SARS-CoV-2 virus induced CoVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the development of diagnostic tools. Devices integrated with electrochemical biosensors may be an interesting alternative to respond to the high demand for testing, particularly in contexts where access to standard detection technologies is lacking. Aptamers as recognition elements are useful due to their stability, specificity, and sensitivity to binding target molecules. We have developed a non-invasive electrochemical aptamer-based biosensor targeting SARS-CoV-2 in human saliva. The aptamer is expected to detect the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 wildtype and its variants. Laser-induced graphene (LIG) electrodes coated with platinum nanoparticles were biofunctionalized with a biotin-tagged aptamer. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) for BA.1 sensing was conducted in sodium chloride/sodium bicarbonate solution supplemented with pooled saliva. To estimate sensing performance, the aptasensor was tested with contrived samples of UV-attenuated virions from 10 to 10,000 copies/ml. Selectivity was assessed by exposing the aptasensor to non-targeted viruses (hCoV-OC43, Influenza A, and RSV-A). EIS data outputs were further used to select a suitable response variable and cutoff frequency. Capacitance increases in response to the gradual loading of the attenuated BA.1. The aptasensor was sensitive and specific for BA.1 at a lower viral load (10–100 copies/ml) and was capable of discriminating between negative and positive contrived samples (with strain specificity against other viruses: OC43, Influenza A, and RSV-A). The aptasensor detected SARS-CoV-2 with an estimated LOD of 1790 copies/ml in contrived samples. In human clinical samples, the aptasensor presents an accuracy of 72%, with 75% of positive percent of agreement and 67% of negative percent of agreement. Our results show that the aptasensor is a promising candidate to detect SARS-CoV-2 during early stages of infection when virion concentrations are low, which may be useful for preventing the asymptomatic spread of CoVID-19.

Soils of the Quadrilátero Ferrífero are rich in mineral resources, especially gold and iron. Soil management and mining activities greatly impact soil biology. However, studies addressed to the diversity of microorganisms and their ecological role in the recovery of these areas are scarce. This study aimed to assess the yeast occurrence in soils with natural vegetation (Atlantic Forest, neotropical savanna, and iron outcrop) and areas with anthropogenic modifications (Eucalyptus stand and rehabilitated area) in the Quadrilátero Ferrífero region. We isolated and identified a total of 68 yeast. Partial sequencing of the 26S ribosomal gene revealed the presence of six genera: Saitozyma, Pseudozyma, Meyerozyma, Debaryomyces, Lipomyces, and Aureobasidium. Overall, the yeast community was more diverse in the area with greater anthropic modification. Environmental variables, especially pH, soil organic matter, texture, and Al saturation index, explained 60 % of the variability. Saitozyma podzolica was the dominant species and was positively correlated with the presence of Al in soils. This study is the first report of the occurrence of yeast species in soils of the Quadrilátero Ferrífero region in the State of Minas Gerais and one of the few studies of yeast diversity in Brazilian soils.

Laser-inscribed graphene (LIG) is an emerging material for micro-electronic applications and is being used to develop supercapacitors, soft actuators, triboelectric generators, and sensors. The fabrication technique is simple, yet the batch-to-batch variation of LIG quality is not well documented in the literature. In this study, we conduct experiments to characterize batch-to-batch variation in the manufacturing of LIG electrodes for applications in electrochemical sensing. Numerous batches of 36 LIG electrodes were synthesized using a CO₂ laser system on polyimide film. The LIG material was characterized using goniometry, stereomicroscopy, open circuit potentiometry, and cyclic voltammetry. Hydrophobicity and electrochemical screening (cyclic voltammetry) indicate that LIG electrode batch-to-batch variation is less than 5% when using a commercial reference and counter electrode. Metallization of LIG led to a significant increase in peak current and specific capacitance (area between anodic/cathodic curve). However, batch-to-batch variation increased to approximately 30%. Two different platinum electrodeposition techniques were studied, including galvanostatic and frequency-modulated electrodeposition. The study shows that formation of metallized LIG electrodes with high specific capacitance and peak current may come at the expense of high batch variability. This design tradeoff has not been discussed in the literature and is an important consideration if scaling sensor designs for mass use is desired. This study provides important insight into the variation of LIG material properties for scalable development of LIG sensors. Additional studies are needed to understand the underlying mechanism(s) of this variability so that strategies to improve the repeatability may be developed for improving quality control. The dataset from this study is available via an open access repository.

This work was carried out to select and to evaluate efficacy of Trichoderma isolates to control sclerotium wilt (Sclerotium rolfsii) of common-bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). For the experiments were used two isolates of S. rolfsii UB 193 and UB 228. Sixty-five Trichoderma spp. isolates were tested and the following ones were selected in vitro for the in vivo tests: 5, 11, 12, 15, 102, 103, 127, 136, 137, 1525 (T. longibrachiatum), 1637 (T. reesei), 1642, 1643 (T. harzianum), 1649 (T. harzianum), 1700 (T. asperellum) and EST 5. The most promising isolates were identified by Sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer regions ITS1, ITS2, and the 5.8s rRNA genomic region, using the ITS5 and ITS4 primers and compared with sequences in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database. These selected isolates 1649 (T. harzianum), 1525 (T. longibrachiatum) and 1637 (T. reesei) were tested for evaluation of sclerotial germination inhibition under laboratory conditions, and to evaluate the effects of these on disease of bean plants under greenhouse conditions. The Trichoderma isolates 1649, 1525 and 1637 were more efficient in reducing sclerotial germination. In addition to 1649, 1525 and 1637, the isolates 5, 12, 102 and 1525 (T. longibrachiatum) significantly reduced de amount of diseased bean plants under greenhouse conditions.

Yeasts represent an important component of the soil microbiome. In central Brazil, mining activities are among the main anthropogenic factors that influence the dynamics of the soil microbiota. Few studies have been dedicated to analysis of tropical soil yeast communities, and even fewer have focused on Brazilian hotspots influenced by mining activity. The aim of the current study was to describe soil yeast communities in a post-mining site with revegetated and native areas, along Neotropical Savanna and Atlantic Forest biomes. Yeast communities were described using a culture-based method and estimator-based species accumulation curves, and their associations with environmental characteristics were assessed using multivariate analysis. The results indicate a greater species richness for yeast communities in the revegetated area. We identified 37 species describing 86% of the estimated richness according to Chao2. Ascomycetous yeasts dominated over basidiomycetous species. Candida maltosa was the most frequent species in two phytocenoses. Red-pigmented yeasts were frequent only in the summer. The main soil attributes affecting yeast communities were texture and micronutrients. In conclusion, each phytocenosis showed a particular assemblage of species as a result of local environmental phenomena. The species richness in a Revegetated area points to a possible ecological role of yeast species in environmental recovery. This study provided the first comprehensive inventory of soil yeasts in major phytocenoses in Minas Gerais, Brazil.