Comparison of the efficacy of two insecticides for the management of Dactylopius opuntiae on prickly pear cactus in Lebanon and monitoring of the insecticides residues dissipation rates in fruits and cladodes

International audienceEnvironmental conditions and availability of new cultivated areas of prickly pear cactus in Lebanon appeared lately to be favourable for the survival and development of D. opuntiae which has become highly noxious. To thwart use of random chemicals and broad spectrum pesticides by local farmers, efficacy of sulfoxaflor (Closer™ 240 SC, rate 0.179 kg a.i/ha) and diflubenzuron (Dimilin® 25 W, rate 0.329 kg a.i/ha) was compared. Individual insecticidal solutions of each applied alone or in mixing with mineral oil (spray oil 7E, rate 1.010 kg a.i/ha) on potted cladodes in laboratory conditions (T = 23 ± 4 °C, RH = 58–63%) showed a sharp decrease in the number of individuals within colonies 48 h after treatment especially among first- and second-instar larvae. Similarly, the same insecticidal solutions applied on separate plots in field condi-tions (T = 20–35 °C, RH = 55–75%) according to the Good Agricultural Practices showed efficacious control of the pest development. D. opuntiae mortality mean percentage reached 80% and 72%, respectively, for sulfoxaflor and diflubenzu-ron 96 h after treatment. The added mineral oil acted as a synergist and enhanced efficacy of both insecticides. Mortality mean percentages increased to 92% and 88%, respectively. Insecticides residues content over time in fruits and cladodes were afterwards monitored. Samples were harvested at 3 days interval and residues extracted by the QuEChERS method and quantified by LC–MS. Dissipation rates after 30 days of treatment attained 70.8% and 80.6% in fruits and 98.5% and 74.0% in cladodes, respectively, for sulfoxaflor and diflubenzuron. Half-life time varied accordingly and was higher for fruits treated with sulfoxaflor (14.20 days) than for those treated with diflubenzuron (11.18 days). On contrary, for clad-odes, half-life time of the former (4.18 days) was lower than that of the latter (15.47 days). The addition of mineral oil into the spray solution of the insecticides increased their persistency in the crop. Consequently, half-life times increased and dissipation rates decreased. Findings of this study should enlarge the spectrum of chemical means for D. opuntiae management and promote resilience of the crop. Analytical method applied for residues analysis should be useful for registration of the insecticides on the crop and MRLs setting

The Effects of Formulation on Imidacloprid Dissipation in Grapes and Vine Leaves and on Required Pre-Harvest Intervals under Lebanese Climatic Conditions

In this study, imidacloprid, a systemic insecticide, currently having a specified European Commission MRL value for vine leaves (2 mg kg−1), was applied on a Lebanese vineyard under different commercial formulations: as a soluble liquid (SL) and water dispersible granules (WDG). In Lebanon, many commercial formulations of imidacloprid are subject to the same critical good agricultural practice (cGAP). It was, therefore, important to verify the variability in dissipation patterns according to matrix nature and formulation type. Random samplings of grapes and vine leaves were performed starting at 2 days until 18 days after treatment. Residue extractions were performed according to the QuEChERS method and the analytical determination using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS). The SL formulation yielded significantly higher initial deposit than the WDG formulation on grapes and vine leaves. The formulation type did not significantly affect the dissipation rates; the estimated half-lives in grapes and vine leaves were 0.5 days for all imidacloprid formulations. No pre-harvest intervals were necessary on grapes. PHIs of 3.7 days for the SL formulation and 2.8 days for the WDG formulation were estimated on vine leaves. The results showed that the type of formulation and the morphological and physiological characteristics of the matrix had an effect on the initial deposits, and thus residue levels, but not on the dissipation patterns

Epididymo-Orchitis Caused by POM-1 Metallo-β-Lactamase-Producing Pseudomonas otitidis in an Immunocompetent Patient: Case Report and Molecular Characterization

Pseudomonas otitidis is a rare and unique species among the Pseudomonas genus that has not been previously reported as a cause of male genitourinary tract infection. In this report, we describe a case of a 20-year-old immunocompetent male who presented with recurrent epididymo-orchitis, which was initially misidentified as Vibrio vulnificus and treated successfully. The causative agent could not be identified appropriately using the available routine methods, but a final identification was established using 16S rRNA targeted sequencing followed by whole-genome sequencing

Genomic Characterization of Uropathogenic <i>Escherichia coli</i> Isolates from Tertiary Hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is the most common cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in hospitalised and non-hospitalised patients. Genomic analysis was used to gain further insight into the molecular characteristics of UPEC isolates from Saudi Arabia. A total of 165 isolates were collected from patients with UTIs between May 2019 and September 2020 from two tertiary hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) were performed using the VITEK system. Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing isolates (n = 48) were selected for whole genome sequencing (WGS) analysis. In silico analysis revealed that the most common sequence types detected were ST131 (39.6%), ST1193 (12.5%), ST73 (10.4%), and ST10 (8.3%). Our finding showed that blaCTX-M-15 gene was detected in the majority of ESBL isolates (79.2%), followed by blaCTX-M-27 (12.5%) and blaCTX-M-8 (2.1%). ST131 carried blaCTX-M-15 or blaCTX-M-27, and all ST73 and ST1193 carried blaCTX-M-15. The relatively high proportion of ST1193 in this study was notable as a newly emerged lineage in the region, which warrants further monitoring