Inter-laboratory variability of caspofungin MICs for isolates - an Irish tertiary hospital experience.

Background: , formerly , is an opportunistic yeast and emerging cause of human infections. The use of broth microdilution (BMD) methodologies for caspofungin (CSP) antifungal susceptibility testing (AFST) against is reported to be prone to high inter-laboratory variation. We aimed to compare CSP MICs of isolates from our institution with those obtained by the Reference Laboratory for the same isolates.

The impact of COVID-19 on alternative and local food systems and the potential for the sustainability transition: Insights from 13 countries.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a major stress test for the agri-food system. While most research has analysed the impact of the pandemic on mainstream food systems, this article examines how alternative and local food systems (ALFS) in 13 countries responded in the first months of the crisis. Using primary and secondary data and combining the Multi-Level Perspective with social innovation approaches, we highlight the innovations and adaptations that emerged in ALFS, and how these changes have created or supported the sustainability transition in production and consumption systems.