Literatuurstudie over de rozeschildluis Aulacaspis rosae

Problemen met schildluis treden de laatste jaren vaker op door het wegvallen van breedwerkende bestrijdingsmiddelen. In Nederlandse kassen is schildluis traditioneel een probleem op cymbidium, maar momenteel meldt men ook vaak Aulacaspis rosae (Bouché, 1933) op roos. Chemische bestrijding van schildluis is per definitie moeilijk, doordat het insect het grootste deel van zijn leven verborgen zit onder een ondoordringbaar schildje

The contribution of water contact behavior to the high Schistosoma mansoni Infection rates observed in the Senegal River Basin

Contains fulltext : 97422.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: Schistosomiasis is one of the major parasitic diseases in the world in terms of people infected and those at risk. Infection occurs through contact with water contaminated with larval forms of the parasite, which are released by freshwater snails and then penetrate the skin of people. Schistosomiasis infection and human water contact are thus essentially linked, and more knowledge about their relationship will help us to develop appropriate control measures. So far, only few studies have related water contact patterns to infection levels. METHODS: We have conducted detailed direct water contact observations in a village in Northern Senegal during the first years of a massive Schistosoma mansoni outbreak to determine the role of human water contact in the extent of the epidemic.We quantified water contact activities in terms of frequency and duration, and described how these vary with age and sex. Moreover, we assessed the relationship between water contact- and infection intensity patterns to further elucidate the contribution of exposure to the transmission of schistosomiasis. RESULTS: This resulted in over 120,000 recorded water contacts for 1651 subjects over 175 observation days. Bathing was the main activity, followed by household activities. Frequency and duration of water contact depended on age and sex rather than season. Water contacts peaked in adolescents, women spent almost twice as much time in the water as men, and water contacts were more intense in the afternoon than in the morning, with sex-specific intensity peaks. The average number of water contacts per person per day in this population was 0.42; the average time spent in the water per person per day was 4.3 minutes. CONCLUSIONS: The observed patterns of water contact behavior are not unusual and have been described before in various other settings in sub-Saharan Africa. Moreover, water contact levels were not exceptionally high and thus cannot explain the extremely high S. mansoni infection intensities as observed in Northern Senegal. Comparison with fecal egg counts in the respective age and sex groups further revealed that water contact levels did not unambiguously correspond with infection levels, indicating that factors other than exposure also play a role in determining intensity of infection

Geïntegreerde bestrijding van Echinothrips americanus in de sierteelt

Echinothrips americanus is geen nieuwe plaag voor de Nederlandse glastuinbouw. Ze komt al sinds 1993 voor. De laatste jaren neemt het probleem in de sierteelt echter toe, vaak als gevolg van de groeiende toepassing van geïntegreerde bestrijding. Met name in roos, gerbera, bouvardia en potplanten wordt schade door Echinothrips gemeld. Bij die laatste wordt al gauw de sierwaarde van de plant verminderd. De roofmijten die worden ingezet tegen andere tripsen (californische trips, tabakstrips), zijn tegen deze trips niet effectief. Voor de bestrijding van Echinothrips gebruikt men momenteel chemische middelen, vooral abamectine (Vertimec) en spinosad (Conserve). Deze middelen zijn zeer effectief, maar staan de verdere ontwikkeling van geïntegreerde plaagbestrijding in de weg. Om deze reden is er een onderzoek gestart naar nieuwe bestrijdingsmethoden die compatibel zijn met natuurlijke vijanden

Factors influencing the composition of the intestinal microbiota in early infancy

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the contribution of a broad range of external influences to the gut microbiotic composition in early infancy. METHODS: Fecal samples from 1032 infants at 1 month of age, who were recruited from the KOALA Birth Cohort Study in the Netherlands, were subjected to quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assays for the enumeration of bifidobacteria, Escherichia coli, Clostridium difficile, Bacteroides fragilis group, lactobacilli, and total bacterial counts. Information on potential determinants of the gut microbiotic composition was collected with repeated questionnaires. The associations between these factors and the selected gut bacteria were analyzed with univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: Infants born through cesarean section had lower numbers of bifidobacteria and Bacteroides, whereas they were more often colonized with C difficile, compared with vaginally born infants. Exclusively formula-fed infants were more often colonized with E coli, C difficile, Bacteroides, and lactobacilli, compared with breastfed infants. Hospitalization and prematurity were associated with higher prevalence and counts of C difficile. Antibiotic use by the infant was associated with decreased numbers of bifidobacteria and Bacteroides. Infants with older siblings had slightly higher numbers of bifidobacteria, compared with infants without siblings. CONCLUSIONS: The most important determinants of the gut microbiotic composition in infants were the mode of delivery, type of infant feeding, gestational age, infant hospitalization, and antibiotic use by the infant. Term infants who were born vaginally at home and were breastfed exclusively seemed to have the most "beneficial" gut microbiota (highest numbers of bifidobacteria and lowest numbers of C difficile and E coli). AD - Department of Epidemiology, Nutrition and Toxicology Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, Netherlands. [email protected]

Cytokines and soluble CD14 in breast milk in relation with atopic manifestations in mother and infant (KOALA Study)

BACKGROUND: Conflicting evidence exists concerning the protective role of breastfeeding in allergy and atopic disease aetiology. Breast milk contains biologically active molecules influencing the innate immune system of newborns. OBJECTIVE: We aim to assess whether cytokines (TGF-beta1, IL-10 and IL-12) and soluble CD14 (sCD14) in breast milk are influenced by maternal atopic constitution and modify the development of atopic manifestations in infants. METHODS: Milk samples were collected at 1 month post-partum of 315 lactating mothers participating in the ongoing KOALA Birth Cohort Study. The cytokines and sCD14 were analysed by ELISA in the aqueous fraction. We compared the concentrations of cytokines and sCD14 in breast milk between mothers with and without an allergic history and also with and without allergic sensitization (specific IgE). Associations of cytokines and sCD14 with the development of eczema, wheezing in the first 2 years of life and allergic sensitization of infants at the age of 2 years were analysed by multivariate logistic regression analyses to correct for confounders. RESULTS: We found higher sCD14 levels in mothers with a positive vs. negative allergic history (7.6 vs. 7.0 microg/mL; P = 0.04) and in mothers who were sensitized vs. non-sensitized (7.8 vs. 7.1 microg/mL; P = 0.03). None of the studied immune factors were associated with infant's atopic outcomes. IL-10 was not detected above the detection limit of 0.2 pg/mL. CONCLUSION: Taking together the results of the present and previous studies, we conclude that there is no convincing evidence for a relation between TGF-beta1, sCD14, IL-10 or IL-12 in breast milk and atopic manifestations in infant

Gut microbiota composition and development of atopic manifestations in infancy: the KOALA birth cohort study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Perturbations in intestinal microbiota composition due to lifestyle changes may be involved in the development of atopic diseases. We examined gut microbiota composition in early infancy and the subsequent development of atopic manifestations and sensitisation. METHODS: The faeces of 957 infants aged 1 month and participating in the KOALA Birth Cohort Study were analysed using quantitative real-time PCR. Information on atopic symptoms (eczema, wheeze) and potential confounders was acquired through repeated questionnaires. Total and specific IgE were measured in venous blood samples collected during home visits when the infant was 2 years old. During these home visits a clinical diagnosis of atopic dermatitis was made according to the UK-Working Party criteria. RESULTS: The presence of Escherichia coli was associated with a higher risk of developing eczema (OR(adj) = 1.87; 95% CI 1.15 to 3.04), this risk being increased with increasing numbers of E coli (p(for trend) = 0.016). Infants colonised with Clostridium difficile were at higher risk of developing eczema (OR(adj) = 1.40; 95% CI 1.02 to 1.91), recurrent wheeze (OR(adj) = 1.75; 95% CI 1.09 to 2.80) and allergic sensitisation (OR(adj) = 1.54; 95% CI 1.02 to 2.31). Furthermore, the presence of C difficile was also associated with a higher risk of a diagnosis of atopic dermatitis during the home visit (OR(adj) = 1.73; 95% CI 1.08 to 2.78). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that differences in gut microbiota composition precede the development of atopy. Since E coli was only associated with eczema and C difficile was associated with all atopic outcomes, the underlying mechanisms explaining these association may be differen

Breast-feeding duration and infant atopic manifestations, by maternal allergic status, in the first 2 years of life (KOALA study).

Objective To investigate the potential effect of modification by maternal allergic status on the relationship between breast-feeding duration and infant atopic manifestations in the first 2 years of life. Study design Data from 2705 infants of the KOALA Birth Cohort Study (The Netherlands) were analyzed. The data were collected by repeated questionnaires at 34 weeks of gestation and 3, 7, 12, and 24 months postpartum. Total and specific immunoglobulin E measurements were performed on venous blood samples collected during ionic visits at age 2 years. Relationships were analyzed using logistic regression analyses. Results Longer duration of breast-feeding was associated with a lower risk for eczema in infants of mothers without allergy or asthma (P-trend = .01) and slightly lower risk in those of mothers with allergy but noasthma(P-trend =.14). There was no such association for asthmatic mothers (P-trend =.87). Longer breast-feeding duration decreased the risk of recurrent wheeze independent of maternal allergy (P-trend =.02) or asthma status See editorial, p 331 and (P-trend =.06). related articles, p 352 Conclusions Our findings show that the relationship between breast-feeding and and p 359 infant eczema in the first 2 years of life is modified by maternal allergic status. The protective effect of breast-feeding on recurrent wheeze may be associated with protection against respiratory infection