Last SCI scientific publications
Circulation of a novel strain of dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) in stranded cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea
Scientific Reports 9:9792.
Dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) has been responsible for several outbreaks of systemic infection and has resulted in cetacean strandings in the Mediterranean. In August-October 2016, seven striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) stranded on the Sicilian coastline (Italy) tested positive for DMV. Tissue samples from brain, lung, pulmonary lymph nodes, heart, spleen, liver, stomach, intestine, kidneys and urinary bladder, as well as blowhole swabs, were collected during necropsy for molecular diagnostics and pathology studies. Extracted tissue RNA was screened for DMV by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Some tissues exhibited microscopic lesions that were consistent with DMV infection on histopathological and immu… Leer más
Mira F., Rubio-Guerri C., Purpari G., Puleio R., Caracappa G., Gucciardi F., Russoto L., Ruggero-Loria G. and Guercio A.
Nucleotide sequence variations may be associated with virulence of deformed wing virus
Apidologie 1-15.
Western honey bees (Apis mellifera) are key players in crop pollination and in the maintenance of global biodiversity. Their viability is threatened by Varroa destructor, which acts as a vector of the deformed wing virus (DWV). Several genetic DWV variants have been reported, but it is unclear whether their virulence differs. We examined the prevalence of V. destructor and DWV as well as bee health in two colonies over 21 months and then characterizing DWV variants from each colony using phylogenetics. Colony H showed no signs of disease or mortality, and DWV sequence from this colony clustered with VDV/DWV-B sequences previously reported in healthy colonies. Colony W showed DWV symptoms, and DWV sequence clustered with DWV-A sequences prev… Leer más
Barroso-Arevalo S., Vicente-Rubiano M., Molero F., Puerta F. and Sanchez-Vizcaino JM..
Host Richness Increases Tuberculosis Disease Risk in Game-Managed Areas
Microorganisms 7(6):182.
Current scientific debate addresses whether species richness in animal communities may negatively moderate pathogen transmission and disease outcome (dilution effect), or to the contrary, if disease emergence benefits from more diverse community assemblages (amplification effect). The result may not depend exclusively on patterns of host species biodiversity but may depend on the specific composition of reservoir hosts and vectors, and their ecology. Host–pathogen interactions have shaped variations in parasite virulence, transmissibility and specificity. In the same way the importance of factors related to host exposure or to life history trade-offs are expected to vary. In this study, we demonstrate that ungulate host species richness cor… Leer más
Barasona JA., Gortazar C., de la Fuente J. and Vicente J.
Weaned piglets: another factor to be considered for the control of Salmonella infection in breeding pig farms
Veterinary Research 50:45.
Field studies on Salmonella infection in suckling piglets are scarce due to the intrinsic difficulties of collecting proper samples (i.e. tonsils or mesenteric lymph nodes), and most of them rely on the analysis of rectal swabs that limit their accuracy. We used 495 slaughtered 4-weeks-old male piglets intended for human consumption from 5 Salmonella-seropositive breeding farms to collect gastrointestinal packages and perform a thorough detection of Salmonella on mesenteric lymph nodes and intestinal content. The overall prevalence of both infection and shedding was high (≈ 36%) indicating that piglets played an active role in Salmonella maintenance in the farms. Major serotypes found in piglets included 4,[5],12:i: (35.4%), Ris… Leer más
Casanova-Higes A., Marin-Alcala CM., Andres-Barranco S., Cebollada-Solanas A., Alvarez J. and Mainar-Jaime RC.
High Load of Deformed Wing Virus and Varroa destructor Infestation Are Related to Weakness of Honey Bee Colonies in Southern Spain
Frontiers In Microbiology (10)1331, 1-8.
Many factors, including pathogens, contribute to the continuing losses of colonies of the honey bee Apis mellifera, which has led to steady population decline. In particular, colony losses have been linked to deformed wing virus (DWV) and the Varroa destructor mite. To clarify the potential role of these two pathogens in honey bee colony weakening and loss, we sampled colonies in southern Spain during a 21-month period and analyzed the samples for loads of four viruses and varroa. Loads of DWV and black queen cell virus as well as varroa infestation negatively correlated with colony vigor as measured using the subjective colony strength method. Logistic regression identified varroa and DWV as the main factors involved in colony weakening. O… Leer más
Barroso-Arevalo S., Fernandez-Carrion E., Goyache J., Molero F., Puerta F. and Sanchez-Vizcaino JM..
Estimating day range from camera-trap data: the animals’ behaviour as a key parameter
Journal Of Zoology 1-9.
Day range (DR), the distance travelled by an individual during the day, is an important metric in movement ecology that recently gained interest by its relevance for estimating population density through the random encounter model (REM). Traditionally, DR has been estimated using GPS technology and considering raw straight-line distances between consecutive locations, which is an underestimation of the true path distance. In this work, we tested the accuracy of a new approach based on camera-trap data for the estimation of DR taking into account the animals’ behaviour. For this purpose, we considered wild boar (Sus scrofa) as a model species. We tagged 18 individuals with telemetry devices and then monitored the population with camera-traps… Leer más
Palencia P., Vicente J., Barroso P., Barasona JA., Soriguer RC. and Acevedo P.
Minigene Splicing Assays Identify 12 Spliceogenic Variants of BRCA2 Exons 14 and 15
Frontiers In Genetics 10:503.
A relevant fraction of BRCA2 variants is associated with splicing alterations and with an increased risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC). In this work, we have carried out a thorough study of variants from BRCA2 exons 14 and 15 reported at mutation databases. A total of 294 variants from exons 14 and 15 and flanking intronic sequences were analyzed with the online splicing tools NNSplice and Human Splicing Finder. Fifty-three out of these 294 variants were selected as candidate splicing variants. All variants but one, were introduced into the minigene MGBR2_ex14-20 (with exons 14-20) by site-directed mutagenesis and assayed in MCF-7 cells. Twelve of the remaining 52 variants (23.1%) impaired splicing at different degrees, yie… Leer más
Fraile-Bethencourt E., Valenzuela-Palomo A., Diez-Gomez B., Caloca MJ., Gomez S. and Velasco EA.
Comparison of spatiotemporal patterns of historic natural Anthrax outbreaks in Minnesota and Kazakhstan
PLoS ONE 14(5):e0217144.
Disease spread in populations is a consequence of the interaction between host, pathogen, and environment, i.e. the epidemiological triad. Yet the influences of each triad component may vary dramatically for different settings. Comparison of environmental, demographic, socio-economic, and historical backgrounds may support tailoring site-specific control measures. Because of the long-term survival of Bacillus anthracis, Anthrax is a suitable example for studying the influence of triad components in different endemic settings. We compared the spatiotemporal patterns of historic animal Anthrax records in two endemic areas, located at northern latitudes in the western and eastern hemispheres. Our goal was to compare the spatiotemporal patterns… Leer más
Kanankege KST., Abdrakhmanov SK., Alvarez J., Glaser L., Bender JB., Mukhanbetkaliyev YY., Korennoy FI., Kadyrov AS., Abdrakhmanova AS. and Perez AM.
Development and characterization of mouse monoclonal antibodies to eight human complement components: analysis of reactivity with orthologs of nine mammalian genera
Comparative Immunology, Microbiology And Infectious Diseases 62:7-12.
Abstract
To study complement function in mammalian leishmanioses, we developed mouse monoclonal antibodies to the human complement system components C1q, C4, factor D, factor H, factor B, properdin, C5 and C9. Antibody specificity was determined by indirect and capture ELISA and by Western blot. In flow cytometry analysis, seven antibodies recognized the cognate component on human serum-opsonized Leishmania promastigotes. Antibody reactivity was screened against promastigotes opsonized with sera of nine mammalian genera: pig, guinea pig, goat, rabbit, cat, dog, hamster, jird and rat. No antibody recognized jird epitopes on promastigotes. Anti-C4, -properdin, and -C5b reacted with the orthologous protein of all other mammals tested ex… Leer más
Monedero M., Infantes-Lorenzo JA., Moreno I., Martin AB., Macias RIR., Torano A. and Dominguez M.
Spleen and head kidney differential gene expression patterns in trout infected with Lactococcus garvieae correlate with spleen granulomas
Veterinary Research 50(1):32.
Lactococcus garvieae is a significant pathogen in aquaculture with a potential zoonotic risk. To begin to characterize the late immune response of trout to lactococcosis, we selected infected individuals showing clinical signs of lactococcosis. At the time lactococcosis clinical signs appeared, infection by L. garvieae induced a robust inflammatory response in the spleen of rainbow trout, which correlated with abundant granulomatous lesions. The response in kidney goes in parallel with that of spleen, and most of the gene regulations are similar in both organs. A correlation existed between the early inflammatory granulomas in spleen (containing macrophages with internalized L. garvieae) and up-regulated gene sets, which defined the presenc… Leer más
Castro R., Coll J., Blanco MDM., Rodriguez-Bertos A., Jouneau L., Fernandez-Garayzabal JF. and Gibello A.
