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Argentoleon irrigatus (Gerstaecker), is a common antlion species, but with sparse figures and incomplete location records in the literature, whose genitalia and larvae remained undescribed. Herein, the adults are redescribed and immatures (larvae and pupa) are described for the first time, providing images of internal and external characters, including both male and female genitalia. The examination and illustration of these characters allowed us to better understand the position and the limits of the genus Argentoleon Stange, within the tribe Brachynemurini, including the differentiation of the larval stages of the closely related genus Austroleon Banks. Additionally, the distribution of Ar. irrigatus is updated and a map is elaborated, resulting in seven new state records for Brazil and a new country record from Colombia. Some biological aspects are also analyzed, regarding rearing in captivity and natural habitat, providing resources for future ecologic and biogeographical analyses. Furthermore, we analyzed the type specimens of the extensive synonymic list of Ar. irrigatus concluding that Austroleon stictogaster Navás, is in fact a synonym of Austroleon immitis (Walker), and not of Ar. irrigatus as currently accepted. Overall, a full taxonomic actualization of Ar. irrigatus is presented.

Aim: To evaluate bacterial resistance to clarithromycin and fluoroquinolones in Brazil using molecular methods., Methods: The primary antibiotic resistance rates of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) were determined from November 2012 to March 2015 in the Southern, South-Eastern, Northern, North-Eastern, and Central-Western regions of Brazil. Four hundred ninety H. pylori patients [66% female, mean age 43 years (range: 18-79)] who had never been previously treated for this infection were enrolled. All patients underwent gastroscopy with antrum and corpus biopsies and molecular testing using GenoType HelicoDR (Hain Life Science, Germany). This test was performed to detect the presence of H. pylori and to identify point mutations in the genes responsible for clarithromycin and fluoroquinolone resistance. The molecular procedure was divided into three steps: DNA extraction from the biopsies, multiplex amplification, and reverse hybridization., Results: Clarithromycin resistance was found in 83 (16.9%) patients, and fluoroquinolone resistance was found in 66 (13.5%) patients. There was no statistical difference in resistance to either clarithromycin or fluoroquinolones (P = 0.55 and P = 0.06, respectively) among the different regions of Brazil. Dual resistance to clarithromycin and fluoroquinolones was found in 4.3% (21/490) of patients. The A2147G mutation was present in 90.4% (75/83), A2146G in 16.9% (14/83) and A2146C in 3.6% (3/83) of clarithromycin-resistant patients. In 10.8% (9/83) of clarithromycin-resistant samples, more than 01 mutation in the 23S rRNA gene was noticed. In fluoroquinolone-resistant samples, 37.9% (25/66) showed mutations not specified by the GenoType HelicoDR test. D91N mutation was observed in 34.8% (23/66), D91G in 18.1% (12/66), N87K in 16.6% (11/66) and D91Y in 13.6% (9/66) of cases. Among fluoroquinolone-resistant samples, 37.9% (25/66) showed mutations not specified by the GenoType HelicoDR test., Conclusion: The H. pylori clarithromycin resistance rate in Brazil is at the borderline (15%-20%) for applying the standard triple therapy. The fluoroquinolone resistance rate (13.5%) is equally concerning., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Objective: To discuss the main aspects of co-infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus in the city of Taubaté (located in the state of São Paulo, Brazil) in 2001 and 2002., Methods: This study presents epidemiological data on tuberculosis cases occurring in Taubaté in 2001 and 2002., Results: Of the 250 cases of tuberculosis analyzed, 70 (28%) presented human immunodeficiency virus seropositivity, 95 (38%) presented human immunodeficiency virus seronegativity, and 85 (34%) were patients who had not been submitted to serological testing. In the first group (tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus seropositivity), males from 30 to 40 years of age predominated, the most common clinical presentation of tuberculosis was pulmonary (65.71%), and the cure rate was 59.38%. In the group of tuberculosis patients presenting human immunodeficiency virus seronegativity, males from 30 to 40 years of age also predominated, the most common clinical presentation of tuberculosis was also pulmonary (70.55%), and the cure rate was 81.63%., Conclusion: We conclude that the human immunodeficiency virus plays an important role in the epidemiology of tuberculosis. Therefore, serological testing for human immunodeficiency virus should be carried out when a diagnosis of tuberculosis is made.