Mean symptom severity index (Standard Deviation above 0 in parenthesis) of virus infection on plants expressed 35 dpi.

<p>The presence (Y) or absence (N) of an insertion/deletion (indel) mutation in the <i>RDR1</i> is indicated. GenBank accession codes of partial <i>RDR1</i> coding sequences are given.</p><p>^aYTMMV, yellow tailflower mild mottle virus; BYMV, bean yellow mosaic virus: CMV, cucumber mosaic virus; TSWV, tomato spotted wilt virus.</p><p>^bMean symptom indices (Standard deviation)</p><p>0. Systemic infection not detected</p><p>1. No visible symptoms of infection.</p><p>2. Mild symptoms of chlorosis, mosaic and/or leaf deformation evident. Slight stunting may be evident. Ring patterns or small necrotic spots sometimes visible. Little to no obvious impact on the numbers of flowers or viable seed produced.</p><p>3. Moderate symptoms of chlorosis, mosaic and/or leaf deformation. Moderate to significant stunting of growth and small necrotic patches may be present. Some flowers and seed may be produced.</p><p>4. Large patches of leaf/stem necrosis, severe stunting. Plant remained alive.</p><p>5. The plant was dead.</p><p>NL = necrotic lesion; rings = ring patterns</p><p>Mean symptom severity index (Standard Deviation above 0 in parenthesis) of virus infection on plants expressed 35 dpi.</p

<i>Nicotiana</i> plants in their natural habitats in Australia.

<p>Top left, a <i>N</i>. <i>benthamiana</i> plant growing amongst rocks beside the Indian Ocean in the Pilbara region. Top right, a <i>N</i>. <i>occidentalis</i> ssp <i>occidentalis</i> plant growing on coastal spinifex grasslands near Roeburn. Lower left, a <i>N</i>. <i>rotundifolia</i> plant on a dry riverbed in the Murchison Region. Lower right, a group of <i>N</i>. <i>occidentalis</i> ssp <i>obliqua</i> plants growing at the base of a rock face in the Pilbara region.</p

Symptoms of infection.

<p>A. Leaf of <i>N</i>. <i>occidentalis ssp hesperis</i> Nt-5 infected with BYMV exhibiting small necrotic lesions within 7 days of infection. B. <i>N</i>. <i>simulans</i> SL19 exhibited small chlorotic rings (arrow) 15 dpi with BYMV. C. Symptoms of infection of YTMMV on <i>N</i>. <i>benthamiana</i> RA-4 20 dpi. D. <i>N</i>. <i>benthamiana</i> VL552B2.1 exhibiting symptoms of leaf mottling and deformation 20 dpi with YTMMV. E. <i>N</i>. <i>benthamiana</i> Kx-1 (left) exhibiting chlorotic spots 20 dpi with BYMV. Plant on the right is uninfected.</p

Accessions used, showing species and their origins.

<p>^a NT, Northern Territory; QLD, Queensland; SA, South Australia; VIC, Victoria; WA, Western Australia</p><p>Accessions used, showing species and their origins.</p

Symptom indices.

<p>A: Index 2, mild symptoms including faint mosaic, little stunting or leaf distortion. Example given is from <i>N</i>. <i>benthamiana</i> accession KL-1 infected with BYMV. B: Index 3, moderate symptoms of infection including strong mosaic and some leaf distortion and plant stunting. Example given is from <i>N</i>. <i>benthamiana</i> accession KL-1 infected with YTMMV. C: Index 4, severe necrosis affecting most of the plant. No flowers. Example given is from <i>N</i>. <i>umbratica</i> accession Wea-1 infected with YTMMV (left). Plant on the right is uninfected. D: Index 5, whole plant is dead.</p

Point prevalence probing of antimicrobial prescription patterns from a developing country

Irrational use of antibiotics intensifies resistance and jeopardizes advances made in modern medicine. We aimed to conduct a baseline gap analysis survey on antibiotic prescription practices across Pakistan. This multi-centered cross-sectional survey was conducted at six public sector tertiary care hospitals from February 2021 to March 2021. Data related to various variables including hospital infrastructure, policies and practices, monitoring and feedback, and epidemiological, clinical, and antibiotic prescription for surveyed patients was collected using World Health Organization (WHO) Point Prevalence Survey (PPS) methodology. In a survey of 837 inpatients, 78.5% were prescribed antibiotics. Most commonly prescribed antimicrobial was ceftriaxone (21.7%), followed by metronidazole (17.3%), cefoperazone-sulbactam (8.4%), amoxicillin-clavulanate (6.3%), and piperacillin/tazobactam (5.9%). Surgical prophylaxis (36.7%) and community-acquired infections (24.7%) were the main reasons for antibiotic prescriptions. Single antibiotics were given to 46.7% of patients, 39.9% received a combination of two antibiotics, and 12.5% were prescribed three or more antibiotics. Among six hospitals surveyed, two had drug and therapeutic committees, three had infection prevention and control committees, and one had an antibiotic formulary. Findings demonstrate high consumption of broad-spectrum antimicrobials and emphasize the importance of expanding antimicrobial stewardship programs among hospitals. Mentoring clinical teams could help rationalize antimicrobial use.</p