VISAVET | Foodborne Zoonoses and Antimicrobial Resistance Unit

Contact

Foodborne Zoonoses and Antimicrobial Resistance Unit
VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre
Universidad Complutense
Av. Puerta de Hierro s/n. 28040 Madrid. Spain

e-mail:

Head office phone: (+34) 913 944 097

Fax: (+34) 913 943 795

Foodborne Zoonoses and Antimicrobial Resistance Unit became operational in 1996 based on the Veterinary Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network (VAV). Nowadays, it includes the study of different food-borne zoonoses (Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. coli, Yersinia, Staphylococcus aureus ...). It is also responsible for analyzing antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic organisms, commensal bacteria of the intestinal tract or clinical isolates. The group has several lines of research on the characterization of important foodborne pathogens for Public Health and the mechanisms involved in the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance by using molecular tecniques as well as sequencing. It is outstanding the leadership of this group in international research projects and its collaboration with Public Administrations and companies. ZTA gives support to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and Environment (MAPAMA) and the Community of Madrid developing surveillance programs for zoonotic agents.

Research

Research lines:

Last scientific publications:

Rebollada A., Vela AI., Canales R., Romani-Cremaschi U., Ugarte-Ruiz M., Buendia A., Perez-Sancho M., Dominguez L., Fernandez-Garayzabal JF. and Rodriguez-Bertos A.. Reproductive loss attributed to Lactococcus petauri infection in a black-and-white ruffed lemur. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation , 37(3):471-474. 2025. (A)
Ortiz-Miravalles L., Prieto A., Kieffer N., Vergara E., Canton R., San Millan A., Baquero F., Hipolito A. and Escudero JA.. Effect of oxygen on antimicrobial resistance genes from a one health perspective. Science of the total environment, 979:179523. 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)
Hernandez M., Falco-Prieto A., Ugarte-Ruiz M., Miguela-Villoldo P., Ocampo-Sosa A., Abad D., Perez-Sancho M., Alvarez J., Dorighello-Cadamuro R., Alves-Elois M., Fongaro G., Quesada A., Gonzalez-Zorn B., Dominguez L., Eiros JM. and Rodriguez-Lazaro D.. Genome Analysis of 6222 Bacterial Isolates from Livestock and Food Environments in Spain to Decipher the Antibiotic Resistome. Antibiotics, 14:281. 2025. (A)
Gil-Serna J., Antunes P., Campoy S., Cid A., Cobo-Molinos A., Durao P., Fajardo C., Fouz B., Freitas AR., Grosso F., de Groot PWJ., de Miguel T., Gonzalez-Zorn B., Hinojosa B., Joao-Leao M., Llagostera M., de Llanos R., Lucia A., Maicas S., Marin I., Martinez-Canamero M., Miranda C., Molina-Guijarro JM., Moreno DA., de los Llanos-Palop M., Perez-Alvarez MJ., Pereira PM., Perez-Garcia MT., Quinteira S., Rioboo C., Robredo B., Rodriguez-Calleja JM., de la Haba RR., Sanchez S., Sanchez-Angulo M., Sanchez-Porro C., Sangari FJ., Santos B., Silveira E., Vicedo B. and Cid VJ.. Citizen Science to Raise Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness in the Community: The MicroMundo Project in Spain and Portugal. Microbial Biotechnology, 18(3):e70123. 2025. (A)

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Last PhD thesis:

Pedro Miguela Villoldo. Identification and characterization of colistin resistant bacteria from food-producing animals in Spain. Assessment of its persistance and possible dissemination. 2023. (Doctorado Internacional)
José Francisco Delgado Blas. Emergencia y diseminación de mecanismos de resistencia a antibióticos de último recurso en bacterias humanas, animales y ambientales. 2021. (Doctorado Europeo)
Gabriel Moyano Ortega. Modelos animales para el estudio de la ecología de las resistencia a antibióticos: Klebsiella pneumoniae resistente a carbapenemas en ambientes nosocomiales. 2019.
Diego Flórez Cuadrado. Genomic characterization and antimicrobial resistance of Campylobacter. 2017. (Doctorado Europeo)
Cristina Martínez Ovejero. Mecanismos emergentes de resistencia a antibióticos en enterobacterias de origen humano, animal y ambiental. 2017. (Doctorado Internacional)

See all thesis

Outreach

Last outreach publications:

Mazariegos M.. Funciones y actuaciones del Veterinario Designado. Ciencia y Tecnología en Investigación Animal. Ed. 1. Universidad de Alcalá. 2022.
Ugarte-Ruiz M., Alvarez J., Escudero JA., Gonzalez-Zorn B., Miguela-Villoldo P., Moreno MA., Rebollada A., Rodriguez-Bertos A. and Dominguez L.. Resistencias antimicrobianas y One Health. REDRISA, Vetdivulga. 2020.
Juez-García M., Alvarez J., Sotodosos-Carpintero M. and Ugarte-Ruiz M.. Asociación entre resistencia a antibióticos y serotipos en Salmonella de transmisión alimentaria. Revista Madrileña de Salud Pública, 4(5):1-8, Dirección General de Salud Pública de la Consejería de Sanidad de la Comunidad de Madrid. 2020.
Gonzalez-Zorn B.. Listeriosis: así es la alarma sanitaria del verano 2019. ucm.es/otri, Universidad Complutense. 2019.
Florez-Cuadrado D., Moreno MA., Ugarte-Ruiz M. and Dominguez L.. Antimicrobial Resistance in the Food Chain in the European Union. Biological Emerging Risks in Foods. Ed. 1. 86(5):115-136, Academic Press. 2018.