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Percolation across households in mechanistic models of non-pharmaceutical interventions in SARS-CoV-2 disease dynamics

We thank all members of Observatório COVID-19 BR and the CoMo Consortium for the collaborative work. The authors also thank the research funding agencies: São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) – Brazil (grant number: 2019/26310-2 and 2017/26770-8 to CF, 2018/24037-4 to SP, 2018/23984-0 to VS and contract number: 2016/01343-7 to RAK), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) – Brazil (Finance Code 001 to LSF) and the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) (grant number: 315854/2020-0 to MEB, 313055/2020-3 to PIP and 311832/2017-2 to RAK). RA is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1193472). LW is funded by the Li Ka Shing Foundation, Hong Kong. The CoMo Consortium has support from the Oxford University COVID-19 Research Response Fund (ref: 0009280).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Fruit production and quality of guava ‘Paluma’ as a function of humic substances and soil mulching

The uses of humic substances and organic residues for soil mulching have been more common during last years. This way, an experiment was carried out to evaluate the fruit quality and yield of guava cv. Paluma as a function of humic substances and organic soil mulching in Brazil. The experiment was performed from January 2012 to June 2013 (first trial) and from July to November 2013 (second trial) using a randomized blocks with treatments distributed in a factorial arrangement (5 × 2 × 2) of five humic substances doses (0, 10, 20, 30 and 40 mL of Humitec plant-1), two organic mulching use (with and without organic mulching) and two consecutive harvests, with four replications of two plants each. Humic substances enhance fruit production more efficiently in guava plants grown without soil mulching. Guava fruit production increases from the first to the second harvest. Fruit quality for titratable acidity, soluble solids, vitamin C and soluble solids/titratable acidity ratio is adequate independently of soil mulching use. Humic substances improve fruit quality of guava cv. Paluma. Under soil and climate conditions, and considering the first two production cycles of guava, it is possible to recommend about 20 mL L-1 of humic substances for production of high quality guava fruits.Key words: Humic acids, post-harvest, Psidium guajava

Cerebral Candida albicans Infection in Two dogs

Background: Candida spp. are pleomorphic fungi that are commensal inhabitants of the oral, gastrointestinal, upper respiratory and urogenital mucosa of mammals. Candida albicans is described as the most important species. This opportunistic pathogen may produce local or systemic infections in dogs. Local infections have been reported in several tissues and systemic infection is rare in dogs with few reports in the literature describing this presentation. The aim of the present study was to report two cases of cerebral Candida albicans infection in dogs in Brazil.Case: Two cases of cerebral Candida albicans infection in dogs that showed nervous signs are described. In both cases, the brain showed marked asymmetry of the telencephalic hemispheres with multifocal to coalescing yellowish or reddish areas and a partial loss of distinction between gray and white matter. In Case 1, the mediastinal, tracheobronchial and mesenteric lymph nodes, as well as the right kidney and adrenal gland, showed altered architecture due to numerous whitish gray nodules. Histological lesions were characterized by granulomatous (case 1) or pyogranulomatous (case 2) necrotizing meningoencephalitis with intralesional fungal organisms. In case 1, similar granulomatous infiltrate with intralesional fungal organisms was also seen in the lymph nodes, kidney and adrenal gland. In case 2, there was evidence consistent with an underlying infection of canine distemper virus. Were observed lymphoplasmocytic interstitial pneumonia, lymphoid rarefaction in lymph nodes, and viral intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies in the epithelial cells of the stomach and vesical urothelium. In these two cases, the fungal organisms displayed three different morphological patterns. The first pattern was characterized by delicate tubular structures with thin parallel walls that were rarely septate and tended to undulate slightly, and measured approximately 4-20 µm (true hyphae). The second pattern was characterized by chains of elongated yeast, separated by constrictions at septal sites, and measured approximately 4-10 µm (pseudohyphae). The other morphological pattern, which was rarely observed, was characterized by round budding yeast cells that measured 3-4 µm in diameter and were often elongated by the germ tube. Sections were also stained using immunohistochemical antibodies against Candida albicans. The fungi revealed strong immunolabelling of the cytoplasm and wall for Candida albicans.Discussion: The diagnosis was based on the histomorphological and immunohistochemical characteristics of the agent, which were consistent with Candida albicans. In these two cases, immunocompromise appeared to have been an important factor in the progression of the infection. In case 1, the dog was senile and treated with corticosteroids, conditions that could effectively limit innate, humoral and cell-mediated immune response to infection. In case 2, the dog displayed cachexia and was infected by canine distemper virus, evidenced by the presence of viral inclusion bodies. The inflammatory reactions in both cases were characteristic of fungal infections, but were distinct due to differences in the infectious process. In case 1, there was a subacute to chronic progression; while in case 2 neutrophilic infiltrate predominated, suggesting an acute progression. The different morphological patterns of the fungi suggested a pleomorphic fungi and the immunohistochemistry allowed us to identify the infectious agent. In conclusion, opportunistic infections caused by Candida albicans should be considered when diagnosing diseases that affect the central nervous system of dogs, particularly in immunosuppressed animals