Isabel G Fernandez de Mera

University of Castilla-La Mancha · Sanidad y Biotecnología (SaBio)

Bagaza virus emerged in Spain in 2010 and was not reported in other countries in Europe until 2021, when the virus was detected by molecular methods in a corn bunting and several red-legged partridges in Portugal. Sequencing revealed high similarity between the 2021 strains from Portugal and the 2010 strains from Spain.

Flaviviruses such as West Nile (WNV), Usutu (USUV) and Bagaza (BAGV) virus and avian malaria parasites are vector borne pathogens that circulate naturally between avian and mosquito hosts. WNV and USUV and potentially also BAGV constitute zoonoses. Temporal and spatial co‐circulation and co‐infection with Plasmodium spp., and West Nile virus has be...

Flaviviruses West Nile (WNV), Usutu (USUV) and Bagaza (BAGV) virus and avian malaria parasites are vector borne pathogens that circulate naturally between avian and mosquito hosts. WNV and USUV and potentially also BAGV constitute zoonoses. Temporal and spatial co-circulation and co-infection with Plasmodium spp., and West Nile virus has been docum...

A preliminary study of pathogens presents in bats: Identification of new tick-borne pathogen genetic variant. (In Spanish). Chiroptera is one of the most abundant, diverse, and geographically widespread orders of mammals in the world. Thirty-one species of this order inhabit the Iberian Peninsula. The diversity of habitats they can occupy, combined...

Bagaza virus (BAGV) emerged in Spain, in 2010. Since then, BAGV was not reported in other European countries until September 2021, when BAGV was diagnosed by molecular methods in one corn bunting and several red-legged partridges, after abnormal mortality in Southern Portugal. Sequencing revealed high similarity with strains reported previously.

The genus Anaplasma contains various species capable of causing disease in animals and humans. Anaplasma marginale is one of the main tick-borne pathogens of bovines in tropical and subtropical regions; however, these bacteria are now being detected more frequently in other regions of the world including Europe. In July 2017, abortions, mortality a...

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 challenges the understanding of factors affecting disease progression and severity. The identification of prognostic biomarkers and physiological processes associated with disease symptoms is relevant for the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic interventions to contribute to the control of this p...

Background: The world faces the challenge posed by the interaction between hosts and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) with potential role for arthropod vectors, and the effect of SARS-CoV-2 variants on acquired immunity, vaccine efficacy and coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic control. Proposal: The characterizati...

Humans evolved by losing the capacity to synthesize the glycan Galα1-3Galβ1-(3)4GlcNAc-R (α-Gal), which resulted in the development of a protective response mediated by anti-α-Gal IgM/IgG/IgA antibodies against pathogens containing this modification on membrane proteins. As an evolutionary trade-off, humans can develop the alpha-Gal syndrome (AGS),...

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is the causative agent of the severe tick-borne, often fatal, zoonotic Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), which is widely distributed worldwide. The CCHFV transmission to humans occurs through tick bite, crushing of engorged ticks, or contact with infected host blood. Previously, CCHFV genotype Afr...

Humans evolved by losing the capacity to synthesize the glycan Galα1-3Galβ1-(3)4GlcNAc-R (α-Gal), which resulted in the capacity to develop a protective response mediated by anti-α-Gal IgM/IgG antibodies against pathogens containing this modification on membrane proteins. As an evolutionary trade-off, humans can develop the alpha-Gal syndrome (AGS)...

Abstract The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has affected millions of people worldwide. Recent evidence raised the question about the possibility that cats may be a domestic host for SARS-CoV-2 with unknown implications in disease dissemination. Based on the fact that...

Exploring tick associations with complex microbial communities and single-microbial partners, especially intracellular symbionts, has become crucial to understand tick biology. Of particular interest are the underlying interactions with biological consequences i.e. tick fitness, vector competence. In this study, we first sequenced the 16S rRNA bact...

Humans evolved by losing the capacity to synthesize the glycan Galα1-3Galβ1-(3)4GlcNAc-R (α-Gal), which resulted in the development of a protective response mediated by anti-α-Gal IgM/IgG/IgA antibodies against pathogens containing this modification on membrane proteins. As an evolutionary trade-off, humans can develop the alpha-Gal syndrome (AGS),...

The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID‐19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) has affected millions of people worldwide. The characterization of the immunological mechanisms involved in disease symptomatology and protective response is important to advance in disease control and prevention. Humans evolved by...

Since March 2020, Spain (along with many other countries) has been severely affected by the ongoing coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the rapid spread of a new virus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; SARS-CoV-2). As part of global efforts to improve disease surveillance, we investigated how readily SARS-CoV-2 RNA...

Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) are considered to be the most important vectors of disease-causing pathogens in domestic and wild animals, and emerging and re-emerging tick-borne diseases (TBD) exert an enormous impact on them. Wild ungulates are hosts for a wide variety of tick species and tick-borne pathogens that affect human and animal health. Conseque...

The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has affected millions of people worldwide. The characterization of the immunological mechanisms involved in disease symptomatology and protective response is important to advance in disease control and prevention. Humans evolved by...

Triazole fungicides are the most widely used products to treat cereal seeds. Granivorous birds, such as red-legged partridges (Alectoris rufa), which consume seeds left on the surface of fields after sowing have a high risk of exposure. As triazole fungicides can affect sterol synthesis, we tested the hypothesis that treated seed consumption could...

Background: Since March 2020, Spain is severely hit by the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Understanding and disrupting the early transmission dynamics of the infection is crucial for impeding sustained transmission. Methods: We recorded all COVID-19 cases...

The agricultural intensification that has occurred since the middle of the last century and the use of agrochemicals are among the main risks for wildlife associated with these environments. The treatment of seeds with pesticides is an extended practice in the current agriculture. In particular, triazole fungicides are the most widely used products...

Ticks are obligate hematophagous arthropods and vectors of pathogens affecting human and animal health worldwide. Cement is a complex protein polymerization substance secreted by ticks with antimicrobial properties and a possible role in host attachment, sealing the feeding lesion, facilitating feeding and pathogen transmission, and protection from...

Blood-feeding ectoparasites constitute a growing burden for human and animal health, and animal production worldwide. In particular, mites (Acari: Gamasida) of the genera Dermanyssus (Dermanyssidae) and Ornithonyssus (Macronyssidae) infest birds and cause gamasoidosis in humans. The tropical fowl mite, Ornithonyssus bursa, is commonly found in trop...

Spotted fever group (SFG) Rickettsia are zoonotic and emerging pathogens with considerable impact in public and animal health. Greece is an endemic country of diseases caused by SFG Rickettsia. This work aims to evaluate the prevalence of SFG Rickettsia in ticks collected from domestic hosts including sheep, goats and dogs. Several genetic markers...

The analysis of haptoglobin (Hp) serum concentration is a very sensitive, but non-specific, indicator of inflammation or infection. Methods to accurately diagnose infection in vivo in wildlife are usually constrained by low sensitivity due to the effects of stress on individual immune response and the challenging logistics of performing tests in th...

Exploring the microbial diversity of ticks is crucial to understand geographical dispersion and pathogen transmission. Tick microbes participate in many biological processes implicated in the acquisition, maintenance, and transmission of pathogens, and actively promote host phenotypic changes, and adaptation to new environments. The microbial commu...

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFv) is the most widespread tick-borne virus in the world. This zoonotic agent circulates unnoticed in animals and constitutes a threat to public health with a fatality rate ranging 10 to 40% in humans. Since the first CCHFv sequence data were published, many publications have demonstrated the high diversit...

Ticks are vectors for a variety of human and animal pathogens (bacteria, protozoa and viruses). In order to investigate the pathogens carried by ticks in Greece, a total of 179 adult ticks (114 female and 65 male) were collected from domestic animals (sheep, goats and dogs) from 14 prefectures of six regions of Greece. Among them, 40 were Dermacent...

Background: Hunting constitutes an important industry in Europe. However, data on the prevalence of vector-borne bacteria in large game animal species are lacking from several countries. Blood or spleen samples (239 and 270, respectively) were taken from red, fallow and roe deer, as well as from water buffaloes, mouflons and wild boars in Hungary,...

In Europe, several species of bats, owls and kestrels exemplify highly urbanised, flying vertebrates, which may get close to humans or domestic animals. Bat droppings and bird pellets may have epidemiological, as well as diagnostic significance from the point of view of pathogens. In this work 221 bat faecal and 118 bird pellet samples were screene...

Here, we report the draft genome sequences of isolates of Anaplasma phagocytophilum , Anaplasma marginale , and Anaplasma ovis . The genomes of A. phagocytophilum (human), A. marginale (cattle), and A. ovis (goat) isolates from the United States were sequenced and characterized. This is the first report of an A. ovis genome sequence.

La expansión y posteriores explosiones demográficas recurrentes del topillo campesino (Microtus arvalis) se han asociado a problemas de carácter socioeconómico y sanitario. El control demográfico mediante medidas encamidas a favorecer la presencia de depredadores generalistas podría tener un efecto positivo sobre el control de patógenos. Este estud...

Tick-borne diseases have become a world health concern, emerging with increasing incidence in recent decades. Spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae are tick-borne pathogens recognized as important agents of human tick-borne diseases worldwide. In this study, 88 adult ticks from the species Hyalomma anatolicum, Rhipicephalus annulatus, Rh. bursa, Rh...

The objective of this study was to screen and identify rickettsial organisms in ectoparasites collected from dogs in a shelter in Gomez Palacio, Durango, Mexico. One hundred dogs were inspected for ectoparasites. All the dogs were parasitized with Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks, three with Heterodoxus spiniger lice and one with Ctenocephalides feli...

Anaplasma phagocytophilum is an emerging tick-borne pathogen causing human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA), tick-borne fever (TBF) in small ruminants, and other forms of anaplasmosis in different domestic and wild animals. The main vectors of this pathogen are Ixodes tick species, particularly I. scapularis in the United States and I. ricinus in Eu...

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is an emerging tick-borne zoonotic disease caused by the CCHF virus (CCHFV). In this study, an experimental approach combining RT-PCR and proteomics was used for the identification and characterization of CCHFV in 106 ticks from 7 species that were collected from small ruminants in Greece. The methodological a...

Tick-borne infectious diseases and allergies are a growing problem worldwide. Tick bite allergy has been associated with the direct effect of immunoglobulin E (IgE) response to tick salivary antigens, or secondary to the induction of allergy to red meat consumption through IgE antibodies against the carbohydrate α-Gal (Gal α 1-3Gal β 1-(3)4GlcNAc-R...

Anaplasrna phagocytophilum transmembrane and surface proteins play a role during infection and multiplication in host neutrophils and tick vector cells. Recently, A. phagocytophilum Major surface protein 4 (MSP4) and Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) were shown to be localized on the bacterial membrane, with a possible role during pathogen infection in...

Las garrapatas han prosperado en las últimas décadas de forma alarmante gracias al cambio climático, ocasionando importantes pérdidas económicas y transmitiendo peligrosas enfermedades al hombre como la fiebre hemorrágica de Crimea-Congo, enfermedad de Lyme, encefalitis vírica, la anaplasmosis granulocítica humana y un largo etcétera. El cazador se...

Evidences of the implication of wildlife in the ecology of Coxiella burnetii - the causal agent of Q fever in ruminants, pets and humans - are increasing. This suggests that wildlife may pose a threat to domestic animal and human health in interaction scenarios. Any potential attempt to link Q fever outbreaks in domestic animals and humans with wil...

Evidences point to a relevant role of wildlife in the ecology of Coxiella burnetii worldwide. The lack of information on C. burnetii genotypes in wildlife prevents tracing-back clinical animal and human Q fever cases with potential wildlife origin. To compare C. burnetii genotypes circulating in wildlife, livestock and humans, 107 samples from red...

Hard ticks and tsetse flies are regarded as the most important vectors of disease agents in Sub-Saharan Africa. With the aim of screening these blood-sucking arthropods for vector-borne pathogens belonging to the family Anaplasmataceae in South-Western Ethiopia, four species of tsetse flies (collected by traps) and seven species of ixodid ticks (re...

Several aspects of the dynamics of Coxiella burnetii that are relevant for the implementation of control strategies in ruminant herds with endemic Q-fever are unknown. We designed a longitudinal study to monitor the dynamics of exposure to C. burnetii in a red deer herd with endemic infection in order to allow the design of Q fever specific control...

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an immune-mediated peripheral neuropathy. The goal of this research was the identification of biomarkers associated with recovery from GBS. Here we compared the transcriptome of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from a GBS patient and her healthy twin to discover possible correlates of disease progression and recov...

Vector-borne diseases (VBD) challenge our understanding of emerging diseases. Recently, arthropod vectors have been involved in emerging anaphylactic diseases. In particular, the immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody response to the carbohydrate Galα1-3Galβ1-(3)4GlcNAc-R (α-gal) following a tick bite was associated with allergies to red meat, cetuximab,...

Background Phylogeographical studies allow precise genetic comparison of specimens, which were collected over large geographical ranges and belong to the same or closely related animal species. These methods have also been used to compare ticks of veterinary-medical importance. However, relevant data are missing in the case of ixodid ticks of bats,...

Background: In rural parts of Africa, dogs live in close association with humans and livestock, roam freely, and usually do not receive prophylactic measures. Thus, they are a source of infectious disease for humans and for wildlife such as protected carnivores. In 2011, an epidemiological study was carried out around three conservation areas in Ug...

In 2011, neurological disease was reported in a herd of goats (Capra hircus) in Asturias, Spain. Initial sequencing identified the causative agent as louping ill virus (LIV). Subsequently, with the application of whole genome sequencing and phylogenic analysis, empirical data demonstrates that the LIV-like virus detected is significantly divergent...

Background Recently a new hard tick species, Ixodes ariadnae has been discovered, adding to the two known ixodid tick species (I. vespertilionis and I. simplex) of bats in Europe.FindingsScanning electron microscopic comparison of adult females of these species shows morphological differences concerning the palps, the scutum, the Haller¿s organ, th...

##Assembly-Data-START## Assembly Method :: SeqMan v. Lasergene 10 Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##

##Assembly-Data-START## Assembly Method :: SeqMan v. Lasergene 10 Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##

Background The prevalence of bovine babesiosis caused by Babesia divergens has been declining during the past decades in northeastern Hungary, and no cases have been observed since 2008. Infections of cattle with B. major and Theileria buffeli were hitherto reported in southern and western Europe. In other parts of the globe, there is evidence of e...

The diversity of Babesia species infecting cervids in parts of central and southern Spain was analyzed by collecting blood from farmed red deer (Cervus elaphus). Babesia sp. was isolated in vitro from two red deer herds in Cádiz and Ciudad Real. The number of Babesia sp. carriers differed between the two herds: 36/77 in Cádiz and 1/35 in Ciudad Rea...

The red deer (Cervus elaphus) sheds C. burnetii to the environment [2] and is the most abundant wild ruminant in Europe [3]. Vaccinating red deer may control the spread of C. burneti, at least in con‐ trolled populations, but understanding the dyna‐ mics of C. burnetii in the long time would im‐ prove Q fever control schemes [4]. Infection dy‐ nami...

The diversity of Babesia species infecting cervids in parts of central and southern Spain was analyzed by collecting blood from farmed red deer (Cervus elaphus). Babesia sp. was isolated in vitro from two red deer herds in Cádiz and Ciudad Real. The number of Babesia sp. carriers differed between the two herds: 36/77 in Cádiz and 1/35 in Ciudad Rea...

Anaplasma marginale (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae) is an obligate intracellular bacterium that multiplies exclusively within membrane-bound vacuoles in the cytoplasm of host cells. A number of A. marginale isolates can be propagated in the Ixodes scapularis IDE8 tick cell line, which provides a reliable source of antigens for a wide variety of st...

Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabricius, 1794) is distributed in Europe and Asia where it infests and transmits disease-causing pathogens to humans, pets and other domestic and wild animals. However, despite its role as a vector of emerging or re-emerging diseases, very little information is available on the genome, transcriptome and proteome of D. reti...

Piroplasmosis are among the most relevant diseases of domestic animals. Babesia is emerging as cause of tick-borne zoonosis worldwide and free-living animals are reservoir hosts of several zoonotic Babesia species. We investigated the epidemiology of Babesia spp. and Theileria spp. in wild ungulates and carnivores from Northern Italy to determine w...