Epidemiology and reporting of candidaemia in Belgium: a multi-centre study.

The primary aim of this study was to collect national epidemiological data on candidaemia and to determine the reporting time of species identification and antifungal susceptibility in clinical practice. During a 1-year period (March 2013 until February 2014), every first Candida isolate from each episode of candidaemia was included prospectively from 30 Belgian hospitals. Identification and susceptibility testing were performed according to local procedures and isolates were sent to the National Reference Center for Mycosis. Species identification was checked by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing in case no reliable identification was obtained by MALDI-TOF MS. Antifungal susceptibility testing was performed according to the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) methodology. A total of 355 isolates were retrieved from 338 patients. The mean incidence rate of candidaemia was 0.44 (range: 0.07 to 1.43) per 1000 admissions or 0.65 (range: 0.11 to 2.00) per 10,000 patient days. Candida albicans was most frequently found (50.4 %), followed by C. glabrata (27.3 %) and C. parapsilosis sensu lato (9.8 %). The overall resistance to fluconazole was 7.6 %, ranging from 3.9 % in C. albicans to 20.0 % in C. tropicalis. Only one C. glabrata isolate was resistant to the echinocandins. Four days after blood culture positivity, 99.7 % of the identifications and 90.3 % of the antifungal profiles were reported to the treating clinician. Candidaemia incidence rates differed up to 20-fold among Belgian hospitals; no clear factors explaining this difference were identified. The overall antifungal resistance rates were low but high azole resistance rates were recorded in C. tropicalis.

Aphid pests of strawberry crops and their parasitoids in France.

The pest status of aphids on strawberry crops has changed with time. They were mainly considered with respect to virus transmission. Now, they are rather considered as sap-feeders and honeydew producers. As such, low populations regulated by natural enemies can be tolerated and systematic use of insecticides avoided. A survey of the species present in the different areas of production has been undertaken during 1999 and 2000 in France. During this survey, well known species of the strawberry crops have been found, like Chaetosiphon fragaefolii, Aphis forbesi or Acyrthosiphon rogersii. Widely polyphagous species like Aphis gossypii, Aulacorthum solani, Myzus ascalonicus or Macrosiphum euphorbiae were also present quite often. Eventually, aphids of the Rosaceae, not considered before as important pests of the strawberries, like Rhodobium porosum, have also been found in many different areas. The biology of the different species and their natural enemies have to be taken into account with respect to integrated control of strawberry pests.

Host-plant diversity of the European corn borer Ostrinia nubilalis: what value for sustainable transgenic insecticidal Bt maize?

The strategies proposed for delaying the development of resistance to the Bacillus thuringiensis toxins produced by transgenic maize require high levels of gene flow between individuals feeding on transgenic and refuge plants. The European corn borer Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner) may be found on several host plants, which may act as natural refuges. The genetic variability of samples collected on sagebrush (Artemisia sp.), hop (Humulus lupulus L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) was studied by comparing the allozyme frequencies for six polymorphic loci. We found a high level of gene flow within and between samples collected on the same host plant. The level of gene flow between the sagebrush and hop insect samples appeared to be sufficiently high for these populations to be considered a single genetic panmictic unit. Conversely, the samples collected on maize were genetically different from those collected on sagebrush and hop. Three of the six loci considered displayed greater between-host-plant than within-host-plant differentiation in comparisons of the group of samples collected on sagebrush or hop with the group of samples collected on maize. This indicates that either there is genetic isolation of the insects feeding on maize or that there is host-plant divergent selection at these three loci or at linked loci. These results have important implications for the potential sustainability of transgenic insecticidal maize.