The upper reached ichthyofauna of the Tietê River, São Paulo, Brazil: aspects of their diversity and conservation

Tietê River is one of the main rivers in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. It runs across this state from east to west for 1136 km. The upper reach of the Tietê River is located in the metropolitan region of the city of São Paulo where approximately 60% of the original Atlantic Forest remnants has been converted into rural and urban areas. Ichthyofauna of the upper reaches of the rivers is usually characterized by a high level of endemism, small fish with restricted geographic distribution. A qualitative survey of two main tributaries, Paraitinga and Biritiba Mirim Rivers, and a stretch of the Tietê River was carried out in order to ascertain their fish community composition, compare the former fish data collected in the same area and establish biodiversity conservation research programs. The fish fauna in the three riverine systems comprises 5 orders, 9 families, 20 genus and 28 species. One species, Glandulocauda melanogenys, out of sixteen regarded as strictly endemic to the upper reaches of the Tietê River according to previous data was found among the sampled collections. No established alien species were found despite their presence in the upstream reservoir of the Tietê Rivers. Human disturbances and their impacts on fish diversity are discussed, including their relation to the ecotone habitats.     

Virulence markers and antimicrobial susceptibility of bacteria of the Bacteroides fragilis group isolated from stool of children with diarrhea in São Paulo, Brazil

Bacteroides fragilis has been isolated from several human and non-human monomicrobial and mixed infections. In this study, some virulence markers and the antimicrobial susceptibility of bacteria of the B. fragilis group isolated from children's stools were evaluated. All the 64 isolates showed the following characteristics: capsulated, beta-hemolytic, hydrophilic, and serum-resistant. Only, 24 (37.5%) strains were resistant at 60 masculine C, for 30 min, and among them, 12 (18.75%) were resistant at 60 masculine C, for 60 min. Also, none strain was resistant at 100 masculine C. Four strains were able to hemagglutinate erythrocytes and D-mannose, D-galactose, D-arabinose, and D-xylose inhibited hemagglutination in 2 B. fragilis strains (p76a, p76b). The hemagglutination in the strain B. uniformis p3-2 was inhibited by D-xylose and D-galactose. The bft gene detection and the enterotoxin production were observed only in 13 EF-enterotoxigenic species. Fragilysin activity was confirmed on HT-29 cells. The antimicrobial determination confirmed that both imipenem and metronidazole were efficient against B. fragilis species; all the strains were resistant to lead and nickel. Plasmids of 2.9, 4.4, 4.8, and 8.9 kb were observed in 6 tested strains. These results show the values of the species identification from clinical infections, as well as of the periodic evaluation of the resistance patterns of the B. fragilis group at Brazilian medical institutions.     

Mental and Physical Health and Spiritual Healing: An Evaluation of Complementary Religious Therapies Provided by Spiritist Centers in the City of São Paulo,Brazil

The present study aims to describe the characteristics of the complementary religious treatment conducted by Spiritist centers in the city of São Paulo (Brazil), to understand how physical and mental health problems are addressed and how the directors of these centers differentiate between persons with spiritual experiences from those with psychiatric disorders. From 365 Spiritist centers, which received the questionnaire, 55 (15.1 %) were included in the final analysis. There were on average 261 people per week attending spiritual sessions in each center, totalizing approximately 15,000 attendees per week in all 55 centers. The most common treatment performed in these centers was disobsession (Spirit release therapy) (92.7 %); the least common was the ‘spiritual surgery’, present in only 5.5 %. The most frequent health problems reported by attendees were depression (45.1 %), cancer (43.1 %) and diseases in general (33.3 %). Concerning the directors’ awareness to differentiate between spiritual experiences and psychiatric disorders, we found some remarkable divergent opinions. In conclusion, the Spiritist centers are an important health related support system for the city of São Paulo, responsible for a significant share of the city’s total health consultations. The most common conditions the patients suffer from were depression and cancer.     

Ethnobotany and effects of harvesting on the population ecology ofsyngonanthus nitens (bong.) ruhland (eriocaulaceae), a NTFP from Jalapão region, central Brazil

The handicrafts made fromSyngonanthus nitens scapes have been an important source of income for rural communities in the Jalapão region of Brazil since the late 1990s. This study analyzedS. nitens harvest and management techniques and the economic importance of the handicrafts. We also tested the effects of harvest onS. nitens population ecology. Handicrafts provide about US$1,800/year per artisan, being especially important to women. Experimental scape harvesting in mid-October, which is when knowledgeable artisans harvest and when the seeds are mature, had no consistent effects on population density, plant survival, or reproduction (clonal or sexual) after one year. Since 40% of the new recruits come from seeds, harvest after seed maturation, combined with removal of only the scapes and not the flowerheads, can allow forS. nitens seeds to remain in the populations and help ensure sustainability of the growingS. nitens handicraft activity. Important economic aspects ofS. nitens harvest sustainability include the high value of the handicrafts and the fact they are not perishable.     

Molecular detection and isolation of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) from patients with HAM/TSP in São Paulo,Brazil

Background: Infection with HTLV-I is etiologically linked with HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). However some patients with chronic progressive paraparesis resembling HAM/TSP have been shown to be infected with HTLV-II.Objective: To clarify the role of each of these human retroviruses in the etiology of HAM/TSP in São Paulo, Brazil.Study design: A detailed serological and molecular analysis of HTLV-I/II infection was performed in a cohort of 19 patients with HAM/TSP attending a neurological clinic.Results: Plasma samples analyzed for anti-HTLV-I/II antibodies using a Western blot assay, comprising HTLV-I (rgp46^I)- and HTLV-II (rgp46^II)-specific recombinant env epitopes, demonstrated reactivity to rgp46^I and hence were typed as seropositive for HTLV-I. Presence of HTLV genomic sequences in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was sought after by PCR using consensus primers SK 110 and SK 111 for the pol region of HTLV proviral DNA followed by hybridization with type-specific probes—SK 112 (HTLV-I) and SK 188 (HTLV-II). Southern blots from all individuals hybridized with SK 112 but not with SK 188, further confirming HTLV-I infection. Cocultivation of PBMC from eight of these patients with activated lymphocytes from normal individuals resulted in active viral production, detected as presence of soluble p24^gag antigen in culture supernatants. Investigation of risk factors for HTLV-I infection in these individuals revealed that five out of 19 patients studied (26.3%) had received blood transfusions previous to disease onset.Conclusions: We demonstrate HTLV-I as the only viral type involved in the etiology of HAM/TSP in a cohort from São Paulo, Brazil, and emphasize that prevention measures, including widespread routine screening of blood donations for HTLV should be conducted in Brazil.     

Bat flies (Diptera: Streblidae, Nycteribiidae) parasitic on bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) at Parque Estadual da Cantareira, São Paulo, Brazil: parasitism rates and host-parasite associations

A total of 443 bat flies belonging to the families Nycteribiidae and Strelidae, were collected on 22 species of bats (Molossidae, Phyllostomidae, and Vespertilionidae) from Parque Estadual da Cantareira (S?o Paulo, Brazil), between January, 2000 and January, 2001. Eighteen new occurrences of bat flies were recorded on Anoura geoffroyi (Anastrebla caudiferae), Glossophaga soricina (A. caudiferae), Sturnira lilium (Trichobius phyllostomae, T. furmani, and Paraeuctenodes similis), Artibeus lituratus (A. caudiferae), A. fimbriatus (Megistopoda proxima), A. obscurus (Metelasmus pseudopterus), Myotis nigricans (M. proxima, M. aranea, Paratrichobius longicrus), M. ruber (Anatrichobius passosi, Joblingia sp.), M. levis (A. passosi), M. albescens (A. passosi, Basilia andersoni), and Histiotus velatus (M. aranea). Seven new occurrences were recorded for the state of S?o Paulo, increasing the range for T. tiptoni, T. furmani, M. proxima, Aspidoptera falcata, A. caudiferae, A. modestini and B. andersoni. The relationships between parasitism and host sex, reproductive stage, age hyperparasitism by fungi are discussed.     

First report on the dragonflies from Parque Estadual da Ilha do Cardoso,state of São Paulo,Brazil, with notes on the morphology and behavior of Lauromacromia picinguaba (Odonata: Corduliidae s.l.)

The dragonflies from the Parque Estadual da Ilha do Cardoso, municipality of Cananéia, located at the southern limit of the state of São Paulo in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, were surveyed for the first time through a short sampling effort lasting four days in October 2011. A total of 36 species, including four new state records for species of the genera Lestes, Phyllocycla, Navicordulia and ‘Schizocordulia’, and three undescribed species of damselflies belonging to Cyanallagma, Forcepsioneura and Idioneura were identified. Some notes are also given for other species, as well as on the morphology and behavior of the intriguing corduliid Lauromacromia picinguaba (incertae sedis). The results, based on a small sample, indicate that the local dragonfly biota at Parque Estadual da Ilha do Cardoso is rich and impressive, and needs to be investigated and protected.     

Impact of the Três Marias dam on the reproduction of the forage fish Astyanax bimaculatus and A. fasciatus from the São Francisco River,downstream from the dam,southeastern Brazil

Alterations to the hydrologic regime downstream from hydroelectric dams include thermal disturbances which may have an impact on the reproductive success of fish. In order to make a comparative analysis of forage fish reproduction in two sections of the São Francisco River downstream from the Três Marias hydroelectric power plant, we captured 606 specimens of Astyanax fasciatus (n?=?465) and A. bimaculatus (n?=?141) at 2-month intervals between November 2009 and October 2010. Fish were captured in two sections of the São Francisco River: section 1, encompassing the first 34 km immediately downstream from the dam; section 2, after the confluence with the Abaeté River, 34–54 km downstream from the dam. The canonical correlation test indicated that for both species, female reproduction is more dependent on environmental factors than male reproduction. Compared to section 1, the specimens captured in section 2 were more abundant and the females of both species presented larger total length, body weight, gonadosomatic index and fecundity values. Higher values of water temperature, dissolved oxygen and turbidity during the rainy season (September to February) were also recorded for section 2, when compared to section 1 where the physical–chemical conditions of the water do not favour reproduction. Based on this analysis of reproductive parameters, this study shows, for the first time, that the reproductive activity of two species of forage fishes, A. fasciatus and A. bimaculatus, from the section of the São Francisco River immediately downstream from the Três Marias dam is disrupted and that the Abaeté River is an important tributary for the reproductive success of these species.     

Late Quaternary grassland (Campos), gallery forest,fire and climate dynamics,studied by pollen,charcoal and multivariate analysis of the São Francisco de Assis core in western Rio Grande do Sul (southern Brazil)

We present a detailed pollen and charcoal record of a 368-cm-long sediment core from the lowland Campos (grassland) region near the city of São Francisco de Assis in the western Rio Grande do Sul State in southern Brazil. Based on four AMS radiocarbon dates, the record represents the last about 22,000 cal yr BP. The region was naturally covered by Campos throughout the recorded glacial and Holocene period under cold and relatively dry and warm and dry condition, respectively. Initial expansion of gallery forest after 5170 cal yr BP indicates a change to wetter climatic conditions. Maximum extent of gallery forest after 1550 cal yr BP reflects the wettest recorded period. There is some evidence of plant migration from the eastern Atlantic coastal lowland reaching the western lowland, first after mid Holocene times by Cecropia and, possibly, species of Myrsine and Moraceae and later, after about 1000 cal yr BP, by species of Alchornea and Acalypha. Multivariate analysis revealed that the long-term pollen composition dynamics is a two-phase process, with random, chaotic changes characterizing some periods when climate conditions were likely more stable, and directional compositional changes (phase transitions) in periods coincide with major climate and/or anthropogenic changes. Natural fires were rare during full- and lateglacial periods, but became frequent at the beginning of the Holocene, suggesting the beginning of human occupation of the western lowland at that time. Highest fire frequency is found during the wet late Holocene period, suggesting an increase of indigenous populations in the São Francisco de Assis region.