Investigación

A rugged yet easily navigable fitness landscape

Science publica este artículo de investigación

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 o… Leer más

- El estudio de un gen de resistencia a antibióticos obliga a la revisión de la teoría de la evolución - ucm.es

Brucelosis (Brucella suis, B. ovis, B. ceti) en animales domésticos y fauna silvestre: Nuevos aspectos de la epidemiología, respuesta inmunitaria y patología

Tesis Doctoral defendida por Agustín Miguel Rebollada Merino en el Centro VISAVET de la Universidad Computense de Madrid

La brucelosis (Brucella spp.) es una enfermedad zoonótica reemergente de declaración obligatoria. Está sometida a programas de vigilancia, control y erradicación en todo el mundo. La mayor parte de los Estados Miembros de la Unión Europea, se consideran libres de la enfermedad, pero la brucelosis es endémica en países con renta per cápita baja, limitando su economía y causando enfermedad en humanos. A pesar de la relevancia de muchas de estas especies de Brucella, existen algunos aspectos desconocidos. El objetivo principal de esta Tesis Doctoral ha sido el de explorar nuevos aspectos de la ep… Leer más

Forensic investigations of religious rituals involving poultry: a case report

Investigación publicada en Journal of Comparative Pathology

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 macrosco… Leer más

Risk Factors for Salmonella Detection in Commercial Layer Flocks in Spain

Artículo de investigación publicado en Animals

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 Salmone… Leer más

Profile and resistance levels of 136 integron resistance genes

Investigación publicada en npj Antimircobials and Resistance

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 c… Leer más

New insights into the pathogenesis and transmission of Brucella pinnipedialis: systemic infection in two bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus)

Artículo de investigación publicado en Microbiology Spectrum

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 phylogeneti… Leer más

A retrospective study of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in dogs and cats in the Community of Madrid, Spain

Frontiers in Microbiology publica este artículo de investigación

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… Leer más

Haemato-biochemical characterization of equine piroplasmosis asymptomatic carriers and seropositive, real-time PCR negative horses

Investigación publicada en Veterinary Parasitology

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, E… Leer más

Identificación y caracterización de bacterias resistentes a colistina procedentes de animales de abasto en España. Evaluación de su persistencia y posible diseminación

Tesis Doctoral defendida por Pedro Miguela Villoldo en el Centro VISAVET de la Universidad Computense de Madrid

La colistina es un polipéptido catiónico en desuso como antibiótico desde la década de los setenta debido a su toxicidad, pero que fue reintroducido en medicina humana para tratar infecciones causadas por bacterias Gram negativas multirresistentes, siendo categorizado como antimicrobiano de “último recurso”. En medicina veterinaria la colistina se ha utilizado desde su descubrimiento para el tratamiento de infecciones en animales, especialmente las diarreas post-destete causada por E. coli en lechones y terneros o para el tratamiento de colibacilosis en aves. Inicialmente, la resistencia a … Leer más

Quantitative risk assessment of African swine fever introduction into Spain by legal import of swine products

Artículo de investigación publicado en Research in Veterinary Science

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 p… Leer más

- Estudian el riesgo de introducción de peste porcina africana en España por importación legal de productos porcinos - animalshealth.es