Last SCI scientific publications
A rugged yet easily navigable fitness landscape
Science 382(6673):eadh3860.
Fitness landscape theory predicts that rugged landscapes with multiple peaks impair Darwinian evolution, but experimental evidence is limited. In this study, we used genome editing to map the fitness of >260,000 genotypes of the key metabolic enzyme dihydrofolate reductase in the presence of the antibiotic trimethoprim, which targets this enzyme. The resulting landscape is highly rugged and harbors 514 fitness peaks. However, its highest peaks are accessible to evolving populations via abundant fitness-increasing paths. Different peaks share large basins of attraction that render the outcome of adaptive evolution highly contingent on chance events. Our work shows that ruggedness need not be an obstacle to Darwinian evolution but can reduce … Leer más
Papkou A., Garcia-Pastor L., Escudero JA. and Wagner A.
Forensic investigations of religious rituals involving poultry: a case report
Journal Of Comparative Pathology 207:91-95.
Animal victims of human cruelty are receiving increasing attention from the press and society. Veterinary pathologists and civic authorities have a duty not only to elucidate the cause, method and manner of death but also to address the motivation behind a case. Poultry are commonly used as offering to gods in Santería rituals (ebos). Only a few cases have been reported in scientific journals, in contrast with the number of cases described in the media. Here, a hen and a cockerel (Gallus domesticus) were submitted to
the VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre for autopsy, which comprised macroscopic and histological studies and microbiological testing for Chlamydia psittaci, avian orthoavulavirus 1 (Newcastle disease virus), West Nile vi… Leer más
Vazquez-Fernadez E., Rebollada A., Chinchilla-Rodríguez B., Porras N. and Rodriguez-Bertos A..
Risk Factors for Salmonella Detection in Commercial Layer Flocks in Spain
Animals 13(20):3181.
Foodborne salmonellosis remains one of the top zoonotic diseases affecting public health worldwide, and its incidence has remained stable in the last years in the European Union (EU) triggering questions on the usefulness of currently available measures to prevent its occurrence. A main focus of Salmonella national control programs is monitoring the presence of the bacteria in animal reservoirs, especially in poultry, and for this reason, thousands of samples are collected every year in poultry farms in EU countries, but the importance of certain factors in the probability of detecting Salmonella remains poorly understood. A thorough analysis conducted on data collected in all laying hen flocks sampled in Spain in 2015–2020 revealed that ev… Leer más
Samper-Cativiela C., Prieto M., Collado S., De Frutos C., Branscum AJ., Saez-Llorente JL. and Alvarez J..
Profile and resistance levels of 136 integron resistance genes
Npj Antimircobials And Resistance 1:13.
Integrons have played a major role in the rise and spread of multidrug resistance in Gram-negative pathogens and are nowadays commonplace among clinical isolates. These platforms capture, stockpile, and modulate the expression of more than 170 antimicrobial resistance cassettes (ARCs) against most clinically-relevant antibiotics. Despite their importance, our knowledge on their profile and resistance levels is patchy, because data is scattered in the literature, often reported in different genetic backgrounds and sometimes extrapolated from sequence similarity alone. Here we have generated a collection of 136 ARCs against 8 antibiotic families and disinfectants. Cassettes are cloned in a vector designed to mimic the genetic environment of a… Leer más
Hipolito A., Garcia-Pastor L., Vergara-Gonzalez E., Jove T. and Escudero JA..
New insights into the pathogenesis and transmission of Brucella pinnipedialis: systemic infection in two bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus)
Microbiology Spectrum e0199723.
The emergence of Brucella infections in marine mammals is a growing concern. The present study reports two cases of systemic Brucella pinnipedialis infection detected in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) pair stranded together in the Cantabrian coast of Spain. Both animals showed systemic lesions associated with the Brucella infection, more severe in the younger dolphin, considered the likely offspring of the other individual. Real-time PCR, bacterial culture, and whole-genome sequencing were used to detect and characterize the Brucella strains involved in both dolphins. The phylogenetic analysis performed on the Brucella genomes retrieved revealed that the species involved was B. pinnipedialis (ST25). Both animals resulted seroposit… Leer más
Vargas-Castro I., Crespo-Picazo JL., Fayos M., Jimenez-Martinez MA., Torre-Fuentes L., Alvarez J., Moura AE., Hernandez M., Buendia A., Barroso-Arevalo S., Garcia-Seco T., Perez-Sancho M., de Miguel MJ., Andres-Barranco S., Marco-Cabedo V., Penin-Villahoz G., Munoz PM., Dominguez L., Garcia-Parraga D. and Sanchez-Vizcaino JM..
A retrospective study of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in dogs and cats in the Community of Madrid, Spain
Frontiers In Microbiology 14:1264172.
To date, susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection in domestic animals including cats and dogs has been described. However, it is important to carry out passive surveillance of these animals to be aware of any changes in the outcomes of the disease in these species that may occur. In this study, we have performed a retrospective study in which we analyzed sera (n = 1,640) from random animals: dogs (n = 1,381) and cats (n = 259) belonging to both homes (n = 1,533) and animal protection centers (n = 107) in the Community of Madrid, Spain. Neutralizing antibodies were evaluated between November 2021 and May 2022 using a surrogate ELISA kit to determine the seroprevalence. Based on the results obtained, a few animals (both cats and dogs) presented… Leer más
Sánchez-Morales L., Sanchez-Vizcaino JM., Dominguez L. and Barroso-Arevalo S.
Haemato-biochemical characterization of equine piroplasmosis asymptomatic carriers and seropositive, real-time PCR negative horses
Veterinary Parasitology 323:110046.
Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is caused by Theileria equi and Babesia caballi, transmitted by tick vectors. Horses can suffer an acute, subacute, and chronic forms of the disease, with clinical signs such as poor performance, fever, pale mucosal membranes, and jaundice. The diagnosis of EP subclinical cases is complex due to the sensitivity of real-time PCR and the limited parasite load in some carriers, making it challenging to differentiate them from seropositive, PCR negative (S+PCR-) individuals. This study aimed to describe haematological and biochemical changes in asymptomatic EP carriers, EP S+PCR- horses and control horses (EP seronegative and PCR negative). It also investigated potential haemato-biochemical markers to aid in distinguis… Leer más
Dorrego-Rodriguez A., Camino E., Gago F., Buendia A., Acurio Cutschi KL., Gonzalez S., de Juan L. and Cruz F..
Quantitative risk assessment of African swine fever introduction into Spain by legal import of swine products
Research In Veterinary Science 163:104990.
African swine fever (ASF) is currently threatening the global swine industry. Its unstoppable global spread poses a serious risk to Spain, one of the world`s leading producers. Over the past years, there has been an increased global burden of ASF not only in swine but also swine products. Unfortunately, many pigs are not diagnosed before slaughter and their products are used for human consumption. These ASF-contaminated products are only a source for new ASF outbreaks when they are consumed by domestic pigs or wild boar, which may happen either by swill feeding or landfill access. This study presents a quantitative stochastic risk assessment model for the introduction of ASF into Spain via the legal import of swine products, specifically po… Leer más
Munoz-Perez C., Martinez-Lopez B., Gomez-Vazquez JP., Aguilar-Vega C., Bosch J., Ito S., Martinez-Aviles M. and Sanchez-Vizcaino F.
Translating eco-evolutionary biology into therapy to tackle antibiotic resistance
Nature Reviews. Microbiology 21(10):671-685.
Antibiotic resistance is currently one of the most important public health problems. The golden age of antibiotic discovery ended decades ago, and new approaches are urgently needed. Therefore, preserving the efficacy of the antibiotics currently in use and developing compounds and strategies that specifically target antibiotic-resistant pathogens is critical. The identification of robust trends of antibiotic resistance evolution and of its associated trade-offs, such as collateral sensitivity or fitness costs, is invaluable for the design of rational evolution-based, ecology-based treatment approaches. In this Review, we discuss these evolutionary trade-offs and how such knowledge can aid in informing combination or alternating antibiotic … Leer más
Sanz-García F., Gil-Gil T., Laborda P., Blanco P., Ochoa-Sanchez LE., Baquero F., Martinez JL. and Hernando-Amado S.
What can we learn from the five-year African swine fever epidemic in Asia?
Frontiers In Veterinary Science 10:1273417.
Today`s global swine industry is exposed to the unprecedented threat of African swine fever (ASF). Asia, the site of the most recent epidemics, could serve as a huge viral reservoir for the rest of the world given the severity of the damage, the huge swine industry, and the high volume of trade with other countries around the world. As the majority of ASF notifications in Asia today originate from pig farms, the movement of live pigs and associated pork products are considered critical control points for disease management. Particularly, small-scale or backyard farms with low biosecurity levels are considered major risk factors. Meanwhile, wild boars account for most notified cases in some countries and regions, which makes the epidemiologi… Leer más
Ito S., Kawaguchi N., Bosch J., Aguilar-Vega C. and Sanchez-Vizcaino JM..
