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Background: Long COVID (LC) is a diagnosis that requires exclusion of alternative somatic and mental diseases. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of differential diagnoses in suspected pediatric LC patients and assess whether adult LC symptom clusters are applicable to pediatric patients. Materials and Methods: Pediatric presentations at the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Department of the University Hospital Essen (Germany) were assessed retrospectively. The correlation of initial symptoms and final diagnoses (LC versus other diseases or unclarified) was assessed. The sensitivity, specificity, negative and positive predictive values of adult LC symptom clusters were calculated. Results: Of 110 patients, 32 (29%) suffered from LC, 52 (47%) were diagnosed with alternative somatic/mental diseases, and 26 (23%) remained unclarified. Combined neurological and respiratory clusters displayed a sensitivity of 0.97 (95% CI 0.91–1.00) and a negative predictive value of 0.97 (0.92–1.00) for LC. Discussion/Conclusions: The prevalence of alternative somatic and mental diseases in pediatric patients with suspected LC is high. The range of underlying diseases is wide, including chronic and potentially life-threatening conditions. Neurological and respiratory symptom clusters may help to identify patients that are unlikely to be suffering from LC.

This is the first study to assess the physicochemical and biological compatibility of herbicides used in corn crops with entomopathogenic fungi used in the management of Dalbulus maidis in Brazil. The biological index was employed to ascertain the in vitro compatibility of the herbicides with pure spores (not formulated) of tested fungal isolates (Esalq-1296 of Cordyceps javanica and IBCB66 and Simbi BB15 of Beauveria bassiana). The results indicated a significant interaction between herbicides and fungal isolates when colony diameter and colony-forming units (CFU) were considered. Furthermore, changes in physicochemical characteristics were observed in some mixtures of herbicides and mycoinsecticides tested. The number of CFU was significantly reduced as the exposure time increased in the mixtures containing all the herbicides tested. In general, the Esalq-1296 isolate of C. javanica, formulated in a suspension concentrate (Octane®), proved to be more sensitive to the herbicides studied. In vivo bioassays demonstrated that, despite the synergistic effect of the binary mixtures of herbicides and mycoinsecticides on D. maidis mortality, the presence of the herbicide in the mixtures prevented the extrusion of entomopathogens from cadavers; therefore, caution is recommended when combining mycoinsecticides and post-emergent herbicides in tank mixtures aiming to manage D. maidis.

Insecticides based on baculoviruses have become an alternative for pest control in different agricultural crops. The aim of this study was to assess the biological activity of the bioinsecticide Cartugen™ (SfMNPV: Baculoviridae: Alphabaculovirus) on larvae of Spodoptera frugiperda J. E. Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) resistant to Bt corn expressing the insecticidal proteins Cry1A.105+Cry2Ab2+Cry1F. In addition, we assessed the efficiency of SfMNPV on S. frugiperda control in the field from natural infestation of the pest during two agricultural seasons. The results showed that no larvae survived 10 days after being inoculated with Bt and non-Bt corn leaves contaminated with 1.50 × 1010 occlusion bodies (OBs)/L (equivalent to the recommended dose of the product). However, when using doses equivalent to 50% (7.50 × 109 OBs/L) and 25% (3.75 × 109 OBs/L), the larval mortality ranged from 21.12% to 46.55%, respectively. Although larvae resistant to the Cry1A.105+Cry2Ab2+Cry1F proteins, when exposed to 50% of the SfMNPV dose (7.50 × 109 OBs/L), showed reductions in larval weight (52 to 67% reduction), pupal weight (32 to 59% reduction), and total fecundity (67 to 86% reduction) compared to the control. Furthermore, doses above 25% (3.75 × 109 OBs/L−1) caused a population decrease in the growth of the species in both Bt and non-Bt corn according to the fertility life table. In the field, at 7 and 10 DAA (days after application), corn plants sprayed with SfMNPV (1.50 × 1010 OBs/L) showed reductions in leaf damage according to the Davis scale. However, from 14 to 21 DAA, there was an increase in leaf damage in corn leaves from both treatments, with or without the application of SfMNPV. This shows that SfMNPV may be an important strategy in the integrated management and resistance management of S. frugiperda.

Drosophila suzukii, an invasive insect pest, poses a significant threat to various fruit crops. The use of broad-spectrum insecticides to control this pest can reduce the effectiveness of biological control agents, such as the parasitoid Trichopria anastrephae. Here, we evaluated the toxicity of newly synthesized lactone derivatives on D. suzukii and their selectivity towards T. anastrephae. We used in silico approaches to identify potential targets from the most promising molecules in the D. suzukii nervous system and to understand potential differences in susceptibilities between D. suzukii and its parasitoid. Of the nine molecules tested, (rac)-8 and compound 4 demonstrated efficacy against the fly. Exposure to the estimated LC90 of (rac)-8 and compound 4 resulted in a mortality rate of less than 20% for T. anastrephae without impairing the parasitoid’s functional parasitism. The in silico predictions suggest that (rac)-8 and compound 4 target gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) receptors and transient receptor potential (TRP) channels of D. suzukii. However, only the reduced interaction with TRP channels in T. anastrephae demonstrated a potential reason for the selectivity of these compounds on the parasitoid. Our findings suggest the potential for integrating (rac)-8 and compound 4 into D. suzukii management practices.

The spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) is one of the main invasive pests of small fruits in the world. Thus, 19 essential oils (EOs) were selected to analyze the effects through toxicity and repellency on oviposition and D. suzukii adults. In addition, their lethal and sublethal effects on the pupal endoparasitoid Trichopria anastrephae were evaluated. The EOs of C. flexuosus and Mentha spp. had the highest toxicity observed in the topical application bioassay for D. suzukii. In contrast, the EOs of C. verum, C. citratus QT citratus, and C. winterianus showed the highest toxicity in the ingestion bioassay for D. suzukii. The dry residues of C. verum and C. citratus QT citratus reduced the oviposition of D. suzukii. In the repellency bioassays, the 19 EOs analyzed repelled ≅ 90% of the D. suzukii females. All EOs evaluated using the LC90 values of the products provided mortality of less than 20% of T. anastrephae adults and did not cause a reduction in the parasitism of surviving T. anastrephae females. We conclude that the EOs evaluated have the potential to be used in the management of D. suzukii. They can also serve as selective active ingredients for the formulation and synthesis of new biopesticides.

Oceanic mesoscale events such as eddies, coastal upwelling, filaments and fronts created by water mass intrusion present properties allowing them to concentrate, transport and disperse salt, nutrients and plankton, among other important constituents in the ocean. The use of satellite images enables the continuous monitoring of the ocean dynamics at different temporal and spatial scales, aiding the study of its variability. This study focuses on the identification of these mesoscale events in the Gulf of California (GC) by means of sea surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll a (Chl a) fronts (edge) detection by processing 5-day satellite images from the 1998–2019 period. The annual occurrence or frequency and duration of each event was identified; the interannual variability was evaluated and underlying correlations with the Multivariate El Niño Index (MEI) and the Pacific Decadal Index (PDOI) were assessed via Principal Component Analysis. Most events showed a seasonal variability due to the seasonal behavior of forcing agents (i.e., Pacific Ocean and winds) that stimulate their formation or presence in the GC; seasonality was more evident in the northern region than in the southern region. The interannual variability of their frequency or duration was associated with strong and intense El Niño and La Niña conditions (positive or negative MEI values) together with positive or negative phases of the PDOI. The use of SST and Chl a satellite images with a 5-day temporal resolution allowed to better identify and quantify the annual frequency and duration of each mesoscale event. It allowed to detect a seasonal behavior of these events in the northern region, followed by the central region. The southern region, due to the interaction of different water masses with unique characteristics, exhibited a less evident seasonality in the frequency of eddies, and no apparent association between their interannual frequency and duration with the MEI and PDOI. Constantly monitoring these oceanic events and their variability will help in the understanding of how the different regions of this large marine ecosystem respond to these variations in the long term.