IntroductionObesity has become a major problem in most developed countries. Infertility ranks high among the issues brought by excessive weight gain, particularly as it may affect male sexual function. This study investigated a population of Brazilian infertile men in an attempt to establish a relationship between obesity and infertility.MethodsA total of 153 infertile men had their anthropometric data collected and were divided into groups according to their body mass index and waist circumference measurements. Sperm parameters including sperm count, concentration, morphology, and motility were compared.ResultsMultivariate analysis failed to show a positive correlation between excessive weight gain or increased waist circumference, and sperm alterations in a population of infertile men.ConclusionsThe findings described in this study support the idea that there is no association between obesity and semen alterations in a population of infertile men.

CC398 is a livestock-associated Staphylococcus aureus. However, it has also been isolated from humans with no previous contact with livestock. A surveillance of methicillin-resistant S. aureus colonisation among children attending public day care centres and hospitals in Niterói and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between 2011 and 2013, resulted in the isolation of six cases of CC398 from individuals with no previous exposure to livestock. These isolates showed a high frequency of the erm(C) gene (4/6, 66.7%) with induced resistance to clindamycin, and a relatively high frequency of SEs and lukS/lukF genes. These results suggest the emergence of a non-LA-CC398 in Brazil.

Hospitalizations related to Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are frequent, increasing mortality and health costs. In this way, this study aimed to compare the genotypic and phenotypic characteristics of MRSA isolates that colonize and infect patients seen at two hospitals in the city of Niterói—Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A total of 147 samples collected between March 2013 and December 2015 were phenotyped and genotyped to identify the protein A (SPA) gene, the mec staphylococcal chromosomal cassette (SCCmec), mecA, Panton-Valentine Leucocidin (PVL), icaC, icaR, ACME, and hla virulence genes. The strength of biofilm formation has also been exploited. The prevalence of SCCmec type IV (77.1%) was observed in the colonization group; however, in the invasive infection group, SCCmec type II was prevalent (62.9%). The Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST), ST5/ST30, and ST5/ST239 analyses were the most frequent clones in colonization, and invasive infection isolates, respectively. Among the isolates selected to assess the ability to form a biofilm, 51.06% were classified as strong biofilm builders. Surprisingly, we observed that isolates other than the Brazilian Epidemic Clone (BEC) have appeared in Brazilian hospitals. The virulence profile has changed among these isolates since the ACME type I and II genes were also identified in this collection.

Significance and Impact of the Study: The study presented herein highlights the antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity of benzoylthiourea derivatives against a clinical multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolate. The results may guide the use of these molecules for new strategies to fight staphylococcal infections and to destroy biofilm-forming bacteria in medical devices, such as catheters and prostheses.

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