Research

Persistent multispecies dissemination of armA-carrying IncR plasmids among clinical and environmental bacterial populations in a Spanish veterinary hospital

Investigation article published in Journal of Clinical Microbiology

Aminoglycoside resistance mediated by 16S rRNA methyltransferases poses a growing threat in both human and veterinary medicine. Here, we conducted a retrospective genomic study of Enterobacterales isolates (n = 789) collected from clinical samples at a veterinary teaching hospital in Spain between 2011 and 2020. We identified four high-level aminoglycoside-resistant ST171 Enterobacter hormaechei subsp. xiangfangensis isolates carrying the armA gene, all from horses. Using Illumina and Nanopore sequencing, we determined that armA was located on a 70 kb IncR plasmid, also carrying other resistan… Leer más

Abattoir Surveillance: Identifying Risk Factors Associated with Bovine Tuberculosis Lesion Detection in a Low Prevalence Region

Preventive Veterinary Medicine publish this investigation article

Abattoir surveillance is a key component in control and eradication programs against bovine tuberculosis (bTB). In low-prevalence or officially tuberculosis-free (OTF) regions in which active surveillance is typically limited or non-existent, postmortem inspection at the abattoir constitutes one of the main diagnostic tool to guarantee the absence of disease transmission. Here, we evaluated the performance of abattoir postmortem inspection in Galicia, a low-prevalence region in Spain (now OTF). Between 2014 and 2019, 1,784,261 animals were culled in 41 abattoirs, of which a small proportion (0… Leer más

Evolution of Suspected Cat Abuse Between 2020 and 2024 in the Community of Madrid (Spain)

Investigation article published in Animals

Animal abuse is a serious and underreported problem, with cats, particularly those living in colonies, being frequent victims. In Spain, reliable data on feline abuse are limited. This study evaluated the cause, manner and mechanisms of death from 53 cats over five years at the Pathology and Forensic Veterinary Unit of the VISAVET Health Surveillance Center in Madrid (Spain). More than half of the cats died from non-natural causes, including blunt force trauma, poisoning, and projectile injuries, while the remaining cats died from natural causes. Compared to a previous regional study, suspect… Leer más

- La Complutense detecta una tendencia al alza en los casos de maltrato a gatos en Madrid - animalshealth.es

- Revelan un aumento de casos sospechosos de maltrato animal en colonias felinas en la Comunidad de Madrid - diarioveterinario.com

Evidence of ESBL plasmid transfer and selective persistence of multiple host-associated Escherichia coli isolates in a chicken cecal fermentation model

Investigation published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology

The guts of animals and humans harbor diverse microbial communities that are regularly exposed to bacteria originating from food, water, and their surroundings. Species such as Escherichia coli are adept at colonizing multiple hosts, along with surviving in the environment. By encoding pathogenic traits and transmissible forms of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), E. coli can also pose a zoonotic risk. Our understanding of the factors that govern host residency is limited. Here, we used a chicken cecal fermentation model to study survival and the AMR transfer potential of 17 host-associated exten… Leer más

Evaluación de cepas del virus de la peste porcina Africana de baja a moderada virulencia: perspectivas de expertos e implicaciones para los planes de vigilancia

Abdiel Chaparro Ríos defended this presentation at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Complutense University of Madrid in order to obtain the Master of Research

Néstor Porras, ACVP Editors Choice Award 2025

His study of histopathologic evaluation in wild boars infected with the African swine fever virus, has received the award in the experimental study category

Our colleague Néstor Porras González, researcher at the Animal Pathology and Forensic Veterinary Unit of Visavet centre and PhD student at the UCM Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, have been selected by to be recognized with the American College of Veterinary Pathology Editors' Award for an Experimental Study. This award recognized the study design, clarity, data presentation, and potential impact of the article "Histopathologic evaluation system of African swine fever in wild boar infected with high (Arm07) and low (Lv17/WB/Riel) isolates." The award will be presented at the upcoming ACVP Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA, USA.… Leer más

Retrospective analysis of the clinical approach practiced in dog bite cases caused by Vipera latastei, Vipera seoanei and Vipera aspis

Investigation article published in The Veterinary Journal

Snakebites pose a significant public health risk to both humans and animals in many countries. In Spain, the presence of three viper species, Vipera latastei, Vipera seoanei, and Vipera aspis, complicates clinical management in veterinary settings. There is currently no standardized veterinary protocol for treating viper bites in many countries. This retrospective study analyzed the clinical approaches employed by Spanish veterinary centers in treating canine viper bites within the distribution range of these species. Data from 62 clinical cases across 58 veterinary centers were reviewed, incl… Leer más

Alternativa a los antibióticos en la diarrea neonatal porcina: eficacia de los ácidos orgánicos

Cristina Juarranz Del Valle defended this presentation at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Complutense University of Madrid in order to obtain the Master of Research

Wild boar trade and African swine fever risk of introduction into new territories: A quantitative release assessment with retrospective data of wild boar shipments to France and Spain (2010–2017)

Investigation published in One Health

Wild boar (WB) (Sus scrofa) farming and trade in EU countries consistently developed at the end of the last century, primarily for repopulating hunting estates within the sport hunting industry. Since the introduction of African swine fever (ASF) in the Caucasus in 2007 and its subsequent spread from Eastern to Central Europe, international WB trade increased the risk of ASF introduction into new territories. In order to prevent such events, the EU veterinary authorities decided to ban WB trade in June 2018. In our study, we documented retrospective WB trade movements to France and Spain betwe… Leer más

Epidemiology of resistance to aminoglycosides and macrolides in thermotolerant Campylobacter in livestock in Spain

PhD Thesis defense by Vicente López Chavarrías at the VISAVET Centre of the Complutense University of Madrid

Antimicrobial resistance is a major problem for the treatment of diseases caused by zoonotic bacteria such as thermotolerant Campylobacter (C. coli and C. jejuni). The mechanisms by which antimicrobial resistance spreads over bacterial populations, especially via horizontal gene transfer, can have broad consequences depending on the speed at which resistant phenotypes disseminate through food animal hosts, humans and the environment. Particularly relevant are genetic determinants capable of conferring resistance to three or more antimicrobial classes, making treatments more complicated when mu… Leer más