Research

Estudio de la seguridad y la transmisión de la vacuna oral frente a la peste porcina africana entre jabalí y cerdo doméstico. Seguimiento mediante vigilancia de los contactos inter-específicos

Degree Final Project defended by Luisa Blondeau León

Estudio anatomopatológico y de PCR de la infección por el virus de la mixomatosis y sus variantes en liebre y conejo

Raul Manjavacas Pintado defended this Degree Final Project

Myxomatosis is a characteristic viral disease of rabbits caused by classical Myxoma virus (MYXV), a leporipoxvirus introduced in Europe in the 1950s classically affecting European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and causing high lethality. However, in 2018 Iberian hares (Lepus granatensis) from Spain exhibited symptoms compatible with myxomatosis. In the wake of this outbreak, a new recombinant strain of Myxoma virus (MYXV-Tol) was identified. In order to study the distribution of these two variants and their involvement in pathology, 14 animals (8 rabbits and 6 hares) from Madrid and Castilla… Leer más

First Detection of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 Variant of Concern in an Asymptomatic Dog in Spain

Viruses-Basel publish this investigation article

Natural SARS-CoV-2 infection in pets has been widely documented during the last year. Although the majority of reports suggested that dogs’ susceptibility to the infection is low, little is known about viral pathogenicity and transmissibility in the case of variants of concern, such as B.1.1.7 in this species. Here, as part of a large-scale study on SARS-CoV-2 prevalence in pets in Spain, we have detected the B.1.1.7 variant of concern (VOC) in a dog whose owners were infected with SARS-CoV-2. The animal did not present any symptoms, but viral loads were high in the nasal and rectal swabs. In … Leer más

Estudio histopatológico e inmunohistoquímico de las proteínas de matriz extracelular (fibronectina, colágeno I y colágeno III) en la tuberculosis caprina (Mycobacterium caprae)

Degree Final Project defended by Carlos Neila Mota

La lesión resultante de la interacción entre Mycobacterium y la respuesta inmunitaria del hospedador es el granuloma tuberculoso, una estructura altamente compleja, dinámica, compacta, avascular e hipóxica cuya función es contener y neutralizar la infección por micobacterias en el tejido. Los granulomas tuberculosos, excepto en fases incipientes, están característicamente parcial o totalmente encapsulados por tejido conjuntivo, que tiene la función de contener la infección, aislando e impidiendo la diseminación de las micobacterias y delimitando la lesión del tejido sano. El objetivo de este e… Leer más

Strategies for the prevention and control of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi in the equine population of Spain

Eliazar Camino Gutiérrez defended the PhD Thesis at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Complutense University of Madrid

Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is a parasitic disease of equids (horses, donkeys, mules and zebras) caused by two intraerythrocytic protozoan parasites within the phylum Apicomplexa: Theileria equi (previously named Babesia equi) and Babesia caballi. These parasites are mainly trasmitted by ixodid tick species belonging to several genera such as Dermacentor, Hyalomma and Rhipicephalus; however, transmission may also occur vertically in utero and iatrogenically. This disease has a hyperacute, acute, subacute or chronic form; affected animals often show variable and nonspecific clinical signs such as… Leer más

Environment, vector, or host? Using machine learning to untangle the mechanisms driving arbovirus outbreaks

Ecological Applications publish this investigation article

Climatic, landscape and host features are critical components in shaping outbreaks of vector-borne diseases. However, the relationship between the outbreaks of vector-borne pathogens and their environmental drivers is typically complicated, nonlinear and may vary by taxonomic units below the species level (e.g., strain or serotype). Here, we aim to untangle how these complex forces shape the risk of outbreaks of Bluetongue virus (BTV); a vector-borne pathogen that is continuously emerging and re-emerging across Europe, with severe economic implications. We tested if the ecological predictors o… Leer más

Detection of Hepatitis E Virus in Hyalomma lusitanicum Ticks Feeding on Wild Boars

Investigation article published in Frontiers in Microbiology

The role of ticks in the maintenance and spread of emerging viral zoonotic pathogens, whose main hosts are wildlife species, is well known (Ruiz-Fons et al., 2008; Baneth, 2014; Madison-Antenucci et al., 2020). Of special concern are wild ungulates (deer and wild swine), species with wide distribution and high density, which allow the spread of tick-borne viruses in Europe (Kriz et al., 2014). In this sense, viruses belonging to families Flaviviridae (tick-borne encephalitis), Nairoviridae (Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever), and Phenuiviridae (severe fever with thrombocytopenia) have emerged in… Leer más

Long-term determinants of the seroprevalence of the bluetongue virus in deer species in southern Spain

Investigation article published in Research in Veterinary Science

Bluetongue is a vector-borne disease affecting domestic and wild ruminants, with a major socioeconomic impact. Endemic circulation of the bluetongue virus serotype 4 (BTV-4) and BTV-1 have occurred in Spain since 2004 and 2007, respectively. However, epidemiological studies have seldom been approached from a long-term perspective in wild ruminants. A total of 881 deer (red deer and fallow deer) were necropsied from 2005 to 2018 as part of the DNP health-monitoring program. Serum samples were tested for antibodies against BTV with the aims of assessing the temporal trend and to evaluate the mod… Leer más

A study of the composition of the Obsoletus complex and genetic diversity of Culicoides obsoletus populations in Spain

Investigation published in Parasites and vectors

Background: The Culicoides obsoletus species complex (henceforth `Obsoletus complex`) is implicated in the transmission of several arboviruses that can cause severe disease in livestock, such as bluetongue, African horse sickness, epizootic hemorrhagic disease and Schmallenberg disease. Thus, this study aimed to increase our knowledge of the composition and genetic diversity of the Obsoletus complex by partial sequencing of the cytochrome c oxidase I (cox1) gene in poorly studied areas of Spain. Methods: A study of C. obsoletus populations was carried out using a single-tube multiplex polymer… Leer más

Monitoring of Antimicrobial Resistance to Aminoglycosides and Macrolides in Campylobacter coli and Campylobacter jejuni From Healthy Livestock in Spain (2002–2018)

Frontiers in Microbiology publish this investigation article

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Campylobacter spp. (Campylobacter coli and Campylobacter jejuni) is a concern due to its importance in public health, particularly when it involves aminoglycosides and macrolides, drugs of choice for treatment of human cases. Co-resistance to these two antimicrobial classes involves transfer of genetic elements and/or acquisition of mutations in different genetic loci, which can in turn spread through vertical or horizontal gene transfer (HGT) phenomena, with each route having different potential implications. This study aimed at evaluating the association bet… Leer más