Research

Clinical Course and Gross Pathological Findings in Wild Boar Infected with a Highly Virulent Strain of African Swine Fever Virus Genotype II

Investigation published in Pathogens

African swine fever (ASF) is a notifiable disease that in recent years has spread remarkably in Europe and Asia. Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa) plays a key role in the maintenance and spread of the pathogen. Here we examined gross pathology of infection in wild boar with a highly virulent, hemadsorbing genotype II ASF virus (ASFV) strain. To this end, six wild boars were intramuscularly inoculated with the 10 HAD50 Arm07 ASFV strain, and 11 wild boars were allowed to come into direct contact with the inoculated animals. No animals survived the infection. Clinical course, gross pathological fi… Leer más

Accuracy of tuberculosis diagnostic tests in small ruminants: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Investigation article published in Preventive Veterinary Medicine

Tuberculosis (TB) in small ruminants is a neglected disease despite its major impact on goat and sheep production and the global public health. The awareness of the role of small ruminants in the epidemiology of animal TB has increased in the last two decades, however, there is a lack of standardization of procedures and robust quantitative estimates on the accuracy of diagnostic TB tests in the scientific literature. To address this knowledge gap, all the available information regarding the use of ante-mortem diagnostic techniques in small ruminants was collected and summarized through a syst… Leer más

Detection of antibodies against tick-borne encephalitis flaviviruses in breeding and sport horses from Spain

Investigation article published in Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) and louping-ill virus (LIV) are two closely related zoonotic flaviviruses leading to neurological diseases and belonging to the tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) serocomplex. Both viruses are transmitted by the same ixodid tick vector, Ixodes ricinus. Due to global warming affecting vector biology and pathogen transmission, the viruses pose an emerging threat for public health in Europe and Asia. These flaviviruses share some hosts, like sheep, goats and humans, although the main hosts for LIV and TBEV are sheep and small rodents, respectively. Whereas LIV has … Leer más

- Detectan por 1ª vez anticuerpos contra flavivirus en caballos de España - animalshealth.es

Comparing serotyping with whole-genome sequencing for subtyping of non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica: a large-scale analysis of 37 serotypes with a public health impact in the USA

Microbial Genomics publish this investigation article

Serotyping has traditionally been used for subtyping of non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) isolates. However, its discriminatory power is limited, which impairs its use for epidemiological investigations of source attribution. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analysis allows more accurate subtyping of strains. However, because of the relative newness and cost of routine WGS, large-scale studies involving NTS WGS are still rare. We aimed to revisit the big picture of subtyping NTS with a public health impact by using traditional serotyping (i.e. reaction between antisera and surface antigens) and comp… Leer más

Involvement of hpap2 and dgkA Genes in Colistin Resistance Mediated by mcr Determinants

Investigation published in Antibiotics

Plasmid-mediated colistin resistance (mcr) determinants are challenging the efficacy of polymyxins against Gram-negative pathogens. Among 10 mcr genes described so far, the major determinants mcr-1 and mcr-3 are found closely linked to hpap2 or dgkA genes, encoding a hypothetical phosphatidic acid phosphatase of type 2 (PAP2) and a diacylglycerol kinase, respectively, whose functions are still unknown. In this study, mcr-1, mcr-1–hpap2, mcr-3, and mcr-3–dgkA were expressed in Escherichia coli, and recombinant strains were analyzed to detect antimicrobial susceptibility and changes in the expre… Leer más

Environmental determinants influencing anthrax distribution in Queen Elizabeth Protected Area, Western Uganda

Investigation article published in PLoS ONE

Bacillus anthracis, the bacteria that causes anthrax, a disease that primarily affects herbivorous animals, is a soil borne endospore-forming microbe. Environmental distribution of viable spores determines risky landscapes for herbivore exposure and subsequent anthrax outbreaks. Spore survival and longevity depends on suitable conditions in its environment. Anthrax is endemic in Queen Elizabeth Protected Area in western Uganda. Periodic historical outbreaks with significant wildlife losses date to 1950s, but B. anthracis ecological niche in the ecosystem is poorly understood. This study used t… Leer más

Alpha- and gammaherpesviruses in stranded striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) from Spain: first molecular detection of gammaherpesvirus infection in central nervous system of odontocetes

Investigation published in BMC Veterinary Research

Background: Herpesvirus infections in cetaceans have always been attributed to the Alphaherpesvirinae and Gammaherpesvirinae subfamilies. To date, gammaherpesviruses have not been reported in the central nervous system of odontocetes. Case presentation: A mass stranding of 14 striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) occurred in Cantabria (Spain) on 18th May 2019. Tissue samples were collected and tested for herpesvirus using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and for cetacean morbillivirus using reverse transcription-PCR. Cetacean morbillivirus was not detected in any of the animals, whi… Leer más

Quantitation of monoclonal antibody by capture ELISA based on initial enzyme activity rate

Journal of Immunological Methods publish this investigation article

We developed a noncompetitive two-site sandwich ELISA to quantitate monoclonal antibodies in culture supernatant. This assay measures the initial enzyme activity rate during the first minute of the reaction, which ensures linear velocity relative to time and a progress curve slope proportional to analyte concentration. During this period, the enzyme substrate is in large excess relative to the analyte/antibody-enzyme complex, and enzyme catalysis proceeds in steady-state conditions. Analyses of repeatability gave coefficients of variation between 4.4 and 9.7 (interassay) and 4.4 and 6.4 (intra… Leer más

Modelling the effect of test‐and‐slaughter strategies to control bovine tuberculosis in endemic high prevalence herds

Investigation article published in Transboundary and Emerging Diseases

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) prevalence substantially increased over the past two decades with relatively high impact on large dairy herds, raising the concern of regulatory authorities and industry stakeholders, and threatening animal and public health. Lack of resources, together with the economic and social consequences of whole‐herd stamping‐out, makes depopulation an impractical disease control alternative in these herds. The increase in bTB prevalence was associated with demographic and management changes in the dairy industry in Uruguay, reducing the efficacy of the current con… Leer más

Assessing the benefits of composting poultry manure in reducing antimicrobial residues, pathogenic bacteria, and antimicrobial resistance genes: a field-scale study

Investigation article published in Environmental Science and Pollution Research

The poultry industry in the European Union produces 13 million tons of manure annually, which represents a major health and environmental challenge. Composting is an environmental-friendly technique for the management of manure, but there are few studies about antibiotic residues and antimicrobial resistances at a field scale. The goal of this study was to determine if the composting of poultry manure at a field scale would result in the reduction of antibiotic residues, pathogenic bacteria, and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the final fertilizer product. A 10- week composting of poultr… Leer más

- Veterinarios españoles reducen residuos de antibióticos en estiércol de aves - animalshealth.es