Browsing by Autor "Maura Rojas-Pirela"

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    Characterization and determination of antimicrobial and metal resistant profiles of Xanthomonas strains isolated from natural environments
    (MedCrave Group, 2019) Cristóbal Lárez Velásquez; Maura Rojas-Pirela; Milibeth Peña; María José Peña-Vera; Miguel Sulbarán; Elizabeth Cristina Pérez
    Three Xanthomonas strains were isolated from natural environments in Venezuela and studied morphologically, subjected to biochemical characterization and microbiologically and molecularly identified. In order to reconfirm the identity of these strains, the production of xanthan was induced for Xanthomonas campestris and Xanthomonas vesicatoria isolates, obtaining a yield of 7 and 35mg/100mL of culture, respectively; the characterization by FTIR spectroscopy of the obtained products confirmed the formation of xanthan during the growth of the strains. Characterized strains were submitted to resistance studies to 14 commercial antibiotics of clinical use as well as to 10 metal salts were carried out in Luria Bertani (LB) medium, which disturbingly confirmed these Xantho-monas strains present important percentages of resistance to the antibiotics (79%) and to the salts (50%) tested.
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    Los quitosanos y la lucha contra los coronavirus
    (Universidad de Los Andes, 2020) Cristóbal Lárez Velásquez; Maura Rojas-Pirela
    Chitosans and the fight against the coronaviruses. This work presents a broad vision of the potential applications that chi-tosan biopolymer, and its derivatives, may has in each of the strategies currently developed in the fight against the virus associ-ated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Summary information about the most important characteristics of the coronavirus family and their main associated human diseases is presented. The main characteristics (harmlessness, biocompatibility, biodegrada-bility, muco-adhesiveness, hemostatic, thickener, mucosal permeation, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, etc.) that make chitosan and its derivatives excellent candidates for these purposes are exposed. Finally, some selected examples of the studies carried out with these materials such as adjuvants in the administration of vaccines (especially intranasal route), antiviral agents, con-trol of cytokine storm, and passive antigen therapy, are shown. This work clearly shows the impressive potential of these mate-rials in the fight against these pathogens.