in trials conducted in Benin, conidia of Beauveria bassiana were evaluated as a control method against the cowpea weevil, Callosobruchus maculatus, in stored cowpea. In the first trial using a high artificial infestation of C. maculatus in 8-kg batches of cowpea in jerry cans under typical conditions, concentrations of 1 x 10(9) and 1 x 10(11) conidia kg(-1) were compared with lemon grass oil at 2 mL kg(-1) and the synthetic pesticide mixture of 1.5% pirimiphos methyl + 0.05% deltamethrin at 0.5 g kg(-1). After 2 months of storage, seed losses (SD) were 20.63 (5.3)% in the untreated control, 8.04 (3.2)% in the low-dose B. bassiana group, 3.12 (1.3)% in the high-dose B. bassiana group, 2.52 (0.4)% in the lemon grass oil group and 0% in the pirimiphos methyl + deltamethrin group. In a second trial with natural infestations in 50-kg batches of cowpea in 200-L drums, treatment with B. bassiana 1 x 10(11) conidia kg(-1) was compared with pirimiphos methyl + deltamethrin at 0.5 g kg(-1). After 6 months of storage on six farms, losses reached 30.76 (1.5)% in the control, 1.28 (0.2) % in the pirimiphos methyl + deltamethrin group and 3.69 (0.6) % in the B. bassiana group.

Concern over the impact of chemical pesticides on human health and the environment continues to stimulate the study of alternative, biological pest control agents (BCA). In Africa, use of BCA products is just emerging, primarily in the export sector where growers are using a mixture of products from new African companies and products imported from outside Africa. In contrast, although interest in BCA for use in domestic markets has been widely supported by development funding partners for many years, few products have become available to these growers. The limited uptake of BCA in Africa suggests there may be constraints and issues working against their wider implementation. Here, we focus on non-technical constraints and issues facing microbial BCA applied inundatively, but arguments extend to a greater or lesser degree to all BCA. The challenges to wider BCA availability could be overcome by: a more coherent approach to their regulation across the continent; support for BCA development that is based on evidence of need and applicability; and political advocacy to lobby for necessary resources being made available to all stakeholders.

Twelve indigenous and exotic isolates of Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae were evaluated for their virulence and their ability to suppress populations of Callosobruchus maculatus in stored cowpea. LT50 values ranged from 3.11 to 6.12 days following immersion in aqueous suspensions containing 1×108 conidia ml−1. Indigenous isolates that had been recovered from C. maculatus were more virulent in laboratory bioassays than exotic isolates from other insects. The two isolates with the shortest LT50 values were compared in dose–response assays by immersion and by exposure to cowpea grains treated with dry conidia. In both assays B. bassiana 0362 was consistently more virulent than M. anisopliae 0351. By immersion, LC50 values on day 6 post-treatment were 9.10×104 and 7.10×105 conidia ml−1 for B. bassiana 0362 and M. anisopliae 0351, respectively. Exposure to treated grains gave LC50 values of 1.15×107 and 4.44×107 conidia g−1 grain for B. bassiana 0362 and M. anisopliae 0351, respectively. In 1kg batches of cowpea stocked with 50 adult C. maculatus, B. bassiana 0362 at both 1×107 and 1×108 conidia g−1 grain led to significant adult mortality and reduced F1 emergence relative to untreated populations. At 1×108 conidia g−1 the effect of the fungus persisted into the F1 generation. The net reproductive rates, R0, measured 26 days after insects were released were 5.16 and 7.32 for the high and low doses compared to 9.52 for the untreated control.

Background. Women with a germline BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation have a significantly increased risk of developing ovarian cancer compared with women in the general population and may consider bilateral prophylactic oophorectomy as a risk-reducing option.Case. We report a case of occult fallopian tube cancer diagnosed at prophylactic surgery in a patient with a BRCA2 mutation.Conclusions. This report acts as a reminder of the importance of removing as much of the fallopian tube as possible during prophylactic surgery in BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers and of the need for careful pathological examination of surgical specimens after surgery. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

H3N2 strains of influenza A isolated from swine in Hong Kong were compared with human strains of H3N2 influenza A variants in reciprocal HI tests using ferret sera. One isolate from swine was indistinguishable from A/Hong Kong/68, one set of viruses isolated in 1976 and 1977 was most related to A/Hong Kong/68 but was not identical to it, two isolates from 1976 were 'bridging strains' that cross-reacted equally with the contemporary variants A/Victoria/3/75 and A/Texas/1/77, similarly to a small number of recent human isolates, and two isolates from 1977 were similar to A/Victoria/3/75. These general relationships were supported by neuraminidase inhibition tests. The findings confirm and extend previous results indicating that swine may be a reservoir of old and novel variants of influenza A H3N2 strains related to those that infect man.