Plant-microbe interactions and the new biotechnological methods of plant disease control

Plants constitute an excellent ecosystem for microorganisms. The environmental conditions offered differ considerably between the highly variable aerial plant part and the more stable root system. Microbes interact with plant tissues and cells with different degrees of dependence. The most interesting from the microbial ecology point of view, however, are specific interactions developed by plant-beneficial (either non-symbiotic or symbiotic) and pathogenic microorganisms. Plants, like humans and other animals, also become sick, but they have evolved a sophisticated defense response against microbes, based on a combination of constitutive and inducible responses which can be localized or spread throughout plant organs and tissues. The response is mediated by several messenger molecules that activate pathogen-responsive genes coding for enzymes or antimicrobial compounds, and produces less sophisticated and specific compounds than immunoglobulins in animals. However, the response specifically detects intracellularly a type of protein of the pathogen based on a gene-for-gene interaction recognition system, triggering a biochemical attack and programmed cell death. Several implications for the management of plant diseases are derived from knowledge of the basis of the specificity of plant-bacteria interactions. New biotechnological products are currently being developed based on stimulation of the plant defense response, and on the use of plant-beneficial bacteria for biological control of plant diseases (biopesticides) and for plant growth promotion (biofertilizers)

Measuring the child mortality impact of official aid for fighting infectious diseases, 2000-2010

Aid for fighting infectious and parasitic diseases has had a statistically significant role in the under-five mortality reduction in the last decade. Point estimates indicate a country average reduction of 1.4 deaths per thousand under fives live-born attributable to aid at its average level in 2000-2010. The effect would be an average drop of 3.3 in the under-five mortality rate at the aid levels of 2010. By components, a dollar per capita spent in fighting malaria has caused the largest average impact, statistically higher than a dollar per capita spent in STD/HIV control. We do not find statistically significant effects of other infectious disease aid, including aid for the control of tuberculosis.

Auditing the management of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks: the need for a tool

Public health activities, especially infectious disease control, depend on effective teamwork. We present the results of a pilot audit questionnaire aimed at assessing the quality of public health services in the management of VPD outbreaks. Audit questionnaire with three main areas indicators (structure, process and results) was developed. Guidelines were set and each indicator was assessed by three auditors. Differences in indicator scores according to median size of outbreaks were determined by ANOVA (significance at p (greater than or equal to) 0.05). Of 154 outbreaks; eighteen indicators had a satisfactory mean score, indicator "updated guidelines" and "timely reporting" had a poor mean score (2.84±106 and 2.44±1.67, respectively). Statistically significant differences were found according to outbreak size, in the indicators "availability of guidelines/protocol updated less than 3 years ago" (p = 0.03) and "days needed for outbreak control" (p = 0.04). Improving availability of updated guidelines, enhancing timely reporting and adequate recording of control procedures taken is needed to allow for management assessment and improvement.

The reappearance of a forgotten disease in the oral cavity: syphilis

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) produced by Treponema pallidum, which mainly affects humans and is able to invade practically any organ in the body. Its infection facilitates the transmission of other STDs. Since the end of the last decade, successive outbreaks of syphilis have been reported in most western European countries. Like other STDs, syphilis is a notifiable disease in the European Union. In Spain, epidemiological information is obtained nationwide via the country"s system for recording notifiable diseases (Spanish acronym EDO) and the national microbiological information system (Spanish acronym SIM), which compiles information from a network of 46 sentinel laboratories in twelve Spanish regions. The STDs that are epidemiologically controlled are gonococcal infection, syphilis, and congenital syphilis. The incidence of each of these diseases is recorded weekly. The information compiled indicates an increase in the cases of syphilis and gonococcal infection in Spain in recent years. According to the EDO, in 1999, the number of cases of syphilis per 100,000 inhabitants was recorded to be 1.69, which has risen to 4.38 in 2007. In this article, we review the reappearance and the evolution of this infectious disease in eight European countries, and alert dentists to the importance of a) diagnosing sexuallytransmitted diseases and b) notifying the centres that control them