Use of GFP-tagged strains of Penicillium digitatum and Penicillium expansum to study host-pathogen interactions in oranges and apples

Penicillium digitatum and Penicillium expansum are responsible for green and blue molds in citrus and pome fruits, respectively, which result in major monetary losses worldwide. In order to study their infection process in fruits, we successfully introduced a green fluorescent protein (GFP) encoding gene into wild type P. digitatum and P. expansum isolates, using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation (ATMT), with hygromycin B resistance as the selectable marker. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing the transformation of these two important postharvest pathogens with GFP and the use of transformed strains to study compatible and non-host pathogen interactions. Transformation did not affect the pathogenicity or the ecophysiology of either species compared to their respective wild type strains. The GFP-tagged strains were used for in situ analysis of compatible and non-host pathogen interactions on oranges and apples. Knowledge of the infection process of apples and oranges by these pathogens will facilitate the design of novel strategies to control these postharvest diseases and the use of the GFP-tagged strains will help to determine the response of P. digitatum and P. expansum on/in plant surface and tissues to different postharvest treatments.

Presence and survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 on lettuce leaves and in soil treated with contaminated compost and irrigation water

Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreaks associated with produce consumption have brought attention to contaminated compost manure, and polluted irrigation water as potential sources of pathogens for the contamination of these crops. The aim of this study was to determine the potential transfer of E. coli O157:H7 from soil fertilized with contaminated compost or irrigated with contaminated water to edible parts of lettuce together with its persistence in soil under field conditions in two different seasons (fall and spring). Moreover, its survival on lettuce sprinkled with contaminated irrigation water was evaluated, as well as the prevalence of aerobic mesophilic, Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonadaceae in control lettuce samples. Four treatments, contaminated compost, surface and sprinkle irrigation with contaminated water and uninoculated pots, were used in this work. Contaminated compost was applied to soil in the pots before lettuce was transplanted and contaminated irrigation water was applied twice and three times on the plants after the seedlings were transplanted, for sprinkle and surface irrigation, respectively. E. coli O157:H7 survived in soil samples for 9 weeks at levels, 4.50 log cfu gdw(-1) (dw, dry weight) in fall and 1.50 log cfu gdw(-1) in spring. The pathogen survives better in fall, indicating an important influence of environmental factors. E. coli O157:H7 population in lettuce leaves after sprinkle irrigation was very high (between 10(3) and 10(6) cfu g(-1)), but decreased to undetectable levels at field conditions. There was also transfer of E. coli O157:H7 from soil contaminated with compost or irrigated with contaminated water to lettuce leaves, mainly to the outer ones. The mean counts for aerobic mesophilic, Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonadaceae populations were also influenced by environmental conditions; higher levels were observed under fall conditions than in spring conditions. Contamination of lettuce plants in the field can occur through both contaminated composted manure and irrigation water and persist for several months.

Formulation development of the biocontrol agent Bacillus subtilis strain CPA-8 by spray-drying

AIMS

To prepare commercially acceptable formulations of Bacillus subtilis CPA-8 by spray-drying with long storage life and retained efficacy to control peach and nectarine brown rot caused by Monilinia spp.

METHODS AND RESULTS

CPA-8 24-h- and 72-h-old cultures were spray dried using 10% skimmed milk, 10% skimmed milk plus 10% MgSO(4) , 10% MgSO(4) and 20% MgSO(4) as carriers/protectants. All carriers/protectants gave good percentages of powder recovery (28-38%) and moisture content (7-13%). CPA-8 survival varied considerably among spray-dried 24-h- and 72-h-old cultures. Seventy-two hours culture spray dried formulations showed the highest survival (28-32%) with final concentration products of 1·6-3·3 × 10(9) CFU g(-1) , while viability of 24-h-old formulations was lower than 1%. Spray-dried 72-h-old formulations were selected to subsequent evaluation. Rehydration of cells with water provided a good recovery of CPA-8 dried cells, similar to other complex rehydration media tested. Spray-dried formulations stored at 4 ± 1 and 20 ± 1°C showed good shelf life during 6 months, and viability was maintained or slightly decreased by 0·2-0·3-log. CPA-8 formulations after 4- and 6 months storage were effective in controlling brown rot caused by Monilinia spp. on nectarines and peaches resulting in a 90-100% reduction in disease incidence.

CONCLUSIONS

Stable and effective formulations of biocontrol agent B. subtilis CPA-8 could be obtained by spray-drying.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

New shelf-stable and effective formulations of a biocontrol agent have been obtained by spray-drying to control brown rot on peach.

Complex interaction between symptoms, social factors, and gender in social functioning in a community-dwelling sample of schizophrenia

Social functioning (SF) is the ultimate target aimed in treatment plans in schizophrenia, thus it is critical to know what are the factors that determine SF. Gender is a well-established variable influencing SF, yet it is not known how social variables and symptoms interact in schizophrenia patients. Furthermore, it remains unclear whether the interaction between social variables and symptoms is different in men compared to women. Our aim is to test whether social variables are better predictors of SF in community-dwelled individuals with schizophrenia, and whether men and women differ in how symptoms and social variables interact to impact SF. Community-dwelling individuals with schizophrenia (N = 231) were randomly selected from a register. Participants were assessed with symptom measures (PANSS), performance-based social scale (LSP), objective social and demographic variables. Stratification by gender and stepwise multivariate regression analyses by gender were used to find the best-fitting models that predict SF in both gender. Men had poorer SF than women in spite of showing similar symptom scores. On stepwise regression analyses, gender was the main variable explaining SF, with a significant contribution by disorganized and excitatory symptoms. Age of onset made a less marked, yet significant, contribution to explain SF. When the sample was stratified by gender, disorganized symptoms and 'Income' variable entered the model and accounted for a 30.8% of the SF variance in women. On the other hand, positive and disorganized symptoms entered the model and accounted for a 36.1% of the SF variance in men. Community-dwelling men and women with schizophrenia differ in the constellation of variables associated with SF. Symptom scores still account for most of the variance in SF in both genders.

Transfer of Listeria innocua from contaminated compost and irrigation water to lettuce leaves

Many foodborne outbreaks of some pathogens such as Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella or Listeria have been associated with the consumption of contaminated vegetables. Contaminated manure and polluted irrigation water are probable vehicles for the pathogens. The aim of this study was to determine the potential transfer of Listeria innocua from soil fertilized with contaminated compost or irrigated with contaminated water to the edible parts of lettuce grown on these soils together with its survival in lettuce and in soil under field conditions during two different seasons. Moreover, its survival on lettuce sprinkled with contaminated irrigation water was evaluated. L. innocua survived in soil samples for 9 weeks at high concentrations, 10(5) cfu gdw(-1) in fall and 10(3) cfu gdw(-1) in spring. Pathogen survived better in fall, indicating an important influence of temperature and humidity. L. innocua population in lettuce leaves was very high on lettuce leaves after sprinkling, but decreased to undetectable levels at field conditions. There was also transfer of L. innocua from soil contaminated with compost or irrigated with contaminated water to lettuce leaves, mainly to the outer ones. Survival profiles of L. innocua on lettuce and soil samples contaminated either by application of contaminated compost or surface irrigation water was similar. Our results indicated that contaminated compost and contaminated irrigation water can play an important role in the presence of foodborne pathogens on vegetables.

Microbiological quality of fresh lettuce from organic and conventional production

Previously there was no available information on the levels of indicator bacteria and the prevalence of pathogens in fresh lettuce grown in organic and conventional farms in Spain. A total of 72 lettuce samples (18 farms for 4 repetitions each) for each type of the agriculture were examined in order to assess the bacteriological quality of the lettuces, in particular the prevalence of selected pathogens. The lettuce samples were analyzed for the presence of aerobic mesophilic, psychrotrophic microorganisms, yeasts and moulds, Enterobacteriaceae, mesophilic lactic acid bacteria, Pseudomonas spp. and presumptive Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes. The mean aerobic mesophilic counts (AM) were 6.35 +/- 0.69 log(10) cfu g(-1) and 5.67 +/- 0.80 log(10) cfu g(-1) from organic and conventional lettuce, respectively. The mean counts of psychrotrophic microorganisms were 5.82 +/- 1.01 log(10) cfu g(-1) and 5.41 +/- 0.92 log(10) cfu g(-1) from organic and conventional lettuce, respectively. Yeasts and moulds (YM) mean counts were 4.74 +/- 0.83 log(10) cfu g(-1) and 4.21 +/- 0.96 log(10) cfu g(-1) from organic and conventional lettuce, respectively. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were present in low numbers and the mean counts were 2.41 +/- 1.10 log(10) cfu g(-1) and 1.99 +/- 0.91 log(10) cfu g(-1) from organic and conventional lettuce, respectively. Pseudomonas spp. mean counts were 5.49 +/- 1.37 log(10) cfu g(-1) and 4.98 +/- 1.26 log(10) cfu g(-1) in organic and conventional lettuce, respectively. The mean counts for Enterobacteriaceae were 5.16 +/- 1.01 log(10) cfu g(-1) and 3.80 +/- 1.53 log(10) cfu g(-1) in organic and conventional lettuce, respectively. E. coli was detected in 22.2% (16 samples) of organic lettuce and in 12.5% (9 samples) of conventional lettuce. None of the lettuce samples was positive for E. coli O157:H7, L. monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. From the samples analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA) a pattern with two different groups (conventional and organic) can be observed, being the highest difference between both kinds of samples the Enterobacteriaceae count.

Primary Inoculum Sources of Monilinia spp. in Spanish Peach Orchards and Their Relative Importance in Brown Rot

Immediately following the identification of Monilinia fructicola in a Spanish peach orchard in the Ebro Valley in 2006, this orchard and two other orchards in the same valley were intensively sampled for potential tree and ground sources of primary Monilinia inoculum before and during three growing seasons between 2006 and 2008. Overwintered Monilinia spp. produced inoculum from only mycelium, and no apothecia were found in any of the three orchards over the three growing seasons. Mummies on trees were the main source of primary inoculum. More than 90% of Monilinia isolates on all fruit mummies were M. laxa. Positive relationships were found between (i) the number of mummified fruit and the incidence of postharvest brown rot (P = 0.05, r = 0.75, n = 8), and (ii) the number of mummified fruit and nonabscised aborted fruit in the trees and the number of conidia on the fruit surface (P = 0.04, r = 0.71; P = 0.01, r = 0.94, respectively, n = 8) and the incidence of latent infection (P = 0.03, r = 0.75; P = 0.001, r = 0.99; respectively, n = 8). In addition, the numbers of mummified fruit and pruned branches on the orchard floor were correlated with the number of airborne conidia in the orchard. Based on the results of these surveys, the control of brown rot in stone fruit orchards is discussed.

Effects of packaging type and storage temperature on the growth of foodborne pathogens on shredded 'Romaine' lettuce

Fresh produce can be a vehicle for the transmission of pathogens capable of causing human illnesses and some of them can grow on fresh-cut vegetables. The survival and growth of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes inoculated onto shredded lettuce was determined under modified atmosphere packaging conditions, at various storage temperatures. We also monitored changes in pH and gas atmospheres within the packages and the growth of psychrotrophic and mesophilic microorganisms. After pathogen inoculation, shredded lettuce was packaged in films of different permeability and stored at 5 and 25 degrees C. After 10 days at 5 degrees C populations of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella decreased approximately 1.00 log unit while L. monocytogenes increased about 1.00 log unit, in all package films. Moreover, the pathogens level increased between 2.44 and 4.19 log units after 3 days at 25 degrees C. Psychrotrophic and mesophilic bacteria had similar growth at both temperatures with higher populations in air than in the other atmospheres. The composition of the storage atmosphere within the packaging of lettuce had no significant effect on the survival and growth of the pathogens used in this study at refrigeration temperatures. The results obtained can be considered as a warning indicator, which reinforces the necessity for corrective measures to avoid contamination of vegetables.

Population dynamics of Epicoccum nigrum, a biocontrol agent against brown rot in stone fruit

AIMS

To study the population dynamics of Epicoccum nigrum on peaches and nectarines and to enhance its colonization on fruit surfaces to improve its biocontrol efficacy against brown rot.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Twelve surveys were performed to study E. nigrum populations and their effect on the number of the pathogenic Monilinia spp. conidia in peach orchards in Spain and Italy between 2002 and 2005. Fresh conidia and five different formulations of E. nigrum conidia were applied three to six times to peach and nectarine trees from full flowering to harvest. The size of the E. nigrum populations was determined from the number of colony-forming units and conidial numbers per flower or fruit. Treatment with all conidial formulations increased the size of the indigenous conidial population on peach surfaces.

CONCLUSIONS

Formulations of E. nigrum having high viability are most effective against conidia of the pathogen when applied at pit hardening and during the month immediately before fruit harvest.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Application of an E. nigrum conidial formulation decreased the number of conidia of Monilinia spp. on fruit surfaces during the growing season to the same extent as fungicides.

First Report of Brown Rot Caused by Monilinia fructicola in Peach Orchards in Ebro Valley, Spain

Monilinia fructicola causes brown rot of stone fruit in India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Oceania, and North and South America and is in the A2 list of quarantine organisms for Europe. M. fructicola was found in peach orchards for the first time in Europe in 2001 in France (4) and later in the Czech Republic (2). M. fructicola was not detected among 428 isolates of Monilinia spp. collected from Spanish peach orchards from 1998 to 2005. In March of 2006, M. fructicola was detected to be overwintering in three mummified peach fruit (cv. Autumn Free) trees in an orchard located in Sudanell (Lleida, Spain). Morphological and molecular identification of isolates were performed according to protocols previously described (1,3). The characteristics of these isolates were: i) colonies were entire and showing concentric rings of spores when grown on potato dextrose agar (PDA); ii) sporogenous tissues were gray to buff; iii) single and nearly straight germ tubes were at least 220 μm long before branching; and iv) growth rates on PDA under long-wave UV/darkness were as much as 20 × 10 mm². Isolates were further identified by a PCR test using primers developed with sequence-characterized amplification region markers obtained by random amplified polymorphic DNA for M. fructicola: IColaS (GAGACGCACACAGAGTCAG) and IColaAS (GAGACGCACATAGCATTGG) (3). The expected PCR product of 386 bp was produced only in M. fructicola isolates. Koch's postulates were fulfilled with the three isolates by inoculating five healthy fruit with a conidial suspension of each isolate (10⁴ conidia ml^-1). Symptoms similar to those observed in the field were small brown spots, which rapidly showed brown rot. Noninoculated control fruit did not show symptoms. The fungus was reisolated on PDA from inoculated fruit after 4 days of incubation at 22°C, 80 to 100% relative humidity, and 16 h under fluorescent lighting, 100 μE·m^-2·s^-1. To our knowledge, this is the first report of M. fructicola in peach orchards in Spain. References: (1) A. De Cal and P. Melgarejo. Plant Dis. 83:62, 1999. (2) J. Duchoslavová et al. Plant Dis. 91:907, 2007. (3) I. Gell et al. J. Appl. Microbiol. 103:2629, 2007. (4) J. Lichou et al. Phytoma 547:22, 2002.

Relative importance of amino acids, glycine-betaine and ectoine synthesis in the biocontrol agent Pantoea agglomerans CPA-2 in response to osmotic, acidic and heat stress

AIMS

The objective of this work was to determine the role of different compatible solutes in adaptation of Pantoea agglomerans CPA-2 at different stages of growth to solute (0.98, 0.97, 0.96 aw), heat (35 and 40 degrees C) and acidic (pH 4.0, 5.0, 6.0) stress.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Solute stress was imposed by using NaCl, glucose or glycerol, and pH was imposed with malic and citric acids. The accumulation of glycine-betaine, ectoine and amino acids in bacterial cells was quantified using high performance liquid chromathography (HPLC). There was a significant (P<0.05) accumulation of glycine-betaine (NaCl modified, 100-150 micromol g(-1) dry weight of cells) and ectoine (glucose modified media, >340 micromol g(-1) dry weight of cells) in the cells over a 48 h incubation period when compared with controls (<10 micromol g(-1) dry weight of cells). Chromatographic profile of amino acids was different with respect to control when NaCl or glucose was used as osmolyte.

CONCLUSIONS

Pantoea agglomerans CPA-2 cells synthesised significant amounts of glycine-betaine and ectoine in response to imposed solute stress. However, these compounds and tested amino acids were not involved in cellular adaptation to either heat or pH stress.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

This type of information can be effectively applied to improve ecophysiological quality of cells of bacterial biocontrol agents for better survival and biocontrol efficacy in the phyllosphere of plants.

[Mental health care use in the Spanish general populations. Results of the ESEMeD-Spain study]

INTRODUCTION

Between 17% and 30% of the world population suffers from a mental disorder in a given year and only a small proportion of them established contact with health services. This information is not available concerning the Spanish population. This study aims to describe the health services utilization related with mental disorders in Spain, as well as to identify factors related with such utilization.

METHODS

The ESEMeD-Spain is an epidemiological study carried out on a representative sample of the Spanish adult general population, with a sample size of 5,473 individuals. We used the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (version 3.0) to collect information concerning mental disorders symptoms, health services utilization related with mental health, and administered treatments, with a 12 months time frame.

RESULTS

57% of those suffering from a mood disorder, 30.3 % of those suffering from an anxiety disorder and 71.7% of those suffering from both contacted health services in the year they suffered the disorder. Psychiatrists were the most frequently consulted professionals when a 12 month mental disorder was present, with the exception of anxiety disorders or comorbid mood-anxiety disorders. A 30.8% of those with any 12 month mental disorder who did consult were not prescribed with any treatment. Variables significantly related to 12 month health services utilization were age, gender, marital status, and mental disorders.

CONCLUSIONS

A large proportion of individuals suffering from mental disorders do not use health services or, if indeed use them, do not receive any type of treatment.

Acid tolerance response induced in the biocontrol agent Pantoea agglomerans CPA-2 and effect on its survival ability in acidic environments

The aim of this work was to optimize acid stress conditions for induction of acid tolerance response (ATR) in the biocontrol agent Pantoea agglomerans and study the effect of ATR induced on the ability to survive under acidic conditions. Initially, Pantoea agglomerans was grown in mild acidic conditions (pH 6.0, 5.5, 5.0 and 4.0) in order to induce ATR. The highest ATR was induced at initial pH of 5 using malic or citric acid. A first in vitro experiment was carried out. Thus, basal liquid medium at different pHs (3.0, 3.5, 4.0 and non-acidified) were then inoculated with acid-adapted and non-adapted inocula of P. agglomerans and survivals were examined during incubation at 25 or 4 degrees C. It was found that acid adaptation enhanced the survivals of Pantoea agglomerans CPA-2 cells at pH levels at which the cells were unable to grow (<3.5 and 4.0, at 25 and 4 degrees C, respectively). In contrast, in pH levels at which the cells were able to grow (pH 4.0 at 25 degrees C and non-acidified medium at 25 and 4 degrees C) no-differences were found between adapted and non-adapted cells. In in vivo tests, adapted and non-adapted cells were inoculated in wounds on mandarins and pome fruits. No differences were found between adapted and non-adapted cells and biocontrol efficacy was maintained. The present study demonstrated that exposure of Pantoea agglomerans to mild acidic conditions could induce acid resistance in this biocontrol agent.

Efficacy of Candida sake CPA-1 formulation for controlling Penicillium expansum decay on pome fruit from different Mediterranean regions

The effectiveness of a formulated product of the yeast Candida sake CPA-1 for controlling postharvest diseases on pome fruits was demonstrated in laboratory, semicommercial, and commercial trials carried out in the major pome fruit producing region of the European Union. First, one wettable powder and seven liquid formulations were tested in laboratory trials that involved two varieties of apples and two varieties of pears. In all cases, an efficacy similar to that of fresh cells was demonstrated in the control of artificial Penicillium expansum infection. After these trials, the formulated product chosen for semicommercial and commercial trials was LF1, a liquid formulation that is particularly suitable for commercial applications. In semicommercial trials, LF1 showed a performance similar to fresh cells in most trials, and the population dynamics of both fresh and formulated cells were quite stable throughout the storage period. This indicates the high viability of C. sake CPA-1 in this formulation and the absence of adverse effects during the formulation of the product, which may significantly affect both its ability to grow on fruit and its antagonistic activity. We evaluated the control of natural infection after applying the formulated product in a commercial drencher in different packinghouses. A significant reduction in the incidence of diseases was observed with a recommended dose of around 10(7) CFU/ml when natural infections were greater than 1%. In general, large quantities of yeast were observed on the surface of unwounded fruits of different pome fruit cultivars. Moreover, populations of this biocontrol agent increased rapidly on fruit surfaces and remained quite stable for a long time under commercial storage conditions. Commercial practices used in packinghouses were therefore successfully applied for this formulated product.

Improving low water activity and desiccation tolerance of the biocontrol agent Pantoea agglomerans CPA-2 by osmotic treatments

AIMS

To study the improvement of tolerance to low water activity (aw) and desiccation during spray drying in Pantoea agglomerans cells subjected to mild osmotic stress during growth.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The micro-organism was cultured in an unmodified liquid (control) or in aw-modified media, and viability of these cells was evaluated on unstressed (0.995) and 0.96 aw stressed solid media, in order to check total viability and aw stress tolerance respectively. Significant improvements in viability on unmodified medium were observed with cells grown for 24 h in NaCl 0.98 aw, glycerol 0.98 aw and 0.97 aw and for 48 h in NaCl 0.98 aw and 0.97 aw modified media. Both yield improvements and water stress tolerance were achieved with low aw media. Cells grown for 24 h in NaCl 0.98 aw or for 48 h in NaCl 0.98 aw, 0.97 aw and 0.96 aw, glucose 0.97 aw and glycerol 0.97 aw showed improved aw stress tolerance in comparison with control cells. The best results were obtained with NaCl treatments (0.98 aw and 0.97 aw) which also exhibited better survival rates than control cells during spray-drying process and maintained their efficacy against postharvest fungal pathogens in apples and oranges.

CONCLUSIONS

NaCl treatments are very appropriate for improving P. agglomerans low aw tolerance obtaining high production levels and maintaining biocontrol efficacy.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Improving stress tolerance of biocontrol agents could be an efficient way to obtain consistency and maintain efficacy of biological control under practical conditions.

Accumulation of the compatible solutes, glycine-betaine and ectoine, in osmotic stress adaptation and heat shock cross-protection in the biocontrol agent Pantoea agglomerans CPA-2

AIMS

The effect of modifying the water activity (a(w)) of Pantoea agglomerans growth medium with the ionic solute NaCl on water stress resistance, heat-shock survival and intracellular accumulation of the compatible solutes glycine-betaine and ectoine were determined.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The bacterium was cultured in an unmodified liquid medium or that modified with NaCl to 0.98 and 0.97 a(w), and viability of cells evaluated on a 0.96 a(w)-modified solid media to check water stress tolerance. Cells grown under ionic stress had better water stress tolerance than control cells. These cells also had cross-protection to heat stress (30 min, 45 degrees C). The modified cells accumulated substantial amounts of the compatible solutes glycine-betaine and ectoine in contrast to the control cells, which contained little or none of these two compounds.

CONCLUSIONS

Improvement in osmotic and thermal tolerance of cells of the biocontrol agent P. agglomerans by modifying growth media with the ionic solute NaCl was achieved. The compatible solutes glycine-betaine and ectoine play a critical role in environmental stress tolerance improvement.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

This approach provides a method for improving the physiological quality of inocula and could have implications for formulation and shelf-life of biocontrol agents.

Needs and its relation to symptom dimensions in a sample of outpatients with schizophrenia

OBJECTIVE

To analyse the association between symptom dimensions in schizophrenia and number and type of met and unmet needs.

METHOD

A sample of 231 outpatients randomly selected from a register that included all patients treated in 5 mental health care centres (MHCC) was evaluated. Assessment instruments included the Camberwell Assessment of Needs (CAN) questionnaire and the PANSS.

RESULTS

Number of needs are related to overall severity of psychopathology. Patients with more symptoms have more total needs (p < 0.001) and unmet needs (p < 0.001). A multiple lineal regression model showed that the disorganized and excited dimensions of the PANSS are the most important components for explaining the variance of number of needs. Type of needs is related to subtypes of schizophrenia, specially with disorganized and excited symptoms.

CONCLUSION

Psychosocial needs are related to schizophrenia subtypes. Patients with more needs are those with more disorganized and excitatory symptoms.