Julio Álvarez Sánchez
Other appointments:
Asesor científico. Vigilancia de Salmonella en animales y resistencia antimicrobiana. Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación (MAPA)
Subdirector de Organización y Recursos Humanos
Associate Professor
Qualifications:
PhD in Veterinary Sciences
Diploma de Estudios Avanzados
Degree in Veterinary Medicine (DVM)
Contact
Biography
After defending my PhD in 2008, focused on different aspects of the epidemiology of tuberculosis and paratuberculosis in Spain, I served as the head of the unit of neglected and emerging diseases in the VISAVET Health Surveillance Center, Spain, for two years, and then held two post-doctoral positions at the Spanish wildlife research institute (IREC) of Ciudad Real, Spain, and at the Research Institute Ramón y Cajal (IRYCIS) focusing on the epidemiology of bacterial zoonotic diseases in wildlife and humans. After this I joined the University of Minnesota in 2014, first as a research associate and then as an assistant professor, and came back to VISAVET in 2018 with a Ramon y Cajal postdoctoral contract. My research is currently focused on the application of quantitative approaches for the study of the epidemiology of infectous diseases in the human-animal-environmental interface.
I have co-authored over 100 papers in the peer-reviewed scientific literature, being first or last author in 36 of them; I have acted as PhD advisor of four students in the last 5 years, and currently act as scientific advisor of the European Laboratory for Bovine Tuberculosis, as well as a scientific reviewer for 12 indexed scientific journals.
I have co-authored over 100 papers in the peer-reviewed scientific literature, being first or last author in 36 of them; I have acted as PhD advisor of four students in the last 5 years, and currently act as scientific advisor of the European Laboratory for Bovine Tuberculosis, as well as a scientific reviewer for 12 indexed scientific journals.
Investigation

Research lines:
- Characterization of the emergence of foodborne pathogens subjected to surveillance and monitoring programs through quantitative epidemiology (EPIQ)
- Evaluation of the performance of diagnostic tests for diseases of importance in animal health and assessment of their application in the frame of control and surveillance programs (EPIQ)

Last scientific publications:
- Leng J., Ferrandis-Vila M., Oldenkamp R., Mehat JW., Fivian-Hughes A., Kumar-Tiwari S., Van der Putten B., Trung-Nguyen V., Bethe A., Clark J., Singh P., Semmler T., Schwarz S., Alvarez J., Hoa NT., Bootsma M., Menge C., Berens C., Schultsz C., Ritchie JM. and La Ragione R.. Evidence of ESBL plasmid transfer and selective persistence of multiple host-associated Escherichia coli isolates in a chicken cecal fermentation model. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, e0082225. 2025. (A)
- Velasco-Reinaldos C., Ortega J., Alvarez J., Infantes-Lorenzo JA., Moreno JC., Sanz C., Romero B., de Juan L., Dominguez L., Dominguez M., Moreno I., Roy A. and Bezos J.. Field evaluation of the P22 ELISA for diagnosis of caprine tuberculosis in an endemic area. Frontiers in veterinary science, 125. 2025. (A)
- Lorente-Leal V., Pozo P., Bezos J., Collado S., Vicente J., Stuber T., Alvarez J., de Juan L. and Romero B.. Revisiting Mycobacterium bovis SB0121 genetic diversity reflects the complexity behind bovine tuberculosis persistence in Spain. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 239:106519. 2025. (A)
- Samper-Cativiela C., Torre-Fuentes L., Bernabé Diéguez B., Maex M., Ugarte-Ruiz M., Carrizo-Coronado P., Hernandez M., Hofle U., Saez-Llorente JL., De Frutos C., Aguero M., Moreno MA., Dominguez L., Herrera-Leon S. and Alvarez J.. Molecular epidemiology of Salmonella Enteritidis in humans and animals in Spain. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 69(4):e0073824. 2025. (A)
- Irrazabal R., Iriarte MV. and Alvarez J.. Non-typhoidal Salmonella in food animals in Paraguay: predominant serovars and resistance phenotypes. Frontiers in veterinary science, 12. 2025. (A)

Last PhD thesis supervised:
- Vicente López Chavarrías. Epidemiology of resistance to aminoglycosides and macrolides in thermotolerant Campylobacter in livestock in Spain. 2025.(Doctorado Internacional)
- Clara Samper Cativiela. Epidemiology of non-typhoidal Salmonella in livestock production and characterization of emerging serovars of public health interes. 2025.
- Pilar Pozo Piñol. Use of Epidemiological Analytic Tools and Molecular Characterization Techniques to Inform Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Programs. 2020.(Doctorado Internacional y Doctorado Industrial)
- Mª Luisa de la Cruz Conty. Application of quantitative analytic methods for the epidemiological study of zoonotic diseases. 2018.(Doctorado Europeo)
- María Teresa García-Seco Romero. Epidemiology of Q fever in domestic ruminants in the central zone of the Iberian peninsula. 2017.
Outreach

Last outreach publications:
- Velasco-Reinaldos C., Ortega J., Romero B., Alvarez J. and Bezos J.. Avances del proyecto internacional imditbap para mejorar el diagnóstico inmunológico de la tuberculosis caprina. Ruminews, Agrinews. 2025.
- Velasco-Reinaldos C., Ortega J., Gómez-Buendía A., Grau A., Lopez M., Alvarez J., Romero B., de Juan L. and Bezos J.. Evaluación de una nueva estrategia para el diagnóstico humoral de la paratuberculosis caprina. Tierras. Caprino, 45, Grupo interempresas. 2024.
- Roy A., Diez-Guerrier A., Perello A. and Alvarez J.. Epizootic hemorrhagic disease: an emerging arbovirosis. Profesión Veterinaria, 101:14-25, Colegio Oficial de Veterinarios de Madrid. 2023.
- Velasco-Reinaldos C., Roy A., Ortega J., Romero B., Alvarez J., Dominguez M., Moreno I., Diez-Guerrier A., de Juan L., Dominguez L. and Bezos J.. Mejorando el diagnóstico para ayudar en la erradicación de la tuberculosis en los rumiantes domésticos: el proyecto internacionalo imdiTBap. Ruminews, Noviembre 2023, Agrinews. 2023.
- Balseiro A. and Alvarez J.. Animal tuberculosis: the (never)ending story?. Albéitar, Grupo Asis. 2023.

Last communications:
- Fedele G., Torre-Fuentes L., Carrizo-Coronado P., Ugarte-Ruiz M., Aguaron A., Gil-Molino M., Quesada A. and Alvarez J.. Salmonella Choleraesuis in swine and wild boar in Spain: characterization of an emergent serovar. International Symposium on Salmonella & Salmonellosis. 2025. (Oral communication)
- Carrizo-Coronado P., Torre-Fuentes L., Ugarte-Ruiz M., Rodriguez-Paredes V., del Pino S., Aguaron A., Saez JL., Lopez-Orozco G., Herrera S. and Alvarez J.. Molecular epidemiology of AMR monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium from multiple sources in Spain. International Symposium on Salmonella & Salmonellosis. 2025. (Oral communication)
- Carrizo-Coronado P., Torre-Fuentes L., Ugarte-Ruiz M., Rodriguez-Paredes V., del Pino S., Aguaron A., Saez JL., Lopez-Orozco G., Herrera S. and Alvarez J.. Variabilidad del linaje Europeo de Salmonella 4,[5],12:i:- en el ganado porcino en España. XI VETINDOC - IX PhDay Complutense. 2025. (Oral communication)
- Barandarian S., Alvarez J., Marfil MJ. and Reyes R.. Tuberculosis animal y tuberculosis zoonótica: un abordaje desde la perspectiva UNA SALUD. XX Congreso Internacional de Investigación y Tecnología. 2025. (Oral communication)
- Wiederkehr C., Munoz-Vargas L., Figueroa-Rojasvertiz KA., Maasoumi N., Rivero E., Ugalde-Brenes D. and Alvarez J.. Enterobacteriaceae and antibiotic resistance in howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) from environments with high anthropogenic influence. 73rd Annual International Conference of the Wildlife Disease Association. 2025. (Poster communication)