Hyper-proteolytic mutant of Beauveria bassiana, a new biological control agent against the tomato borer

The world tomato production is threatened by the invasive tomato borer Tuta absoluta. Difficulties in managing this pest were imposed mainly by the development of resistance in strains treated with conventional chemical insecticides. Resistance problems were even reported to insecticides of natural origin, leading to search for other control alternatives. P2 is a spontaneous mutant of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana. It was previously selected from a local strain (P1) and was characterized as hyper-producer of extracellular proteases. Here, the insecticidal potential of P1 and P2 strains was evaluated against T. absoluta larvae under laboratory conditions. Both strains were effective but P2 showed stronger effect than P1; median lethal concentration of P2 is tenfold lower than that of P1. Enzymatic assay analysis showed that extracellular enzymes are differently expressed by the two strains, especially proteases and chitinases which are known as cuticle degrading enzymes. The major expressed subtilisin-like protease (SBP) was upregulated at the transcriptional level in P2 strain. Proteomic analysis revealed four SBP isoforms which are highly overexpressed in this strain compared to P1. Post-translational regulation, most probably phosphorylation, was further suggested to control the SBP protease expression in B. bassiana P1 and P2 strains. The enzymatic profile in the two strains might explain their different insecticidal potential against the tomato borer. This is the first report showing such efficiency of Beauveria strains against this dangerous pest. Particularly, P2 strain showed high virulence reaching almost total larval mortality within 5 days post-application. It thus should be recommended as a new tool for the biocontrol of T. absoluta

Delayed colorectal cancer care during covid-19 pandemic (decor-19). Global perspective from an international survey

Background The widespread nature of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been unprecedented. We sought to analyze its global impact with a survey on colorectal cancer (CRC) care during the pandemic. Methods The impact of COVID-19 on preoperative assessment, elective surgery, and postoperative management of CRC patients was explored by a 35-item survey, which was distributed worldwide to members of surgical societies with an interest in CRC care. Respondents were divided into two comparator groups: 1) ‘delay’ group: CRC care affected by the pandemic; 2) ‘no delay’ group: unaltered CRC practice. Results A total of 1,051 respondents from 84 countries completed the survey. No substantial differences in demographics were found between the ‘delay’ (745, 70.9%) and ‘no delay’ (306, 29.1%) groups. Suspension of multidisciplinary team meetings, staff members quarantined or relocated to COVID-19 units, units fully dedicated to COVID-19 care, personal protective equipment not readily available were factors significantly associated to delays in endoscopy, radiology, surgery, histopathology and prolonged chemoradiation therapy-to-surgery intervals. In the ‘delay’ group, 48.9% of respondents reported a change in the initial surgical plan and 26.3% reported a shift from elective to urgent operations. Recovery of CRC care was associated with the status of the outbreak. Practicing in COVID-free units, no change in operative slots and staff members not relocated to COVID-19 units were statistically associated with unaltered CRC care in the ‘no delay’ group, while the geographical distribution was not. Conclusions Global changes in diagnostic and therapeutic CRC practices were evident. Changes were associated with differences in health-care delivery systems, hospital’s preparedness, resources availability, and local COVID-19 prevalence rather than geographical factors. Strategic planning is required to optimize CRC care