Objective. To measure SARS-CoV-2 RNA in sewage in a low-resource community in order to determine if it can be considered as an estimator of changes in the prevalence of COVID-19 in the population. Methods. In this descriptive observational study we collected samples of surface waters contaminated with sewage and optimized a method of purification of viral RNA using PEG concentration. We determined the amount of genetic material by quantitative real-time PCR using the CDC method for SARS-CoV-2 detection. Results. We quantified viral RNA in surface waters contaminated with sewage of a low resource community and determined that temporal trends of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater samples mirrored trends in COVID-19 active cases. Conclusions. Measuring of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in sewage can be applied in low-resource communities without connection to sewers as an estimator of changes in the prevalence of COVID-19.

Oenococcus oeni UNQOe19 is a native strain isolated from a Patagonian pinot noir wine undergoing spontaneous malolactic fermentation. Here, we present the 1.83-Mb genome sequence of O. oeni UNQOe19, the first fully assembled genome sequence of a psychrotrophic strain from an Argentinean wine.

Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) in a brief report about the status of environmental surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 indicated that approaches are needed that can be applied in lower-resource settings, where a greater proportion of the population is not connected to sewers and instead uses pit toilets or septic tanks. Possibilities include testing surface water contaminated by sewage . In this study we measured SARS-CoV-2 RNA from a surface water source in a low-income settlement. We observe for this community that measurements of SARS-CoV-2 concentrations in surface water contaminated by sewage can be considered as an estimation of changes in COVID-19 prevalence on a population level.

The Lacticaseibacillus paracasei UNQLpc 10 strain was isolated from a Malbec wine produced in North Patagonia, Argentina, and identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The aim of this work was to obtain the fully assembled genome of the UNQLpc 10 strain, analyze its structure, and evaluate the possible functions of the predicted genes with regard to its oenological potential as a malolactic starter. UNQLpc10 is the first whole assembled genome of an oenological strain of Lcb. paracasei reported in databases. This information is of great interest inexpanding the knowledge of diversity of oenological lactic acid bacteria and in searching for new candidate species/strains to design starter cultures. The in silico genome-wide analysis of UNQLpc 10 confirms the existence of genes encoding enzymes involved in the synthesis of several metabolites of oenological interest, and proteins related to stress responses. Furthermore, when UNQLpc 10 was incubated in synthetic wine, it exhibited a very good survival and L-malic acid consumption ability.

St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) is a mosquito-borne re-emerging flavivirus in Argentina. It is currently necessary to develop specific serological tests that can efficiently discriminate the flaviviruses that circulate in our country. The immunoassays to diagnose SLEV lack specificity because they are based on the detection of structural viral proteins and the human immunoglobulins produced during infection against these proteins cross-react with other flaviviruses. Here, we describe an enzyme-immunoassay designed to detect human IgG antibodies specific to the viral non-structural protein NS5. The results indicate that NS5 is a promising antigen useful to discriminate SLEV from other circulating flaviviruses.