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The variability of the sheep major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II DRB1 locus has been analyzed in this work. Exon 2 of Ovar-DRB1 was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with the primers designed by Amills et al. for goats. In a total of 187 sheep of Latxa breed, we identified by PCR-single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) 19 alleles, eight of them previously unpublished. Moreover, the observed heterozygosity reached 91-95%. A new allelic type named DRB*14 was defined, which brings to light once more the discussion as to the ancestor of the domestic sheep. Although all the defined alleles can be discriminated by PCR-SSCP, sequence-based typing is proposed as the technique of choice for sheep DRB1 gene typing.

, formerly known as , is an emerging fungal pathogen with low susceptibility to echinocandins. Here, we report the nucleotide sequence of the hot spot 1 region of the gene ( HS1), which codifies for the catalytic subunit of β-1,3-d-glucan synthase, the target of echinocandins. For that purpose, we first designed degenerated oligonucleotide primers derived from conserved flanking regions of the HS1 segment of 12 different fungal species. Interestingly, analysis of the translated HS1 sequences of 12 isolates of revealed that all of them exhibited the same F-to-L substitution in a position that is highly related to reduced echinocandin susceptibility.

Purpose. Some microbiota patterns have been associated with favorable IVF prognosis and others with pathological conditions. The endometrial fluid aspirate (EFA) contains antibacterial proteins that are enriched in implantative IVF cycles, but the antimicrobial effect of EFA has not been addressed. We aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of the human endometrial fluid during the natural cycle. Methods. EFA was obtained through an embryo transfer catheter in 38 women, aged 18-40 years, with regular cycles attending to a fertility clinic. The antimicrobial activity of EFAs was tested against two strains of Staphylococcus aureus; one strain each of Streptococcus agalactiae, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae; and three yeasts (Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, and Candida krusei). Results. All samples exhibited antibacterial activity against S. aureus. In addition, 32.4% of EFAs were active against one of the other microorganisms assayed, 16.2% against two, and 5.4% against four of them. In contrast, none exhibited antibacterial activity against E. coli or K. pneumoniae. The antimicrobial activity differs considerably between EFA samples, and we failed to observe a cycle-related pattern. Conclusions. EFA presented two antimicrobial activity patterns: (a) one common to all the samples, exhibiting activity against S. aureus and lack of activity against E. coli and K. pneumoniae, and (b) an individualized pattern, showing activity against some of the other microorganisms tested. The intensity of antibacterial activity differs between EFA samples. Our data suggest that the uterine microbiota is controlled by means of endometrial fluid components.