cellulose(34%) and hemicellulose (11%),which could bevalorizedvia biotechnology to improvethe economic returnof the oilseed chain. In the present work...

Recycling bioresources is the only way to sustainably meet a growing world population’s food and energy needs. One of the ways to do so is by using agro-industry wastewater to cultivate microalgae. While the industrial production of microalgae requires large volumes of water, existing agro-industry processes generate large volumes of wastewater wit...

Biological contamination is one of the main bottlenecks in the production of microalgae, reducing quality and productivity, sometimes leading to complete loss of the cultures. This work evaluated the presence of bacterial contaminants in N. oleoabundans cultures through HTS and 16S analysis and their susceptibility to 6 natural terpenes (α-pinene,...

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the use of supercritical CO2 combined with cosolvent for the recovery of bioactive compounds of soybean fermented with Rhizopus oligosporus NRRL 2710. Soxhlet extractions using seven different organic solvents (n-hexane, petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, acetone, ethanol, methanol, and water) were initiall...

The world has been searching for clean and renewable alternatives to provide new materials and energy and, consequently reducing the dependence on petroleum fossil fuels. Sugarcane has become an important raw material as a solution for this demand since it is grown in more than 100 countries and can potentially reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions...

Rudimentary food fermentation can be defined as a spontaneous process of conversion of food components through enzymatic action. A great variety of fermented foods are produced using spontaneous approaches; however, cocoa and coffee represent the most important agricultural commodities on international markets. As a manner to increase the efficienc...

Immunoassays are practical and cost-effective approaches suitable for large-scale tuberculosis (TB) screening. This study identified new peptide mimotopes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and applied them in the serodiagnosis of TB. Thereby, linear (X15, X8CX8) and constrained (LX-4 and LX-8) phage display peptide libraries were screened with purified...

The global concerns about climate change have stimulated scientific researches and the establishment of governmental policies in order to slow greenhouse gases emissions, or even to mitigate them. Bioethanol and biodiesel, the most important transportation biofuels, play a central role in this scenario. Global bioethanol production has reached almo...

Traditionally, lipid-producing microorganisms have been obtained via conventional bioprospecting based on isolation and screening techniques, demanding time and effort. Thus, high-throughput sequencing combined with conventional microbiological approaches has emerged as an advanced and rapid strategy for recovering novel oleaginous microorganisms f...

Abstract Leishmania enriettii has only been found in Curitiba metropolitan region, southern Brazil were it was first observed in Cavia porcellus from the vivarium of Instituto de Biologia e Pesquisas Tecnológicas (IBPT - today named TECPAR) by Medina, 1944. Despite more than a half century from its discovery and several research articles on this sp...

Knowledge of immunodominant B-cell epitopes is essential to design powerful diagnostic strategies aiming for antibody detection. Outstanding progress in computational prediction has achieved a significant contribution to the biomedical fields, including immunodiagnosis. In silico analysis may have an even more important role when information concer...

Leishmania (Mundinia) enriettii is a parasitic kinetoplastid first isolated from a guinea pig in Brazil in 1946. We present the complete genome sequence of L. ( M. ) enriettii isolate CUR178 strain LV763, sequenced using combined short-read and long-read technologies. This will facilitate a greater understanding of the genome diversity within L. (...

We provide the raw and processed data produced during the genome sequencing of isolates from six species of parasites from the sub-family Leishmaniinae : Leishmania martiniquensis (Thailand), Leishmania orientalis (Thailand), Leishmania enriettii (Brazil), Leishmania sp. Ghana, Leishmania sp. Namibia and Porcisia hertigi (Panama). De novo assembly...

Abstract The rapid and accurate diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB), especially considering limited resources, is still a challenge. Development of new methodologies and tests are needed to overcome several disadvantages of the available standard tests. We evaluated the diagnostic potential of two antigens specific for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the CF...

Abstract With the COVID-19 pandemic, many diagnostic tests (molecular or immunological) were rapidly standardised, given the urgency of the situation, many are still in the process of being validated. The main objective of this study was to review the aspects of the diagnostic kits approved in Brazil and their application in the different federativ...

The generation of agroindustrial byproducts is rising fast worldwide. The slaughter of animals, the production of bioethanol, and the processing of oil palm, cassava, and milk are industrial activities that, in 2019, generated huge amounts of wastewaters, around 2448, 1650, 256, 85, and 0.143 billion liters, respectively. Thus, it is urgent to redu...

We present the LGAAP computational pipeline, which was successfully used to assemble six genomes of the parasite subfamily Leishmaniinae to chromosome-scale completeness from a combination of long- and short-read sequencing data. LGAAP is open source, and we suggest that it may easily be ported for assembly of any genome of comparable size (∼35 Mb)...

Loxoscelism is the most dangerous araneism form in Brazil and antivenom therapy is the recommended treatment. Antivenom is produced by horse immunization with Loxosceles spider venom, which is toxic for the producer animal. Moreover, due to the high amount of venom required for horse hyperimmunization, new strategies for antigens obtention have bee...

Complex carbohydrates, proteins, and other food components require a longer digestion process to be absorbed by the lining of the alimentary canal. In addition to the enzymes of the gastrointestinal tract, gut microbiota, comprising a large range of bacteria and fungi, has complementary action on the production of digestive enzymes. Within this uni...

Lutzomyia intermedia (Diptera: Psychodidae) features as one of the main vectors that are involved in the transmission of American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) in the Neotropical region. However, genetic studies involving this taxon are still incipient and important for understanding the level of variability of different populations, their role, an...

Omega-3 produced by marine thraustochytrids has appeared as an alternative to fish oil and an eco-friendly solution to overfishing. Herein, an integrative analysis of metagenetics and high-throughput screening was used for bioprospecting marine thraustochytrids from southern Brazil mangrove and coastal seawater. All sampled environments showed biod...

SARS-CoV-2 environmental monitoring can track the rate of viral contamination and can be used to establish preventive measures. This study aimed to detect by RT-PCR the presence of SARS-CoV-2 from inert surface samples in public health settings with a literature review about surface contamination and its burden on spread virus. Samples were collect...

Without standardized methods for rapidly detecting in food matrices viable T. cruzi, foodborne outbreaks remain neglected. In this work, a reverse-transcriptase real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) mRNA-based technique was developed for the rapid and specific detection and quantification of viable Trypanosoma cruzi in açai fruits and juice. The method uses spec...

Antigen formulation is the main feature for the success of leishmaniosis diagnosis and vaccination, since the disease is caused by different parasite species that display particularities which determine their pathogenicity and virulence. It is desirable that the antigens are recognized by different antibodies and are immunogenic for almost all Leis...

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the correlation of fetal sex and plasma testosterone concentrations between the 5th and 8th months of pregnancy in mares and to verify the applicability of this test to predict fetal sex. Blood samples were collected from 21 mares at 30-day intervals of between 150 and 240 days of pregnancy. Plasma test...

The increasing demand for food, the debates regarding the ethics involved in slaughtering animals and the many associated environmental issues promote the emergence of an interesting question: is it possible to substitute conventional meat? In this context, Cultivated Meat (CM) is a promising alternative to replace meat, or at least to complement p...

Lignin was extracted from oil palm empty fruit bunches under four different conditions. The lignin samples were characterized and employed in the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles. Two-dimensional HSQC NMR analysis showed that lignins extracted under more aggressive conditions (3.5% acid, 60 min) exhibited less signals and thus, presented a m...

Objective This work aimed at evaluating the influence of organic solvents and stationary phases in the extraction with glass beads and chromatographic purification of carotenoids, especially torularhodin, from Sporobolomyces ruberrimus. Results The combinations of acetone:hexane (1:1 v/v) and acetone:ethyl ether (1:1 v/v) yielded 171.74 and 172.19...

Visceral leishmaniosis is one of the most important zoonotic diseases on the planet and dogs are the main reservoir of canine visceral leishmaniosis (CVL) in endemic areas. They play an important role in human infection because in dogs the disease appears long time after infection, and they can move uncontrollably, contributing to disperse the para...

It has now passed more than forty years since solid-state fermentation (SSF) research developments have gained importance for the scientific community. After so many years, numerous processes and equipment for SSF were studied and designed focusing on the production of different commercially relevant bioproducts such as enzymes, fermented food, suc...

Loxoscelism pose a health issue in the South America. The treatment for these accidents is based on the administration of antivenom produced in animals immunized with Loxosceles venom. In this work, a previously produced non-toxic multiepitopic chimeric protein (rMEPlox), composed of epitopes derived from the main toxins families (sphyngomielinase-...

Snakebites caused by Crotalus genus are the second most frequent in Brazil. Crotoxin is a beta-neurotoxin responsible for the main envenomation effects of Crotalus biting, while crotamine immobilizes the animal hind limbs, contributing to prey immobilization and to envenoming symptoms. As crotoxin and crotamine represent about 90% of Crotalus venom...

This study aimed at evaluating effective methods for breaking the hard and insoluble spores of Ganoderma lucidum to recover functional biomolecules. Rupture techniques were evaluated such as manual maceration (RM), maceration with spheres of various materials (BR), and microwave exposure plus maceration with steel/chrome spheres (MBR1). Spore ruptu...

This study aimed at evaluating effective methods for breaking the hard and insoluble spores of Ganoderma lucidum to recover functional biomolecules. Rupture techniques were evaluated such as manual maceration (RM), maceration with spheres of various materials (BR), and microwave exposure plus maceration with steel/chrome spheres (MBR1). Spore ruptu...

Biohydrogen production was evaluated using cassava processing wastewater (CPW) and two microbial consortia (Vir and Gal) from different Brazilian environments. The biohydrogen production was optimized using a Box-Behnken design (T, pH, C/N, and % v/v inoculum). Maximum yields were obtained with hydrolyzed substrate: 4.12 and 3.80 mol H2 / for Vir a...

The interest in biological peptides from Arthrospira sp. (syn Spirulina) is increasing due to its GRAS status, the high concentration of proteins and the history of its use as a supplement and nutraceutical agent. Arthrospira peptides can be generated by controlled hydrolysis of the proteins, using proteases, followed by fractionation. The peptides...

Main conclusion: Lipopeptides could help to overcome a large concern in agriculture: resistance against chemical pesticides. These molecules have activity against various phytopathogens and a potential to be transformed by genetic engineering. The exponential rise of pest resistances to different chemical pesticides and the global appeal of consum...

Crotoxin (Ctx) is the main lethal component of Crotalus durissus terrificus venom. It is a neurotoxin, composed of two subunits associated by noncovalent interactions, the non-toxic acid subunit (CA), named Crotapotin, and the basic subunit (CB), with phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activity. Employing the SPOT synthesis technique, we determined two epitop...

Microalgae are sources of nutritional products and biofuels. However, their economical processing is challenging, because of (i) the inherently low concentration of biomass in algal cultures, below 0.5%, (ii) the high-water content in the harvested biomass, above 70%; and (iii) the variable intracellular content and composition. Cell wall structure...

The aim of this study was to confirm the emergence of canine visceral leishmaniasis among dogs in Foz do Iguaçu. The disease was diagnosed through the isolation and molecular identification of Leishmania infantum. In the first sample collection stage (2012), three lymph node aspirates and 46 buffy coat samples were obtained mostly from the dogs tha...

The probiotic characteristics of three acid-tolerant microbial strains, viz., Lactobacillus satsumensis LPBF1, Leuconostoc mesenteroides LPBF2 and Saccharomyes cerevisiae LPBF3, isolated from a honey-based kefir functional beverage, were studied following the requirements established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation/Wor...

The leishmaniases are multifactorial zoonotic diseases requiring a multidisciplinary One Health approach for diagnosis and control. For leishmaniasis diagnosis, here we describe production of a new recombinant protein based on a kinesin-related gene of Leishmania braziliensis (Lbk39), which shows 59% amino acid identity to the L. infantum homologue...

L-lysine is an essential amino acid used in various industrial sectors but mainly in food and animal feed. Intense research has been directed toward increasing its productivity. This literature review presents the state of the art and patent landscape of the industrial production of L-lysine, with a focus on the strain development and fermentation...

Tuberculosis (TB) is among the top ten causes of mortality worldwide and has high prevalence in developing countries. The dissemination of efficient and low-cost diagnosis tools able to identify its latent form, e.g. the delayed hypersensitivity reaction, is of great importance to accomplish the target of TB eradication. Recent studies have shown t...

Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum is the zoonotic agent of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), a disease with a global distribution. The transmission scenario of VL has been undergoing changes worldwide, with the biologic cycle invading urbanized areas and dispersing the parasites into other previously free areas. The epidemiological cycle in Brazil has di...

El objetivo de este trabajo fue determinar la abundancia y diversidad de las especies y su supuesto papel vectorial en la transmisión de Leishmaniasis Cutánea (LC). La investigación sobre flebótomos (Diptera: Psychodidae) se llevó a cabo en dos municipios en el Valle del Río Ribeira en el Estado de Paraná, sur de Brasil. Las regiones estudiadas fue...

This study evaluated the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum and Leptospira spp. in dogs from Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, Brazil. Indirect immunofluorescent antibody test was used to detect antibodies anti-T.gondii and anti-N. caninum. Immunoenzymatic assay and microscopic serum agglutination were used for screening antibodies anti-T.g...

A new method for CO2 recovery was proposed for cultivation of different microalgae. First, a chemical fixation, where CO2 was injected in alkalinized vinasse to form (bi)carbonate salts, was performed. In addition, biological fixation with CO2-enriched air injection was also accomplished for evaluation of the most promising results. Two bioreactor...

During coffee processing, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from multiple ecosystems (water, native soil, air, and plant) find in the cherry pulp a rich environment for their development. They utilize pulp substrate as a source of carbon and nitrogen to produce significant amounts of lactic acid. This natural fermentation is purposely used by coffee growe...

In the effort to control global warming and fossil carbon emissions, many countries are proposing new policies to make their energy matrix more renewable. The increase share of bioethanol as a transportation fuel emerges as a short-term solution because its production technology is mature and it can be blended to gasoline. Ethanol production reache...

Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Pediococcus acidilactici strain LPBC161, a lactic acid bacterium isolated from mature coffee cherries in Brazil. The genome sequence of P. acidilactici LPBC161 provides valuable information on the mechanisms of adaptation and metabolism of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in the environment and stressor factor...

The most important mode of transmission causing outbreaks of Chagas disease in the Amazon region is the oral route due to the ingestion of contaminated food. Herein, prevention methods for foodborne diseases caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, namely, sanitization, thermal treatment were investigated and the use of reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) ampli...

An environmental friendly process was developed to produce Arthrospira maxima's biomass from sugarcane vinasse, which was generated in a bioethanol production chain, at laboratory and pilot scale. Peptides fractions were than obtained from enzymatically hydrolyzed biomass. High microalgae biomass productivities were reached (0.150 g L−1 day−1) coup...

A skin test is a widely used tool in diagnostic evaluations to investigate cutaneous leishmaniases (CL). The actual antigen (Montenegro skin test [MST] antigen) presents some difficulties that pertain to its manufacturing and validation. To contribute to overcoming this problem, we propose the application of new-generation molecules that are based...

This chapter explores the major metabolic pathways, nutritional requirements and alternative carbon sources in the production of industrially important by‐products. Microbial cells possess thousands of different molecules which are responsible for forming a defined molecular structure. The increase in the number of cells is known as microbial growt...

International competition within the dairy market and increasing public awareness about the importance of functional food consumption are providing new challenges for innovation in the probiotic sector. In this context, countless references are currently dedicated to the selection and characterization of new species and more specific strains of pro...

The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of anti-Leishmania spp. antibodies in dogs from localities in the city of Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná state, Brazil, on the border with Argentina and Paraguay. Blood samples dogs were collected to perform the following serologic tests: immunochromatographic DPP® rapid test, indirect immunoenzymatic...

To achieve the goal of performing quality control on vaccines for foot-and-mouth disease several steps were performed in this study. First, the gene that encodes the 3ABC region of the A24 Cruzeiro strain (which is used in vaccine production) was amplified. Second, to improve protein stability, the 3ABC protein was mutated at the 3Cpro catalytic si...

Oligosaccharides are broadly present on Leishmania cell surfaces. They can be useful for the leishmaniases diagnosis and also helpful in identifying new cell markers for the disease. The disaccharide Gal α 1-3Gal β is the immunodominant saccharide in Leishmania cell surface and is the unique non-reducing terminal glycosphingolipids structure recogn...

The biotechnological evolution towards the development of antigens to detect leprosy has been progressing. However, the identification of leprosy in paucibacillary patients, based solely on the antigen-antibody interaction still remains a challenge. The complexity of clinical manifestations requires innovative approaches to improve the sensitivity...

Every year about 3 million tourists from around the world visit Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay´s triple border region where the Iguaçu Falls are located. Unfortunately, in recent years an increasing number of autochthonous canine and human visceral leishmaniasis (VL) cases have been reported. The parasite is Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum and it...

Coffee bean fermentation is a spontaneous, on-farm process involving the action of different microbial groups, including bacteria and fungi. In this study, high-throughput sequencing approach was employed to study the diversity and dynamics of bacteria associated with Brazilian coffee bean fermentation. The total DNA from fermenting coffee samples...

In this study, the culture conditions necessary for the effective production of kefiran, using whey as a substrate, were evaluated through the one-factor-at-a-time and central-composite design methods. Using the optimal factors (whey supplemented with 15% (w/v) glucose fermented at 30 °C for 10 h without shaking), 0.20 g·L−1·h−1 kefir grains compos...

Macrophages have been considered an elusive yet emerging therapeutic target in tumor development since they are an important component in tumor microenvironment. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of C. sinensis on macrophage function (a component of tumor microenvironment which can alter the virulence of cancer) in high-fa...

The constant presence of genetically modified (GM) soybean in conventional seed lots has become a growing problem for international seed trade. In this context, seed companies have prompted the development of routine tests for accurate genetically modified soybean seeds detection. In this study, a quantitative PCR-based method was standardized in o...

A cross-sectional epidemiological study in the extreme-west of the state of Paraná was carried out to access the prevalence, distribution, and risk variables of canine Visceral Leishmaniases (cVL). This study was conducted in three areas, two cities of far west of Parana state: Foz do Iguaçu (FI) and Santa Terezinha de Itaipu (STI), and along two t...