The in-house PCR methods here compared showed to be rapid, sensitive, highly specific, and cheaper than commercial methods. The in-house PCR methods could be easily adopted by public laboratories of developing countries for diagnostic purposes. The best results were achieved using primers targeting the genes nspA, ply, and P6 which were able to detect the lowest DNA concentrations for each specific target.

The present study deals with the leaf anatomy and leaf surface of Posoqueria acutifolia Mart., P. latifolia Mart., P. longiflora Aublet, P. macropus Mart., P. palustris (Rudge) Roem. and Posoqueria sp., collected in fragments of Atlantic rain forest, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The epicuticular wax may occur in the form of filaments, granules or crusts. The leaves are covered by a thick cuticular layer that may be smooth or striated. Paracytic stomata, and non-glandular trichomes are limited to the abaxial surface; the latter are numerous in P. palustris, and rare in P. longiflora and P. latifolia. Leaves have a dorsiventral structure, with only one layer of palisade parenchyma and varied amounts of spongy parenchyma. Idioblasts containing crystalliferous sand were observed, and were more abundant in P. latifolia. The leaf blade vascular system is formed by collateral bundles with a parenchymatous sheath, associated with fibers. The vascular system of the petiole and the leaf blade forms an arch. Some of the anatomical features observed can be used to distinguish the species studied. Anatomical leaf characters could be used in the recognition of six species of Posoqueria studied, such as anticlinal wall of epidermal cells, wax deposition, trichomes and shape of the leaf margin. Key words: leaf anatomy, scanning electron microscopy, taxonomy, Cinchonoideae. ResumoSão apresentadas informações sobre a anatomia e a superfície foliar de Posoqueria acutifolia Mart., P. latifolia Mart., P. longiflora Aublet, P. macropus Mart., P. palustris (Rudge) Roem e Posoqueria sp., espécies ocorrentes em fragmentos da Floresta Pluvial Atlântica, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. A cera epicuticular pode ocorrer na forma de filamentos, grânulos ou crostas. As folhas são recobertas por espessa camada cuticular, que pode ser lisa ou estriada. Na face abaxial a cutícula apresenta-se estriada em P. latifolia e P. palustris. Os estômatos estão restritos à face abaxial e são do tipo paracítico. Tricomas tectores ocorrem apenas nesta face sendo numerosos em P. palustris, raros em P. longiflora e P. latifolia. As folhas têm estrutura dorsiventral, com apenas uma camada de parênquima paliçádico e variado número no parênquima esponjoso. No mesofilo foram observados idioblastos contendo areia cristalífera, mais abundantes em P. latifolia. Na lâmina foliar o sistema vascular é formado por feixes do tipo colateral, envolvidos por bainha parenquimática, e apresentam fibras associadas. No pecíolo e na nervura principal o sistema vascular apresenta-se em arco. Características anatômicas foliares podem ser usadas na distinção das seis espécies de Posoqueria estudadas, tais como: a parede anticlinal das células epidérmicas, deposição de cera, tricomas e a forma da margem da folha. Palavra-chave: anatomia foliar, microscopia eletrônica de varredura, taxonomia, Cinchonoideae.

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Neisseria meningitidis, Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae are leading causes of meningitis and acute invasive infections. PCR-based methods are widely used for the diagnosis and surveillance of bacterial pathogens because of their high sensitivity, specificity and high-throughput capabilities compared with conventional laboratory methods. This study evaluated a high-resolution melting qualitative PCR analysis method for the simultaneous detection of these three pathogens. The assay has been optimized to detect three species-specific genes of each organism isolated from clinical samples, enabling accurate identification of the etiological agent. The method proved to be highly sensitive and cheaper than the real-time PCR TaqMan® system because it is probe-free; it could be used for the diagnosis of invasive diseases in public health laboratories of developing countries.