The present study was on isolation of a potent fungal strain from mangrove sediment for the optimization and production of uricase enzyme. Among the 6 fungal strains isolated, Aspergillus niger was found to be a potent uricase producer and it was further used for the optimization studies for uricase production. The optimum cultural parameters that were found to be ideal for the higher uricase p...

The characteristics of two tamarin (Saguinus oedipus) B-cell lines (sfBIT and sfBT) growth-transformed by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) that proliferate continuously in serum-free medium are described. sfBIT was established by selecting cells for growth in RPMI 1640 supplemented with insulin, transferrin, and selenium (J. E. Shaw, R. G. Petit, and K. Leung, J. Virol. 61:4033-4037, 1987). sfBT, a sub...

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is the most harmful mycotoxin that occurs as natural contaminant of agricultural commodities, particularly maize. Practical solutions for detoxification of contaminated staples and reduction of agricultural wastes are scarce. We investigated the capability of the white-rot and edible fungus Plerotus eryngii (king oyster mushroom) to degrade AFB1 both in vitro and in a labora...

Mangueira Lagoon, located in the extreme south of Brazil, has water with physicochemical characteristics such as alkaline pH and carbonate levels propitious for the growth of the cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis. Previously published studies have shown that Mangueira Lagoon water supplemented with small quantities of carbon and nitrogen is suitable for S. platensis cultivation and can signifi...

Bone marrow specimens were obtained by aspiration from the sternum. Two to 3 ml. of aspirate were injected into a test tube containing 9 ml. of tissue culture medium and 1 ml. of heparin ( Liquaemin heparin, Organon ) . Bone marrow particles were collected with a capillary pipette from the sediment and from the fatty surface layer. The bone marrow particles were transferred into a second and th...

The potential biodegradation of crude oil was assessed based on the development of a fermentative process with a strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa which produced 15.4 g/L rhamnolipids when cultured in a basal mineral medium using glycerol as a sole carbon source. However, neither cell growth nor rhamnolipid production was observed in the comparative culture system using crude oil as the sole car...

Zygomycetes is a class of fungi living worldwide as saprobes, as part of mycorrhizae, and as parasites. Humans have used some zygomycetes for centuries in the production of traditional foods, e.g. Indonesian tempe. In the present thesis, the experimental focus was on two zygomycetes strains, Mucor indicus CCUG 22424 and Rhizopus sp. IT. One of the distinguishing features of M. indicus is its di...

BACKGROUND Lignocellulosic biomass has the potential to be a major source of renewable sugar for biofuel production. Before enzymatic hydrolysis, biomass must first undergo a pretreatment step in order to be more susceptible to saccharification and generate high yields of fermentable sugars. Lignin, a complex, interlinked, phenolic polymer, associates with secondary cell wall polysaccharides, r...

 ABSTRACT Life-threatening infections caused by the encapsulated fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans have been increasing steadily over the past 10 years. Cryptococcus neoformans is recognized as the most frequent fungal infection of the central nervous system (CNS) in immunocompetent as well as immunocompromised patients. We report the development of a semi-nested- PCR-based assay for the ...