Last SCI scientific publications
Evaluation of PCR assays for Campylobacter fetus detection and discrimination between C. fetus subspecies in bovine preputial wash samples
Theriogenology 172:300-306.
Campylobacter fetus is a zoonotic pathogen found in cattle, in which it is one of the main causes of infectious infertility. Most diagnostic laboratories use PCR as quick easy tool for C. fetus identification. However, there is no standardized PCR assay for C. fetus detection and subspecies differentiation, hindering the comparison of results. In this study, we evaluated selected PCR assays targeting the 16S rRNA, gyrB, cpn60, cstA, cdtB and nahE genes for C. fetus identification and ISCfe1, sapB2, parA and virB11 for subspecies differentiation. Analytical sensitivity and specificity were assessed for each PCR assay, and the assays were then tested on 289 bull preputial samples that had also been analysed by 16S rRNA barcode metagenomics. I… Leer más
Polo Vaquero C., Garcia-Seco T., Hernandez M., Fernandez V., Rodriguez-Lazaro D., Goyache J., Dominguez L. and Perez-Sancho M..
The spatial ecology of red deer under different land use and management scenarios: Protected areas, mixed farms and fenced hunting estates
Science Of The Total Environment 786:147124.
The knowledge regarding the spatial ecology of red deer (Cervus elaphus) in different environments is crucial if effective management actions are to be designed. However, this knowledge continues to be scarce in the complex contexts of mixed land use and management circumstances. This study describes the spatial ecology of red deer monitored using GPS collars in Mediterranean ecosystems of South-Central Spain, considering the effect of individual and seasonal (food shortage period, rut, hunting season and food abundance period) factors on different land use and management scenarios, namely protected areas, mixed farms and fenced hunting estates. Our results showed less activity (ACT), a shorter daily range (DR) and a smaller home range (HR)… Leer más
Laguna E., Carpio AJ., Vicente J., Barasona JA., Triguero R., Jiménez-Ruiz S., Gomez-Manzaneque A. and Acevedo P.
Conjugation Inhibitors Effectively Prevent Plasmid Transmission in Natural Environments
MBio 12(4):e0127721.
Plasmid conjugation is a major route for the spread of antibiotic resistance genes. Inhibiting conjugation has been proposed as a feasible strategy to stop or delay the propagation of antibiotic resistance genes. Several compounds have been shown to be conjugation inhibitors in vitro, specifically targeting the plasmid horizontal transfer machinery. However, the in vivo efficiency and the applicability of these compounds to clinical and environmental settings remained untested. Here we show that the synthetic fatty acid 2-hexadecynoic acid (2-HDA), when used as a fish food supplement, lowers the conjugation frequency of model plasmids up to 10-fold in controlled water microcosms. When added to the food for mice, 2-HDA diminished the conjuga… Leer más
Palencia-Gandara C., Getino M., Moyano G., Redondo S., Fernandez-Lopez R., Gonzalez-Zorn B. and de la Cruz F.
Assigning Defined Daily/Course Doses for Antimicrobials in Turkeys to Enable a Cross-Country Quantification and Comparison of Antimicrobial Use
Antibiotics 10(8):971.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens our public health and is mainly driven by antimicrobial usage (AMU). For this reason the World Health Organization calls for detailed monitoring of AMU over all animal sectors involved. Therefore, we aimed to quantify AMU on turkey farms. First, turkey-specific Defined Daily Dose (DDDturkey) was determined. These were compared to the broiler alternative from the European Surveillance of Veterinary Antimicrobial Consumption (DDDvet), that mention DDDvet as a proxy for other poultry species. DDDturkey ranged from being 81.5% smaller to 48.5% larger compared to its DDDvet alternative for broilers. Second, antimicrobial treatments were registered on 60 turkey farms divided over France, Germany and Spain … Leer más
Joosten P., Sarrazin S., Chauvin C., Moyano G., Wadepohl K., Van Gompel L., Wagenaar J., Dewulf J. and EFFORT Group.
Isolation and immunophenotyping by flow cytometry of canine peripheral blood and intraepithelial and lamina propria duodenal T lymphocytes
Veterinary Immunology And Immunopathology 239:110305.
The gut associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) effector sites play a crucial role on the pathogenesis of many immune-mediated gastrointestinal diseases. The lymphocytes at these effector sites are principally T cells which present important morphological, phenotypical and functional differences. Flow cytometry (FC) is one of the most commonly used techniques to characterize intestinal lymphocytes in human and animal models. Published studies with a focus on dogs for intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) immunophenotyping exist in very limited numbers. Moreover, no lamina propria lymphocytes (LPL) isolation protocols in the canine species have been described for FC evaluation. In addition to immune intestinal dysregulation, imbalances in the peripher… Leer más
Agulla B., Garcia-Sancho M., Sainz A., Rodriguez-Franco F., Diaz-Reganon D., Rodriguez-Bertos A. and Villaescusa A.
Antimicrobial Usage in Companion and Food Animals: Methods, Surveys and Relationships With Antimicrobial Resistance in Animals and Humans, Volume II
Frontiers In Veterinary Science 8:728267.
The best way to quantify antimicrobial use (AMU) in animals has raised wide research interests over the past years. Following the success of the first edition of the Research Topic on “Antimicrobial Usage in Companion and Food Animals: Methods, Surveys, and Relationships with Antimicrobial Resistance in Animals and Humans” Moreno et al., a second edition was launched. The objective was to continue the discussion on AMU metrics and expand the topic to other geographical regions (beyond North American and European Union countries), as well as other animal species (other than cattle, pigs, poultry, cats, or dogs).… Leer más
Collineau L., Carson CA. and Moreno MA..
Genomic evolution of antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli
Scientific Reports 11(1):15108.
The emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the biggest health threats globally. In addition, the use of antimicrobial drugs in humans and livestock is considered an important driver of antimicrobial resistance. The commensal microbiota, and especially the intestinal microbiota, has been shown to have an important role in the emergence of AMR. Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) also play a central role in facilitating the acquisition and spread of AMR genes. We isolated Escherichia coli (n = 627) from fecal samples in respectively 25 poultry, 28 swine, and 15 veal calf herds from 6 European countries to investigate the phylogeny of E. coli at country, animal host and farm levels. Furthermore, we examine the evolution of AMR in E. … Leer más
Leekitcharoenphon P., Hans Kristofer Johansson M., Munk P., Malorny B., Skarzynska M., Wadepohl K., Moyano G., Hesp A., Veldman KT., Bossers A., EFFORT Consortium., Zajac M., Wasyl D., Sanders P., Gonzalez-Zorn B., Brouwer A., Wagenaar J., Heederik D., Mevius D. and Aarestrup FM.
First Detection of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 Variant of Concern in an Asymptomatic Dog in Spain
Viruses-Basel 13(7):1379.
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 addition, viral isolation was possible from both swabs, demonstrating that the dog was shedding infectious virus. Seroconversion occurred 23 days afte… Leer más
Barroso-Arevalo S., Rivera B., Dominguez L. and Sanchez-Vizcaino JM..
Environment, vector, or host? Using machine learning to untangle the mechanisms driving arbovirus outbreaks
Ecological Applications e02407.
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 of BTV outbreak risk were serotype-specific by examining the most prevalent serotypes recorded in Europe (1, 4, and 8). We used a robust machine learni… Leer más
Alkhamis M., Fountain-Jones NM., Aguilar-Vega C. and Sanchez-Vizcaino JM..
Detection of Hepatitis E Virus in Hyalomma lusitanicum Ticks Feeding on Wild Boars
Frontiers In Microbiology 12:692147.
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 several European countries (Madison-Antenucci et al., 2020), such as Spain and the Czechia (Kriz et al., 2014; Moraga-Fernández et al., 2020), spread… Leer más
Rivero-Juarez A., Risalde MA., Gortazar C., Lopez-Lopez P., Barasona JA., Frias M., Caballero-Gomez J., de la Fuente JM. and Rivero A.
