Biological control of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides

Colletotrichum gloeosporioides is the causal agent of anthracnose disease of mangoes. Infection occurs when humidity is high and rain-dispersed spores germinate and form an appressorium on immature mangoes. The infection then becomes quiescent until the fruit is harvested. On ripe fruit infection is visible as black, sunken lesions on the surface. At the pre-harvest stage, the disease is controlled with the application of a range of fungicides, and at the post-harvest stage by hot benomyl treatment. The extensive use of benomyl, both pre- and post-harvest, has resulted in the occurrence of isolates of C. gloeosporioides resistant to this fungicide. To devise an alternative strategy of disease control, the potential for biological control of anthracnose has been investigated. Potential microbial antagonists of C. gloeosporioides were isolated from blossom, leaves and fruit of mango, and screened using a series of assay techniques. In total 650 microorganisms, including bacteria, yeasts and filamentous fungi, were isolated and tested for their inhibition of growth of C. gloeosporioides on malt extract agar. Of these 650 isolates, 121 inhibited the fungus and were further tested on their ability to inhibit spore germination in vitro. Of these, 45 isolates, all bacteria and yeasts, were inoculated onto mangoes, which were artificially inoculated with C. gloeosporioides, and assessed for their potential to reduce the development of anthracnose lesions. A further selection was made, and 7 isolates were chosen to be used in a semi-commercial trial in the Philippines. This final screening procedure yielded two potential candidates for field trials, isolate 204 (identified as Bacillus cereus) and isolate 558 (identified as Pseudomonas fiuorescens). A field trial involving pre-harvest application of the biological control agent, was conducted using isolate 558. This isolate was chosen for this purpose since in in vitro experiments it significantly reduced germination of C. gloeosporioides spores. In the field trial 558 was applied in combination with nutrients and compared to treatments which had received no treatment or which had received conventional fungicide (benomyl) application. On spraying, high numbers of 558 were recorded on the leaf surface, but no reduction in post-harvest development of disease was observed. Failure of disease control was attributed to rapid death of the bacterium on the phylloplane. In post-harvest trials, isolates 204 and 558 were both tested in combination with different application methods, including the addition of sticker, peptone, fruit wax or a sucrose polyester. Application of 204 did not reduce disease development. Application of 558, however, did significantly reduce anthracnose development compared to the control fruit. No additional benefit was achieved by incorporating the bacteria in peptone, fruit wax or sucrose polyester. The mode of action of isolate 558 was investigated in detail. There was no evidence for parasitism taking place, or the production of volatile compounds, in the suppression of disease development. No antibiotic compounds were detected, but isolate 558 did produce a siderophore. A sharp increase in pH was also observed in culture media in which 558 was grown. Disease control may result from a combination of these two factors

Simulated effect of pneumococcal vaccination in the Netherlands on existing rules constructed in a non-vaccinated cohort predicting sequelae after bacterial meningitis

BACKGROUND: Previously two prediction rules identifying children at risk of hearing loss and academic or behavioral limitations after bacterial meningitis were developed. Streptococcus pneumoniae as causative pathogen was an important risk factor in both. Since 2006 Dutch children receive seven-valent conjugate vaccination against S. pneumoniae. The presumed effect of vaccination was simulated by excluding all children infected by S. pneumoniae with the serotypes included in the vaccine, from both previous collected cohorts (between 1990-1995). METHODS: Children infected by one of the vaccine serotypes were excluded from both original cohorts (hearing loss: 70 of 628 children; academic or behavioral limitations: 26 of 182 children). All identified risk factors were included in multivariate logistic regression models. The discriminative ability of both new models was calculated. RESULTS: The same risk factors as in the original models were significant. The discriminative ability of the original hearing loss model was 0.84 and of the new model 0.87. In the academic or behavioral limitations model it was 0.83 and 0.84 respectively. CONCLUSION: It can be assumed that the prediction rules will also be applicable on a vaccinated population. However, vaccination does not provide 100% coverage and evidence is available that serotype replacement will occur. The impact of vaccination on serotype replacement needs to be investigated, and the prediction rules must be validated externally

Independent Validation of an Existing Model Enables Prediction of Hearing Loss after Childhood Bacterial Meningitis

Objective: This study aimed external validation of a formerly developed prediction model identifying children at risk for hearing loss after bacterial meningitis (BM). Independent risk factors included in the model are: duration of symptoms prior to admission, petechiae, cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) glucose level, Streptococcus pneumoniae and ataxia. Validation helps to evaluate whether the model has potential in clinical practice. Study design: 116 Dutch school-age BM survivors were included in the validation cohort and screened for sensorineural hearing loss (>25 dB). Risk factors were obtained from medical records. The model was applied to the validation cohort and its performance was compared with the development cohort. Validation was performed by application of the model on the validation cohort and by assessment of discrimination and goodness of fit. Calibration was evaluated by testing deviations in intercept and slope. Multiple imputation techniques were used to deal with missing values. Results: Risk factors were distributed equally between both cohorts. Discriminative ability (Area Under the Curve, AUC) of the model was 0.84 in the development and 0.78 in the validation cohort. Hosmer-Lemeshow test for goodness of fit was not significant in the validation cohort, implying good fit concerning the similarity of expected and observed cases. There were no significant differences in calibration slope and intercept. Sensitivity and negative predicted value were high, while specificity and positive predicted value were low which is comparable with findings in the development cohort. Conclusions: Performance of the model remained good in the validation cohort. This prediction model might be used as a screening tool and can help to identify those children that need special attention and a long follow-up period or more frequent auditory testing

Aspects determining the risk of pesticides to wild bees: risk profiles for focal crops on three continents

In order to conduct a proper risk assessment of pesticides to bees, information is needed in three areas: the toxicity of the pesticide;the probability of bee exposure to that pesticide; andthe population dynamics of the bee species in question.Information was collected on such factors affecting pesticide risk to (primarily wild) bees in several crops in Brazil, Kenya and The Netherlands. These data were used to construct ‘risk profiles’ of pesticide use for bees in the studied cropping systems. Data gaps were identified and potential risks of pesticides to bees were compared between the crops. Initially, risk profiling aims to better identify gaps in our present knowledge. In the longer term, the established risk profiles may provide structured inputs into risk assessment models for wild and managed bees, and lead to recommendations for specific risk mitigation measures. Keywords: pesticide, exposure, risk, wild bees, risk profil

Differentiation in secondary education and inequality in educational opportunies: The case of Switzerland

Sociologists working in the field of education and stratification have long been concerned with how far not only ability and performance but also selection by social and migration background along with gender account for differences in young people’s educational attainment. Research has recognized the complex entanglement of institutional, social, and individual characteristics that shape both educational opportunities and educational attainment. The significance of these characteristics is most visible at transitions in the educational system. In differentiated and stratified educational systems, these transitions involve placement into educational tracks with different academic requirements. For Switzerland, we examine how ability, school performance, and student social characteristics affect track placement to lower and upper secondary schooling and how allocation to secondary-level tracks determines tertiary education enrolment

Differentiation in secondary education and inequality in educational opportunities: The case of Switzerland

Sociologists working in the field of education and stratification have long been concerned with how far not only ability and performance but also selection by social and migration background along with gender account for differences in young people’s educational attainment. Research has recognized the complex entanglement of institutional, social, and individual characteristics that shape both educational opportunities and educational attainment. The significance of these characteristics is most visible at transitions in the educational system. In differentiated and stratified educational systems, these transitions involve placement into educational tracks with different academic requirements. For Switzerland, we examine how ability, school performance, and student social characteristics affect track placement to lower and upper secondary schooling and how allocation to secondary-level tracks determines tertiary education enrolment