Revistas
Autores:
Moreno, E.; Middlebrook, E. A.; Altamirano-Silva, P.; et al.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
ISSN:
0095-1137
Año:
2023
Vol.:
61
N°:
8
Págs.:
1 - 8
Bacteria of the genus Brucella are facultative intracellular parasites that cause brucellosis, a severe animal and human disease. Recently, a group of taxonomists merged the brucellae with the primarily free-living, phylogenetically related Ochrobactrum spp. in the genus Brucella. This change, founded only on global genomic analysis and the fortuitous isolation of some opportunistic Ochrobactrum spp. from medically compromised patients, has been automatically included in culture collections and databases. We argue that clinical and environmental microbiologists should not accept this nomenclature, and we advise against its use because (i) it was presented without in-depth phylogenetic analyses and did not consider alternative taxonomic solutions; (ii) it was launched without the input of experts in brucellosis or Ochrobactrum; (iii) it applies a non-consensus genus concept that disregards taxonomically relevant differences in structure, physiology, population structure, core-pangenome assemblies, genome structure, genomic traits, clinical features, treatment, prevention, diagnosis, genus description rules, and, above all, pathogenicity; and (iv) placing these two bacterial groups in the same genus creates risks for veterinarians, medical doctors, clinical laboratories, health authorities, and legislators who deal with brucellosis, a disease that is particularly relevant in low- and middle-income countries. Based on all this information, we urge microbiologists, bacterial collections, genomic databases, journals, and public health boards to keep the Brucella and Ochrobactrum genera separate to avoid further bewilderment and harm.
Revista:
PLOS ONE
ISSN:
1932-6203
Año:
2022
Vol.:
17
N°:
4
Págs.:
e0265995
A massive ¿infodemic¿ developed in parallel with the global COVID-19 pandemic and contributed to public misinformation at a time when access to quality information was crucial. This research aimed to analyze the science and health-related hoaxes that were spread during the pandemic with the objectives of (1) identifying the characteristics of the form and content of such false information, and the platforms used to spread them, and (2) formulating a typology that can be used to classify the different types of hoaxes according to their connection with scientific information. The study was conducted by analyzing the content of hoaxes which were debunked by the three main fact-checking organizations in Spain in the three months following WHO¿s announcement of the pandemic (N = 533). The results indicated that science and health content played a prominent role in shaping the spread of these hoaxes during the pandemic. The most common hoaxes on science and health involved information on scientific research or health management, used text, were based on deception, used real sources, were international in scope, and were spread through social networks. Based on the analysis, we proposed a system for classifying science and health-related hoaxes, and identified four types according to their connection to scientific knowledge: ¿hasty¿ science, decontextualized science, badly interpreted science, and falsehood without a scientific basis.
Revista:
CHURCH, COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE
ISSN:
2375-3234
Año:
2022
Vol.:
7
N°:
1
Págs.:
6 - 22
Following the declaration, in March 2020, of the Covid-19 pandemic, there was an escalation of disinformation, involving multiple actors and reaching global dimensions. In this article, we analyze the possible causes and characteristics of the spread of disinformation on this issue. Disinformation about science can be explained by the distance that separates scientific knowledge from common knowledge and the difficult relationship between science and the media. The pandemic has multiplied the number of scientific publications and has accelerated publication rates, which has contributed to the dissemination of provisional, erroneous, or totally false information. A process of politicization has also developed, which has led to misinformation. In addition, the need to confront this health crisis has led society to demand accurate information from science, despite the fact that in many cases there is only uncertainty. The experience of this pandemic highlights the importance of providing citizens with accessible and rigorous knowledge that creates confidence in science. To achieve this, it is necessary to have specialized professionals capable of providing rigorous information, not only on the results but also on the research processes.
Revista:
ENCUENTROS EN LA BIOLOGIA
ISSN:
1134-8496
Año:
2021
Vol.:
14
N°:
178
Págs.:
17 - 22
Se puede decir que la pandemia de COVID-19 que estamos sufriendo divide a la población entre los que piensan que el SARS-CoV-2 tiene un origen natural y los que están convencidos de que es un virus artificial que se escapó del laboratorio. En este artículo se dan las pruebas que apuntan a que, con toda probabilidad, el origen del virus es natural. Solo la falta de trasparencia del gobierno chino impide descartar las hipótesis conspiranoicas y negacionistas.
Revista:
PROFESIONAL DE LA INFORMACION
ISSN:
1699-2407
Año:
2020
Vol.:
29
N°:
3
Págs.:
e290315
Se presenta un análisis de contenido de todos los bulos (N=292) relacionados con la pandemia Covid-19 identificados
por las tres plataformas de verificación acreditadas en España, durante el primer mes del estado de alarma decretado
por el Gobierno (14 marzo 2020 ¿ 13 abril 2020). El estudio muestra que los bulos sobre el coronavirus fueron diseminados
principalmente en las redes sociales y, entre ellas, sobre todo en las cerradas, como la aplicación móvil de mensajería
WhatsApp. También detecta las particularidades formales y de contenido más frecuentes de los contenidos falsificados.
Los resultados revelan que la pandemia, además de generar un gran número de bulos sobre salud y ciencia, casi
un tercio de la muestra, también propició la difusión de numerosos contenidos falsos de tema político y gubernamental.
El artículo explora los formatos, fuentes y territorios de procedencia de los bulos. Más allá de sus resultados empíricos,
este estudio realiza contribuciones teóricas en el marco de los emergentes estudios sobre desórdenes informativos. En
concreto, aporta una definición propia de bulo, así como una tipología en la que se identifican cuatro tipos de bulos:
broma, exageración, descontextualización y engaño. A partir de esos cuatro tipos, se propone un `diagrama de gravedad
de los bulos¿.
Revista:
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY LETTERS
ISSN:
0378-1097
Año:
2019
Vol.:
366
N°:
11
Págs.:
fnz141
Twitter is one of the most popular social media networks that, in recent years, has been increasingly used by researchers as a platform to share science and discuss ongoing work. Despite its popularity, Twitter is not commonly used as a medium to teach science. Here, we summarize the results of #EUROmicroMOOC: the first worldwide Microbiology Massive Open Online Course taught in English using Twitter. Content analytics indicated that more than 3 million users saw posts with the hashtag #EUROmicroMOOC, which resulted in over 42 million Twitter impressions worldwide. These analyses demonstrate that free Microbiology MOOCs shared on Twitter are valuable educational tools that reach broad audiences throughout the world. We also describe our experience teaching an entire Microbiology course using Twitter and provide recommendations when using social media to communicate science to a broad audience.
Revista:
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY LETTERS
ISSN:
0378-1097
Año:
2018
Vol.:
365
N°:
2
Págs.:
246
Social networks have been used to teach and engage people about the importance of science. The integration of social networks in the daily routines of faculties and scientists is strongly recommended to increase their personal brand, improve their skills, enhance their visibility, share and communicate science to society, promote scientific culture, and even as a tool for teaching and learning. Here we review the use of Twitter in science and comment on our previous experience of using this social network as a platform for a Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) in Spain and Latin America. We propose to extend this strategy to a pan-European Microbiology MOOC in the near future.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOLOGY EDUCATION
ISSN:
1542-8818
Año:
2016
Vol.:
17
N°:
3
Págs.:
492 - 494
Revista:
VETERINARY RESEARCH
ISSN:
0928-4249
Año:
2014
Vol.:
45
N°:
72
Brucella spp. are Gram-negative bacteria that behave as facultative intracellular parasites of a variety of mammals. This genus includes smooth (S) and rough (R) species that carry S and R lipopolysaccharides (LPS), respectively. S-LPS is a virulence factor, and mutants affected in the S-LPS O-polysaccharide (R mutants), core oligosaccharide or both show attenuation. However, B. ovis is naturally R and is virulent in sheep. We studied the role of B. ovis LPS in virulence by mutating the orthologues of wadA, wadB and wadC, three genes known to encode LPS core glycosyltransferases in S brucellae. When mapped with antibodies to outer membrane proteins (Omps) and R-LPS, wadB and wadC mutants displayed defects in LPS structure and outer membrane topology but inactivation of wadA had little or no effect. Consistent with these observations, the wadB and wadC but not the wadA mutants were attenuated in mice. When tested as vaccines, the wadB and wadC mutants protected mice against B. ovis challenge. The results demonstrate that the LPS core is a structure essential for survival in vivo not only of S brucellae but also of a naturally R Brucella pathogenic species, and they confirm our previous hypothesis that the Brucella LPS core is a target for vaccine development. Since vaccine B. melitensis Rev 1 is S and thus interferes in serological testing for S brucellae, wadB mutant represents a candidate vaccine to be evaluated against B. ovis infection of sheep suitable for areas free of B. melitensis.
Autores:
Mancilla, M.; Grilló, M. J.; De Miguel, M. J.; et al.
Revista:
BMC VETERINARY RESEARCH
ISSN:
1746-6148
Año:
2013
Vol.:
44
Págs.:
105
Brucella melitensis Rev 1 is the best vaccine available for the prophylaxis of small ruminant brucellosis and, indirectly, for reducing human brucellosis. However, Rev 1 shows anomalously high rates of spontaneous dissociation from smooth (S) to rough (R) bacteria, the latter being inefficacious as vaccines. This S-R instability results from the loss of the O-polysaccharide. To overcome this problem, we investigated whether some recently described mechanisms promoting mutations in O-polysaccharide genes were involved in Rev 1 S-R dissociation. We found that a proportion of Rev 1 R mutants result from genome rearrangements affecting the wbo O-polysaccharide loci of genomic island GI-2 and the wbkA O-polysaccharide glycosyltransferase gene of the wbk region. Accordingly, we mutated the GI-2 int gene and the wbk IS transposase involved in those arrangements, and found that these Rev 1 mutants maintained the S phenotype and showed lower dissociation levels. Combining these two mutations resulted in a strain (Rev 2) displaying a 95% decrease in dissociation with respect to parental Rev 1 under conditions promoting dissociation. Rev 2 did not differ from Rev 1 in the characteristics used in Rev 1 typing (growth rate, colonial size, reactivity with O-polysaccharide antibodies, phage, dye and antibiotic susceptibility). Moreover, Rev 2 and Rev 1 showed similar attenuation and afforded similar protection in the mouse model of brucellosis vaccines. We conclude that mutations targeting genes and DNA sequences involved in spontaneous O-polysaccharide loss enhance the stability of a critical vaccine phenotype and complement the empirical stabilization precautions taken during S Brucella vaccine production.
Revista:
PLOS ONE
ISSN:
1932-6203
Bacteria of the genus Brucella have the unusual capability to catabolize erythritol and this property has been associated with their virulence mainly because of the presence of erythritol in bovine foetal tissues and because the attenuated S19 vaccine strain is the only Brucella strain unable to oxydize erythritol. In this work we have analyzed the transcriptional changes produced in Brucella by erythritol by means of two high throughput approaches: RNA hybridization against a microarray containing most of Brucella ORF's constructed from the Brucella ORFeome and next generation sequencing of Brucella mRNA in an Illumina GAIIx platform. The results obtained showed the overexpression of a group of genes, many of them in a single cluster around the ery operon, able to co-ordinately mediate the transport and degradation of erythritol into three carbon atoms intermediates that will be then converted into fructose-6P (F6P) by gluconeogenesis. Other induced genes participating in the nonoxidative branch of the pentose phosphate shunt and the TCA may collaborate with the ery genes to conform an efficient degradation of sugars by this route. On the other hand, several routes of amino acid and nucleotide biosynthesis are up-regulated whilst amino acid transport and catabolism genes are down-regulated. These results corroborate previous descriptions indicating that in the presence of erythritol, this sugar was used preferentially over other compounds and provides a neat explanation of the the reported stimulation of growth induced by erythritol. Citation: Rodriguez MC, Viadas C, Seoane A, Sangari FJ, Lopez-Goni I, et al. (2012) Evaluation of the Effects of Erythritol on Gene Expression in Brucella abortus. PLoS ONE 7(12): e50876. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0050876
Autores:
Hofer, E.; Bago, Z.; Revilla-Fernandez, S.; et al.
Revista:
NEW MICROBIOLOGICA
ISSN:
1121-7138
Año:
2012
Vol.:
35
N°:
4
Págs.:
507 - 510
Brucella canis occurs almost worldwide and is a potential danger to the health of dogs and humans. The pathogen was detected in the placenta and fetuses of a Standard Poodle by direct culture and immunohistochemistry. Further, Brucellae were also isolated from the blood samples of two asymptomatic female Medium Poodles. The isolates were identified as B. canis by conventional microbiological methods and a novel Bruce-ladder multiplex PCR. Genotyping was performed by multiple locus variable number tandem repeats analysis (MLVA).
Autores:
Mancilla M; CM MARIN; Blasco JM; et al.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY
ISSN:
0021-9193
Año:
2012
Vol.:
194
N°:
8
Págs.:
1860-1867
The brucellae are Gram-negative pathogens that cause brucellosis, a zoonosis of worldwide importance. The genus Brucella includes smooth and rough species that differ in that they carry smooth and rough lipopolysaccharides, respectively. Brucella abortus, B. melitensis, and B. suis are typical smooth species. However, these smooth brucellae dissociate into rough mutants devoid of the lipopolysaccharide O-polysaccharide, a major antigen and a virulence determinant encoded in regions wbo (included in genomic island-2) and wbk. We demonstrate here the occurrence of spontaneous recombination events in those three Brucella species leading to the deletion of a 5.5-kb fragment carrying the wbkA glycosyltranferase gene and to the appearance of rough mutants. Analysis of the recombination intermediates suggested homologous recombination between the ISBm1 insertion sequences flanking wbkA as the mechanism generating the deletion. Excision of wbkA was reduced but not abrogated in a recA-deficient mutant, showing the existence of both RecA-dependent and -independent processes. Although the involvement of the ISBm1 copies flanking wbkA suggested a transpositional event, the predicted transpositional joint could not be detected. This absence of detectable transposition was consistent with the presence of polymorphism in the inverted repeats of one of the ISBm1 copies. The spontaneous excision of wbkA represents a novel dissociation mechanism of smooth brucellae that adds to the previously described excision of genomic island-2. This ISBm1-mediated wbkA excision and the different %GC levels of the excised fragment and of other wbk genes suggest that the Brucella wbk locus is the result of at least two horizontal acquisition events.
Revista:
FUTURE MICROBIOLOGY
ISSN:
1746-0913
Año:
2012
Vol.:
7
N°:
2
Págs.:
167-169
Revista:
BMC MICROBIOLOGY
ISSN:
1471-2180
Año:
2011
Vol.:
11
N°:
1
Págs.:
176
Brucellosis is a zoonosis caused by Brucella spp., a group of highly homogeneous bacteria. The insertion sequence IS711 is characteristic of these bacteria, and occurs in variable numbers and positions, but always constant within a given species.
Revista:
VETERINARY MICROBIOLOGY
ISSN:
0378-1135
Año:
2011
Vol.:
154
N°:
1-2
Págs.:
152 - 155
Rapid and specific identification of Brucella suis at the biovar level is necessary because some of the biovars that infect animals are pathogenic for humans. None of the molecular typing methods described so far are able to discriminate B. suis biovars i
Revista:
Journal of bacteriology
ISSN:
0021-9193
Año:
2010
Vol.:
192
N°:
24
Págs.:
6346 - 6351
Brucella is a Gram-negative bacterium that causes a worldwide-distributed zoonosis. The genus includes smooth (S) and rough (R) species that differ in the presence or absence, respectively, of the O-polysaccharide of lipopolysaccharide. In S brucellae, the O-polysaccharide is a critical diagnostic antigen and a virulence determinant. However, S brucellae spontaneously dissociate into R forms, a problem in antigen and S vaccine production. Spontaneous R mutants of Brucella abortus, Brucella melitensis, and Brucella suis carried the chromosomal scar corresponding to genomic island 2 (GI-2) excision, an event causing the loss of the wboA and wboB O-polysaccharide genes, and the predicted excised circular intermediate was identified in B. abortus, B. melitensis, and B. suis cultures. Moreover, disruption of a putative phage integrase gene in B. abortus GI-2 caused a reduction in O-polysaccharide loss rates under conditions promoting S-R dissociation. However, spontaneous R mutants not carrying the GI-2 scar were also detected. These results demonstrate that the phage integrase-related GI-2 excision is a cause of S-R brucella dissociation and that other undescribed mechanisms must also be involved. In the R Brucella species, previous works have shown that Brucella ovis but not Brucella canis lacks GI-2, and a chromosomal scar identical to those in R mutants was observed. These results suggest that the phage integrase-promoted GI-2 excision played a role in B. ovis speciation and are consistent with other evidence, suggesting that this species and B. canis have emerged as two independent lineages.
Revista:
PLOS ONE
ISSN:
1932-6203
Año:
2010
Vol.:
5
N°:
4
Págs.:
e10216
Background: The two-component BvrR/BvrS system is essential for Brucella abortus virulence. It was shown previously that its dysfunction alters the expression of some major outer membrane proteins and the pattern of lipid A acylation. To determine the genes regulated by BvrR/BvrS, we performed a whole-genome microarray analysis using B. abortus RNA obtained from wild type and bvrR mutant cells grown in the same conditions.
Methodology/Principal Findings: A total of 127 differentially expressed genes were found: 83 were over expressed and 44 were less expressed in the bvrR mutant. Two operons, the phosphotransferase system and the maltose transport system, were down-regulated. Several genes involved in cell envelope or outer membrane biogenesis were differentially expressed: genes for outer membrane proteins (omp25a, omp25d), lipoproteins, LPS and fatty acid biosynthesis, stress response proteins, chaperones, flagellar genes, and twelve genes encoding ABC transport systems. Ten genes related with carbon metabolism (pckA and fumB among others) were up-regulated in the bvrR mutant, and denitrification genes (nirK, norC and nosZ) were also regulated. Notably, seven transcriptional regulators were affected, including VjbR, ExoR and OmpR that were less expressed in the bvrR mutant. Finally, the expression of eleven genes which have been previously related with Brucella virulence was also altered.
Conclusions/Significance: All these data corroborate the impact of BvrR/BvrS on cell envelope modulation, confirm that this system controls the carbon and nitrogen metabolism, and suggest a cross-talk among some regulators to adjust the Brucella physiology to the shift expected to occur during the transit from the extracellular to the intracellular niche.
Nacionales y Regionales
Título:
Festival internacional de cine #LabMeCrazy! Science Film Festival. V edición
Código de expediente:
FCT-22-18505
Investigador principal:
Ignacio López Goñi
Financiador:
FUNDACION ESPAÑOLA PARA LA CIENCIA Y LA TECNOLOGIA
Convocatoria:
2022 FECYT Fomento de la cultura científica
Fecha de inicio:
01/07/2023
Fecha fin:
30/06/2024
Importe concedido:
15.000,00€
Otros fondos:
-
Título:
Plan anual de actividades de la UCC+I de la Universidad de Navarra
Código de expediente:
FCT-21-17008
Investigador principal:
Marta Revuelta Martínez
Financiador:
FUNDACION ESPAÑOLA PARA LA CIENCIA Y LA TECNOLOGIA
Convocatoria:
2021 FECYT Fomento de la cultura científica
Fecha de inicio:
01/07/2022
Fecha fin:
30/06/2023
Importe concedido:
25.000,00€
Otros fondos:
-
Título:
Plan anual de actividades de la UCC+i de la Universidad de Navarra
Código de expediente:
FCT-20-16125
Investigador principal:
Ignacio López Goñi
Financiador:
FUNDACION ESPAÑOLA PARA LA CIENCIA Y LA TECNOLOGIA
Convocatoria:
2020 FECYT Fomento de la cultura científica
Fecha de inicio:
01/07/2021
Fecha fin:
30/06/2022
Importe concedido:
25.000,00€
Otros fondos:
-
Título:
Plan anual de actividades de la UCC+i de la Universidad de Navarra
Código de expediente:
FCT-19-14741
Investigador principal:
Ignacio López Goñi
Financiador:
FUNDACION ESPAÑOLA PARA LA CIENCIA Y LA TECNOLOGIA
Convocatoria:
2019-2 FECYT Fomento de la cultura científica
Fecha de inicio:
01/07/2020
Fecha fin:
30/06/2021
Importe concedido:
10.000,00€
Otros fondos:
-
Título:
La Semana de la Ciencia y la Tecnología 2021
Código de expediente:
0011-3987-2021-000007
Investigador principal:
Ignacio López Goñi
Financiador:
GOBIERNO DE NAVARRA
Convocatoria:
2021 GN Cosmos - Fomento de la cultura científica
Fecha de inicio:
01/06/2021
Fecha fin:
31/12/2021
Importe concedido:
7.729,80€
Otros fondos:
-
Título:
#LabMeCrazy Science Film Festival.
Investigador principal:
Marta Revuelta Martínez
Financiador:
GOBIERNO DE NAVARRA
Convocatoria:
2023 GN Cosmos - Fomento de la cultura científica
Fecha de inicio:
01/01/2023
Fecha fin:
31/12/2023
Importe concedido:
15.000,00€
Otros fondos:
-
Título:
LabMeCrazy Science Film Festival 2022
Código de expediente:
0011-3987-2022-000011
Investigador principal:
Ignacio López Goñi
Financiador:
GOBIERNO DE NAVARRA
Convocatoria:
2022 GN Cosmos - Fomento de la cultura científica
Fecha de inicio:
01/01/2022
Fecha fin:
31/12/2022
Importe concedido:
15.000,00€
Otros fondos:
-
Título:
#LabMeCrazy Science Film
Código de expediente:
0011-3987-2021-000006
Investigador principal:
Ignacio López Goñi
Financiador:
GOBIERNO DE NAVARRA
Convocatoria:
2021 GN Cosmos - Fomento de la cultura científica
Fecha de inicio:
01/01/2021
Fecha fin:
31/12/2021
Importe concedido:
4.311,32€
Otros fondos:
-
Título:
La comunicación del cambio climático a través de las redes sociales: estrategias, emociones e imágenes
Código de expediente:
RTI2018-098190-B-I00
Investigador principal:
María Carmen Erviti Ilundain, Bienvenido León Anguiano
Financiador:
MINISTERIO DE CIENCIA, INNOVACIÓN Y UNIVERSIDADES
Convocatoria:
2018 AEI - MCIU - Retos Investigación
Fecha de inicio:
01/01/2019
Fecha fin:
31/08/2022
Importe concedido:
29.645,00€
Otros fondos:
Fondos FEDER
