Interferon-induced protein 35 (IFI35) is associated with COVID-19 severity and clinical outcomes Mariana Ramos Freitas, Chirles Araújo de França, Sávio Luiz Pereira Nunes, Milena Xavier Barbosa, Carlos Dornels Freire de Souza, Anderson da Costa Armstrong, Rodrigo Feliciano Carmo Scientific Reports, 2026 Excessive activation of the immune system by damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) contributes to COVID-19 severity. Interferon-induced protein 35 (IFI35) is a DAMP-related interferon-stimulated gene recently proposed as a biomarker of hyperinflammation. We investigated the association between IFI35 serum levels, gene expression, and COVID-19 severity in 430 hospitalized patients (214 critical and 216 severe) and 112 convalescent controls. Serum IFI35 levels were quantified using ELISA, and IFI35 mRNA expression in PBMCs was assessed using quantitative PCR (qPCR). IFI35 levels were significantly higher in critically ill patients (median 1,003.6 pg/mL) than in severe cases (867.6 pg/mL; p = 0.001) and controls (798.3 pg/mL; p < 0.0001). Gene expression analysis showed a similar pattern (p = 0.014). Higher IFI35 levels were also associated with adverse clinical outcomes, including mortality, invasive mechanical ventilation, acute kidney injury, and cardiac arrest (all p < 0.05). In receiver operating characteristic analysis, adding IFI35 to a model including C-reactive protein and D-dimer improved discriminative performance for mortality. In survival analysis, IFI35 > 1,475 pg/mL was associated with reduced survival in this cohort (p = 0.0062). These findings identify IFI35 as a promising prognostic biomarker associated with COVID-19 severity and adverse outcomes.
Detection of Fur, AmoA and pvcAB genes in Aeromonas hydrophila isolated from aquatic organisms and impact on bacterial growth under different iron concentrations M.R. Freitas, B.N. Araujo, R.A.N. Soares, J.J.S. Gouveia, M.M. Costa, G.V. Gouveia Arquivo Brasileiro De Medicina Veterinaria E Zootecnia, 2022 Infection caused by Aeromonas brings great harm to fish farming. Among the factors associated with bacterial pathogenesis, iron uptake can contribute to the survival and virulence of bacteria within hosts. The aim of this study was to check the presence of genes related to iron uptake in Aeromonas hydrophila deriving from aquatic organisms in the São Francisco Valley and associate the presence of these genes with the ability to grow in media containing different concentrations of iron. The DNAs of 41 isolates were extracted and used in PCRs to verify the presence of the Fur, AmoA and pvcAB genes related to iron uptake. The growth of the isolates belonging to different genetic profiles was verified in culture media containing different iron concentrations. Two isolates were positive for the presence of the Fur gene, seven for the AmoA gene and two for the pvcAB gene. The growth test showed that the low availability of iron did not interfere in the growth of the isolates, nor in the isolate that did not contain any of the genes evaluated in this study, suggesting that the iron uptake’s mechanisms of the tested isolates may be related to other genes and proteins.
The presence of plasmids in Aeromonas hydrophila and its relationship with antimicrobial and heavy metal-resistance profiles Mariana Ramos Freitas, Naiana Braga Freire, Luciana Jatobá e Silva Peixoto, Samira Teixeira Leal de Oliveira, Renilde Cordeiro de Souza, João José de Simoni Gouveia, Mateus Matiuzzi da Costa, Gisele Veneroni Gouveia Ciencia Rural, 2018 Aeromonas hydrophila is a common fish pathogen that causes extensive damage to aquaculture. To develop and implement a more adequate strategy to farm fish, it is crucial to understand the bacterial-resistance levels and their transference dynamics. The objective of this study was to analyze the resistance profile of isolated Aeromonas hydrophila to antimicrobial agents and heavy metals and draw a correlation of the observed profiles with the presence of plasmids. Resistance of the isolated bacteria to antimicrobial agents (oxacilin, gentamicin, tetracycline, and nalidixic acid) and heavy metals (cadmium, lead, copper, and manganese) was verified using the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) standards. The Multiple Antibiotic Resistance Index (MAR Index) was calculated. Plasmids were extracted by using a common methodology described elsewhere. Mann-Whitney Test, implemented in the R environment, was used to determine the correlation between resistance and plasmids presence. A high resistance to almost all antimicrobial agents and heavy metals was observed, except to gentamicin and cadmium. The MAR index results showed resistance to all antimicrobial profiles. Of the isolated bacteria, 14 showed the presence of plasmids. However, no correlation was noted between the resistance profile and the plasmid presence for these isolates, indicating that the genes responsible for resistance to microbial agents and heavy metals are present in the cromossomic DNA, which in turn suggested the possibility of gene transfer between the isolated bacteria. The resistance to heavy metals can be linked to heavy utilization of fertilizers along the Sao Francisco River.
