Bioformulation of microbial biocontrol agents for a sustainable agriculture

The application of microbial based biopesticides has become a sustainable alternative to the use of chemicals to prevent yield losses due to plant pathogens. However, microbial based biopesticides are often unsuccessfully formulated and do not meet the demanding regulatory standards required by the agencies, which hinders their commercialization. Hence, an outline on the approaches to attain more effective formulations might be useful for the development of future more effective products. With this aim, this chapter reports the current state of biocontrol strategies and describes the principles of microbial biocontrol formulations. Emphasis is placed on techniques and tools available for the development and characterisation of microbial products. To provide glimpses on the possible formulations, the different existing additives, carriers, inoculation techniques and formulation types are exhaustively reviewed. Finally, requirements and principles for efficacy evaluation of plant protection products in the European Union are include

The epidemiology and economic impact of varicella-related hospitalizations in Turkey from 2008 to 2010: A nationwide survey during the pre-vaccine era (VARICOMP study)

PubMed ID: 22170238Varicella can cause complications that are potentially serious and require hospitalization. Our current understanding of the causes and incidence of varicella-related hospitalization in Turkey is limited and sufficiently accurate epidemiological and economical information is lacking. The aim of this study was to estimate the annual incidence of varicella-related hospitalizations, describe the complications, and estimate the annual mortality and cost of varicella in children. VARICOMP is a multi-center study that was performed to provide epidemiological and economic data on hospitalization for varicella in children between 0 and 15 years of age from October 2008 to September 2010 in Turkey. According to medical records from 27 health care centers in 14 cities (representing 49.3% of the childhood population in Turkey), 824 children (73% previously healthy) were hospitalized for varicella over the 2-year period. Most cases occurred in the spring and early summer months. Most cases were in children under 5 years of age, and 29.5% were in children under 1 year of age. The estimated incidence of varicella-related hospitalization was 5.29-6.89 per 100,000 in all children between 0-15 years of age in Turkey, 21.7 to 28 per 100,000 children under 1 year of age, 9.8-13.8 per 100,000 children under 5 years of age, 3.96-6.52 per 100,000 children between 5 and 10 years of age and 0.42 to 0.71 per 100,000 children between 10 and 15 years of age. Among the 824 children, 212 (25.7%) were hospitalized because of primary varicella infection. The most common complications in children were secondary bacterial infection (23%), neurological (19.1%), and respiratory (17.5%) complications. Secondary bacterial infections (p<0.001) and neurological complications (p<0.001) were significantly more common in previously healthy children, whereas hematological complications (p<0.001) were more commonly observed in children with underlying conditions. The median length of the hospital stay was 6 days, and it was longer in children with underlying conditions (<0.001). The median cost of hospitalization per patient was $338 and was significantly higher in children with underlying conditions (p<0.001). The estimated direct annual cost (not including the loss of parental work time and school absence) of varicella-related hospitalization in children under the age of 15 years in Turkey was$856,190 to $1,407,006. According to our estimates, 882 to 1,450 children are hospitalized for varicella each year, reflecting a population-wide occurrence of 466-768 varicella cases per 100,000 children. In conclusion, this study confirms that varicella-related hospitalizations are not uncommon in children, and two thirds of these children are otherwise healthy. The annual cost of hospitalization for varicella reflects only a small part of the overall cost of this disease, as only a very few cases require hospital admission. The incidence of this disease was higher in children <1 year of age, and there are no prevention strategies for these children other than population-wide vaccination. Universal vaccination is therefore the only realistic option for the prevention of severe complications and deaths. The surveillance of varicellaassociated complications is essential for monitoring of the impact of varicella immunization. © Springer-Verlag 2011

Rizobactérias no controle da mancha angular do algodoeiro Rhizobacteria to control cotton bacterial blight

Avaliou-se o potencial de rizobactérias na indução de resistência do algodoeiro à Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. malvacearum. Após o isolamento das rizobactérias, foram selecionados os isolados capazes de reduzir os sintomas da mancha angular bacteriana em casa de vegetação, os quais foram aplicados espacialmente separados do patógeno desafiador. Os melhores isolados foram testados quanto à capacidade de reduzir os sintomas da ramulose e da murcha de Verticillium e de inibir diretamente os patógenos in vitro. Do total de 123 isolados de rizobactérias foram selecionados cinco, L2-1 (Bacillus cereus), MT5-6 (Bacillus cereus), L2-2 (Achromobacter xylosoxidans), MT5-5 (Bacillus cereus) e MT5-11 (Brevibacterium sp.), os quais apresentaram controle da mancha angular acima de 40%, em relação à testemunha. Nenhum isolado reduziu a severidade da ramulose e da murcha de Verticillium em relação à testemunha, nem apresentou efeito inibitório direto in vitro a X. axonopodis pv. malvacearum e Colletotrichum gossypii var. cephalosporioides. Para V. dahliae, apenas o isolado L2-1 apresentou efeito inibitório.<br>The potential of rhizobacteria was evaluated for resistance induction against Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. malvacearum. After isolation, the rhizobacteria were screened for the reduction of angular leaf spot severity under greenhouse conditions. They were spatially separated from the challenging pathogen. The best isolates were tested for the capacity to reduce ramulose and Verticillium wilt severity and directly inhibit pathogens in vitro. From a total of 123 rhizobacterial isolates, five were selected, L2-1 (Bacillus cereus), MT5-6 (Bacillus cereus), L2-2 (Achromobacter xylosoxidans), MT5-5 (Bacillus cereus) and MT5-11 (Brevibacterium sp.), which showed angular leaf spot control above 40% as compared to the control. The tested isolates neither reduced the severity of ramulose and verticillium wilt compared to the control nor showed in vitro direct inhibition to X. axonopodis pv. malvacearum and Colletotrichum gossypii var. cephalosporioides. For V. dahliae, only isolate L2-1 showed direct inhibition

Immunization status in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A multicenter study from Turkey

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to detect the prevalence and the factors associated with influenza and pneumococcal vaccination and outcomes of vaccination during 2013-2014 season in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Turkey