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Background The increasing incidence of coeliac disease is leading to a growing interest in active search for associated factors, even the intrauterine and early life. The exposome approach to disease encompasses a life course perspective from conception onwards has recently been highlighted. Knowledge of early exposure to gluten immunogenic peptides (GIP) in utero could challenge the chronology of early prenatal tolerance or inflammation, rather than after the infant’s solid diet after birth. Methods We developed an accurate and specific immunoassay to detect GIP in amniotic fluid (AF) and studied their accumulates, excretion dynamics and foetal exposure resulting from AF swallowing. One hundred twenty-five pregnant women with different gluten diets and gestational ages were recruited. Results GIP were detectable in AF from at least the 16th gestational week in gluten-consuming women. Although no significant differences in GIP levels were observed during gestation, amniotic GIP late pregnancy was not altered by maternal fasting, suggesting closed-loop entailing foetal swallowing of GIP-containing AF and subsequent excretion via the foetal kidneys. Conclusions The study shows evidence, for the first time, of the foetal exposure to gluten immunogenic peptides and establishes a positive correlation with maternal gluten intake. The results obtained point to a novel physiological concept as they describe a plausible closed-loop circuit entailing foetal swallowing of GIP contained in AF and its subsequent excretion through the foetal kidneys. The study adds important new information to understanding the coeliac exposome.

Background: Exposure to antigens is crucial for child immune system development, aiding disease prevention and promoting infant health. Some common food antigen proteins are found in human breast milk. However, it is unclear whether gluten antigens linked to celiac disease (CD) are transmitted through breast milk, potentially impacting the development of the infant’s immune system. Objective: This study aimed to analyze the passage of gluten immunogenic peptides (GIP) into human breast milk. We evaluated the dynamics of GIP secretion after lactating mothers adopted a controlled gluten-rich diet. Methods: We prospectively enrolled 96 non-CD and 23 CD lactating mothers, assessing total proteins and casein in breast milk, and GIP levels in breast milk and urine. Subsequently, a longitudinal study was conducted in a subgroup of 12 non-CD lactating mothers who adopted a controlled gluten-rich diet. GIP levels in breast milk and urine samples were assayed by multiple sample collections over 96 hours. Results: Analysis of a single sample revealed that 24% of non-CD lactating mothers on a regular unrestricted diet tested positive for GIP in breast milk, and 90% tested positive in urine, with significantly lower concentrations in breast milk. Nevertheless, on a controlled gluten-rich diet and the collection of multiple samples, GIP were detected in 75% and 100% of non-CD participants in breast milk and urine, respectively. The transfer dynamics in breast milk samples were long-enduring and GIP secretion persisted from 0 to 72 h. In contrast, GIP secretion in urine samples was limited to the first 24 h, with inter-individual variations. In the cohort of CD mothers, 82.6% and 87% tested negative for GIP in breast milk and urine, respectively. Conclusions: This study definitively established the presence of GIP in breast milk, with substantial inter-individual variations in secretion dynamics. Our findings provide insights into distinct GIP kinetics observed in sequentially col

Malnutrition refers to a person’s status as under- or overnourished, and it is usually associated with an inflammation status, which can subsequently imply a different health status, as the risk of infection is increased, along with a deterioration of the immune system. Children’s immune systems are generally more susceptible to problems than adults. In the situation of malnutrition, because malnourished children’s immune systems are compromised, they are more likely to die. However, little is known about the underlying mechanism of altered immune functioning and how it relates to starvation. Nutritional interventions have been reported as cost-effective strategies to prevent or treat the development of malnourishment, considering the link between food intake and health, especially in children, and also the susceptibility of this population to diseases and how their health status during childhood might affect their long-term physiological growth. The ingestion of specific nutrients (e.g., vitamins or oligoelements) has been reported to contribute to the proper functioning of children’s immune systems. In this review, we aim to describe the basis of malnutrition and how this is linked to the immune system, considering the role of nutrients in the modulation of the immune system and the risk of infection that can occur in these situations in children, as well as to identify nutritional interventions to improve their health.

BACKGROUND The gluten-free diet (GFD) has limitations, and there is intense research in the development of adjuvant therapies. AIM To examine the effects of orally administered Aspergillus niger prolyl endopeptidase protease (AN-PEP) on inadvertent gluten exposure and symptom prevention in adult celiac disease (CeD) patients following their usual GFD. METHODS This was an exploratory, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial that enrolled CeD patients on a long-term GFD. After a 4-wk run-in period, patients were randomized to 4 wk of two AN-PEP capsules (GliadinX; AVI Research, LLC, United States) at each of three meals per day or placebo. Outcome endpoints were: (1) Average weekly stool gluten immunogenic peptides (GIP) between the run-in and end of treatments and between AN-PEP and placebo; (2) celiac symptom index (CSI); (3) CeD-specific serology; and (4) quality of life. Stool samples were collected for GIP testing by ELISA every Tuesday and Friday during run-ins and treatments. RESULTS Forty patients were randomized for the intention-to-treat analysis, and three were excluded from the per-protocol assessment. Overall, 628/640 (98.1%) stool samples were collected. GIP was undetectable (< 0.08 mu g/g) in 65.6% of samples, and no differences between treatment arms were detected. Only 0.5% of samples had GIP concentrations sufficiently high (> 0.32 mu g/g) to potentially cause mucosal damage. Median GIP concentration in the AN-PEP arm was 44.7% lower than in the run-in period. One-third of patients exhibiting GIP > 0.08 mu g/g during run-in had lower or undetectable GIP after AN-PEP treatment. Compared with the run- in period, the proportion of symptomatic patients (CSI > 38) in the AN-PEP arm was significantly lower (P < 0.03). AN-PEP did not result in changes in specific serologies. CONCLUSION This exploratory study conducted in a real-life setting revealed high adherence to the GFD. The AN-PEP treatment did not significantly reduce the overall GIP stool

Drought, soil salinization and the extreme heat events increments associate to climate change will notably impact sensitive crop species, such as strawberry. A greenhouse experiment was arranged to evaluate the potential of a PGPR-based biofertilizer, with multiple PGP properties, including ACC deaminase production highly related to the limitation of ethylene levels under abiotic stress, in modulation of photosynthetic apparatus tolerance responses by severe drought (complete water withholding), salinity in irrigation water (340 mM NaCl) and short extreme heat event (37/28 °C maximum and minimum temperature range). Our results show that all stress factors triggered acute injury effects on strawberry carboxylation capacity and photosystem II energy assimilation efficiency ability; whose intensity varied depending on factor nature. However, bacterial inoculation diminished ∼67 %, 20 % and 18 % the deleterious impact imposed by drought, heat and salinity stress on the net photosynthetic rate (AN). This effect was primarily mediated by counterbalancing the diffusion of CO2 in the stomata and biochemical limitations in response to heat and salinity stress, while the reduction of biochemical damage was more notable in response to drought. Complementarily, inoculation was able to highly buffer the photochemical limitations imposed by all abiotic stress factors tested. Despite these positive effects, the application of PGPR-based biofertilizer was unable to completely reverse the impact of stress factors on strawberry photosynthesis metabolism. However, the signal of these ameliorative effects was significant enough to consider the implementation of PGPR-based biofertilizer application as a complementary tool in the management of strawberry cultivation in increasingly stressful agronomic contexts.

Regenerative agriculture aims to boost native biodiversity and ensure sustainable production. Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria (PGPB) enhance crop yield through improved nutrient use efficiency or stress tolerance. Utilizing synthetic bacterial communities (SynCom) tailored to specific challenges holds promise for enhancing plant resilience. However, challenges include designing microbial consortia and selecting SynCom application techniques. This study tested four PGPB SynCom application methods on tomato plants to evaluate their effectiveness in promoting plant resistance and recovery from short extreme heat waves. Non-invasive phenotyping techniques were used to assess plant responses to three delivery methods (watering, foliar spray, and alginate spheres immobilization) under heat stress. Plants treated with the marine PGPB SynCom through methods like leaf spraying or encapsulation in alginate spheres exhibited improved resilience in terms of Kautsky curve intensity and shape, indicating better photochemical apparatus function. These techniques also facilitated post-stress recovery. Deep photochemical analysis revealed SynCom-induced improvements in the plant's photochemical apparatus, particularly the PS II donor side. Moreover, it was also possible to observe that upon stress relief these two techniques, alongside the plants inoculated throughout watering were able to recover their photochemical profiles. Analysing the Fv/Fm values, plants inoculated through watering, alginate beads and leaf spray can be considered heat-tolerant, a characteristic conserved throughout the three sampling moments. Heat-wave exposure led to an increase in the energy absorbed by the non-inoculated plants as a counteractive measure to overcome the low energy use efficiency observed (low trapping and transported energy fluxes). The reduction in stress impact was attributed to SynCom's ACC-deaminase production, which lowered ethylene accumulation, promoting growth and photosynthetic ef

This epidemiological survey aims to provide an update on the main flea species that parasitize domestic animals in the Western Andalusia assessing several ecological features that could be considered as possible risk factors for flea infestation. Over a 19-month period (June 2021 to January 2023), we obtained a total of 802 flea samples from 182 dogs (Canis lupus familiaris, Carnivora: Canidae, Linnaeus, 1758) and 78 cats (Felis silvestris catus, Carnivora: Felidae, Schreber, 1775). For each parasitized host, an epidemiological survey was completed, including the following information: geographical origin, age, sex, rural or urban habitat, type of animal's lifestyle (domestic or non-domestic), health status, cohabiting or not with other animals and the total number of collected fleas. The most common species was Ctenocephalides felis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) (Bouché, 1835) with a total of 713 specimens, which accounted for 89% of the total fleas. The second most abundant species was Pulex irritans (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) (Linnaeus, 1758) with a total of 46 collected fleas (6% of the total). The remaining species identified were Archaeopsylla erinacei (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) (Bouché, 1835) (25 specimens), Spilopsyllus cuniculi (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) (Dale, 1878) (12 specimens) and Ctenocephalides canis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) (Curtis, 1826) (6 specimens), which accounted for 3%, 1% and 1%, respectively, of the total fleas collected. The months with the highest number of collected fleas were, in ascending order, May 2022, September 2021 and July 2021. Dogs had a greater diversity of flea species, and flea sex ratios were female biased in all identified species and among all studied hosts. Finally, we identified some potential host risk factors that promoted higher flea intensities, such as living in rural areas, or presenting other pathologies.

La presente Tesis Doctoral se ha centrado en el estudio de la diversidad procariota de ambientes hipersalinos terrestres a través de dos enfoques: dependiente e independiente de cultivo. En concreto, se han estudiado suelos hipersalinos del Paraje Natural de las Marismas del Odiel (Huelva). Con esta combinación de metodologías se han contrastado las diferencias y semejanzas en la biodiversidad obtenida en dicho hábitat extremo al estudiar las mismas muestras mediante dos técnicas alternativas. Para la realización de este estudio, se han obtenido un total de 26 muestras a lo largo de tres años consecutivos. El análisis de los parámetros fisicoquímicos de dichos suelos ha puesto de manifiesto que: (i) la conductividad eléctrica indica que los suelos son salinos; (ii) la concentración de ciertos metales pesados está por encima de los límites para suelos no contaminados por dichos metales pesados. Con respecta al análisis independiente de cultivo, se han secuenciado 18 metagenomas shotgun cuyos perfiles taxonómicos muestran unas proporciones similares entre los dominios Archaea y Bacteria. Destacan los filos “Euryarchaeota”, Pseudomonadota, Bacteroidota, Gemmatimonadota y Balneolota. Este análisis ha mostrado semejanzas con otros ambientes terrestres hipersalinos, mientras que los habitantes mayoritarios en hábitats acuáticos hipersalinos no se encuentran representadas en estos ambientes terrestres. Con respecto al análisis funcional de los metagenomas, se observó una abundancia de genes relacionados con el transporte de metales pesados. Dada la elevada salinidad de las muestras, se han estudiado las estrategias de osmoadaptación, observándose que los representantes del filo de arqueas “Euryarchaeota” poseen la estrategia salt-in, mientras que la población bacteriana presenta tanto este mecanismo, como la estrategia salt-out. También se han detectado genes relacionados con la biosíntesis de los solutos compatibles. A partir de los metagenomas se han reconstruido > 4.000

Eight colonies of live microbes were isolated from an extensively surface-sterilized halite sample which had been retrieved from a depth of 2000 m from a salt mine in the Qianjiang Depression, Hubei Province, PR China. The eight colonies, obtained after 4 weeks of incubation, were named JI20-1T–JI20-8 and JI20-1T was selected as the type strain. The strains have been previously described, including a genomic analysis based on the complete genome for strain JI20-1T and draft genomes for the other strains. In that study, the name Halobacterium hubeiense was suggested, based on the location of the drilling site. Previous phylogenomic analysis showed that strain JI20-1T is most closely related to the Permian isolate Halobacterium noricense from Alpine rock salt. The orthologous average nucleotide identity (orthoANI) and digital DNA–DNA hybridization (dDDH) percentages between the eight strains are 100–99.6% and 99.8–96.4%, respectively. The orthoANI and dDDH values of these strains with respect to the type strains of species of the genus Halobacterium are 89.9–78.2% and 37.3–21.6%, respectively, supporting their placement in a novel extremely halophilic archaeal species. The phylogenomic tree based on the comparison of sequences of 632 core-orthologous proteins confirmed the novel species status for these haloarchaea. The polar lipid profile includes phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol phosphate methyl ester, phosphatidylglycerol sulfate, and sulfated galactosyl man-nosyl galactosyl glucosyl diether, a profile compatible with that of Halobacterium noricense. Based on genomic, phenotypic, and chemotaxonomic characterization, we propose strain JI20-1T (=DSM 114402T = HAMBI 3616T) as the type strain of a novel species in the genus Halobacterium, with the name Halobacterium hubeiense sp. nov.

The genus Halomicroarcula, classified within the family Haloarculaceae, presently comprises eight haloarchaeal species isolated from diverse saline habitats, such as solar salterns, hypersaline soils, marine salt, and marine algae. Here, a detailed taxogenomic study and comparative genomic analysis of the genus Halomicroarcula was carried out. In addition, two strains, designated S1CR25-12T and S3CR25-11T, that were isolated from hypersaline soils located in the Odiel Saltmarshes in Huelva (Spain) were included in this study. The 16S rRNA and rpoB’ gene sequence analyses affiliated the two strains to the genus Halomicroarcula. Typically, the species of the genus Halomicroarcula possess multiple heterogeneous copies of the 16S rRNA gene, which can lead to misclassification of the taxa and overestimation of the prokaryotic diversity. In contrast, the application of overall genome relatedness indexes (OGRIs) augments the capacity for the precise taxonomic classification and categorization of prokaryotic organisms. The relatedness indexes of the two new isolates, particularly digital DNA–DNA hybridization (dDDH), orthologous average nucleotide identity (OrthoANI), and average amino acid identity (AAI), confirmed that strains S1CR25-12T (= CECT 30620T = CCM 9252T) and S3CR25-11T (= CECT 30621T = CCM 9254T) constitute two novel species of the genus Halomicroarcula. The names Halomicroarcula saliterrae sp. nov. and Halomicroarcula onubensis sp. nov. are proposed for S1CR25-12T and S3CR25-11T, respectively. Metagenomic fragment recruitment analysis, conducted using seven shotgun metagenomic datasets, revealed that the species belonging to the genus Halomicroarcula were predominantly recruited from hypersaline soils found in the Odiel Saltmarshes and the ponds of salterns with high salt concentrations. This reinforces the understanding of the extreme halophilic characteristics associated with the genus Halomicroarcula. Finally, comparing pan-genomes across the twenty Halomic

Coexistence impact of pollutants of different nature on halophytes tolerance to metal excess has not been thoroughly examined, and plant functional responses described so far do not follow a clear pattern. Using the Cu-tolerant halophyte Sarcocornia fruticosa as a model species, we conducted a greenhouse experiment to evaluate the impact of two concentration of copper (0 and 12 mM CuSO4) in combination with three nitrate levels (2, 14 and 50 mM KNO3) on plant growth, photosynthetic apparatus performance and ROS-scavenging enzymes system. The results revealed that S. fruticosa was able to grow adequately even when exposed to high concentrations of copper and nitrate. This response was linked to the plant capacity to uptake and retain a large amount of copper in its roots (up to 1500 mg kg−1 Cu), preventing its transport to aerial parts. This control of translocation was further magnified with nitrate concentration increment. Likewise, although Cu excess impaired S. fruticosa carbon assimilation capacity, the plant was able to downregulate its light-harvesting complexes function, as indicated its lowers ETR values, especially at 12 mM Cu + 50 mM NO3. This downregulation would contribute to avoid excess energy absorption and transformation. In addition, this strategy of avoiding excess energy was accompanied by the upregulation of all ROS-scavenging enzymes, a response that was further enhanced by the increase in nitrate concentration. Therefore, we conclude that the coexistence of nitrate would favor S. fruticosa tolerance to copper excess, and this effect is mediated by the combined activation of several tolerance mechanisms.

In all living cells, genomic DNA is compacted through interactions with dedicated proteins and/or the formation of plectonemic coils. In bacteria, DNA compaction is achieved dynamically, coordinated with dense and constantly changing transcriptional activity. H-NS, a major bacterial nucleoid structuring protein, is of special interest due to its interplay with RNA polymerase. H-NS:DNA nucleoprotein filaments inhibit transcription initiation by RNA polymerase. However, the discovery that genes silenced by H-NS can be activated by transcription originating from neighboring regions has suggested that elongating RNA polymerases can disassemble H-NS:DNA filaments. In this study, we present evidence that transcription-induced counter-silencing does not require transcription to reach the silenced gene; rather, it exerts its effect at a distance. Counter-silencing is suppressed by introducing a DNA gyrase binding site within the intervening segment, suggesting that the long-range effect results from transcription-driven positive DNA supercoils diffusing toward the silenced gene. We propose a model wherein H-NS:DNA complexes form in vivo on negatively supercoiled DNA, with H-NS bridging the two arms of the plectoneme. Rotational diffusion of positive supercoils generated by neighboring transcription will cause the H-NS-bound negativelysupercoiled plectoneme to “unroll” disrupting the H-NS bridges and releasing H-NS.

Climate change is causing many vectors of infectious diseases to expand their geographic distribution as well as the pathogens they transmit are also conditioned by temperature for their multiplication. Within this context, it is worth highlighting the significant role that fleas can play as vectors of important pathogenic bacteria. For this purpose, our efforts focused on detecting and identifying a total of 9 bacterial genera (Rickettsia sp.; Bartonella sp.; Yersinia sp.; Wolbachia sp., Mycobacterium sp., Leishmania sp., Borrelia sp., Francisella sp. and Coxiella sp.) within fleas isolated from domestic and peridomestic animals in the southwestern region of Spain (Andalusia). Over a 19-months period, we obtained flea samples from dogs, cats and hedgehogs. A total of 812 fleas was collected for this study. Five different species were morphologically identified, including C. felis, C. canis, S. cuniculi, P. irritans, and A. erinacei. Wolbachia sp. was detected in all five species identified in our study which a total prevalence of 86%. Within Rickettsia genus, two different species, R. felis and R. asembonensis were mainly identified in C. felis and A. erinacei, respectively. On the other hand, our results revealed a total of 131 fleas testing positive for the presence of Bartonella sp., representing a prevalence rate of 16% for this genus identifying two species B. henselae and B. clarridgeiae. Lastly, both Y. pestis and L. infantum were detected in DNA of P. irritans and C. felis, respectively isolated from dogs. With these data we update the list of bacterial zoonotic agents found in fleas in Spain, emphasizing the need to continue conducting future experimental studies to assess and confirm the potential vectorial role of certain synanthropic fleas.

The hypersaline soils of the Odiel Saltmarshes Natural Area are an extreme environment with high levels of some heavy metals; however, it is a relevant source of prokaryotic diversity that we aim to explore. In this study, six strains related to the halophilic genus Pseudidiomarina were isolated from this habitat. The phylogenetic study based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence and the fingerprinting analysis suggested that they constituted a single new species within the genus Pseudidiomarina. Comparative genomic analysis based on the OGRIs indices and the phylogeny inferred from the core genome were performed considering all the members of the family Idiomarinaceae. Additionally, a completed phenotypic characterization, as well as the fatty acid profile, were also carried out. Due to the characteristics of the habitat, genomic functions related to salinity and high heavy metal concentrations were studied, along with the global metabolism of the six isolates. Last, the ecological distribution of the isolates was studied in different hypersaline environments by genome recruitment. To sum up, the six strains constitute a new species within the genus Pseudidiomarina, for which the name Pseudidiomarina terrestris sp. nov. is proposed. The low abundance in all the studied hypersaline habitats indicates that it belongs to the rare biosphere in these habitats. In silico genome functional analysis suggests the presence of heavy metal transporters and pathways for nitrate reduction and nitrogen assimilation in low availability, among other metabolic traits.

Halophilic archaea of the class Halobacteria are the most salt-requiring prokaryotes within the domain Archaea. In 1997, minimal standards for the description of new taxa in the order Halobacteriales were proposed. From then on, the taxonomy of the class Halobacteria provides an excellent example of how changing concepts on prokaryote taxonomy and the development of new methods were implemented. The last decades have witnessed a rapid expansion of the number of described taxa within the class Halobacteria coinciding with the era of genome sequencing development. The current members of the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes Subcommittee on the Taxonomy of Halobacteria propose these revisions to the recommended minimal standards and encourage the use of advanced technologies in the taxonomic description of members of the Halobacteria. Most previously required and some recommended minimal standards for the description of new taxa in the class Halobacteria were retained in the present revision, but changes have been proposed in line with the new methodologies. In addition to the 16S rRNA gene, the rpoB′ gene is an important molecular marker for the identification of members of the Halobacteria. Phylogenomic analysis based on concatenated conserved, single-copy marker genes is required to infer the taxonomic status of new taxa. The overall genome relatedness indexes have proven to be determinative in the classification of the taxa within the class Halobacteria. Average nucleotide identity, digital DNA–DNA hybridization, and average amino acid identity values should be calculated for rigorous comparison among close relatives.

Studies on adolescent rats, when body composition is changing deeply, reveal that the administration of sodium selenite and selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs), at the same dose, have opposite effects on adipogenesis in white adipose tissue (WAT). To investigate the mechanisms involved in these contrasting effects by means of transcriptomic analysis, three groups of male adolescent rats (n = 18) were used: control (C), selenite supplemented (S), and SeNPs supplemented (NS). Both treated groups received a twofold increase in Se dose compared to the control group through water intake for three weeks. Following treatment, WAT was removed and frozen at −80 °C until subsequent use for RNA extraction, endogenous antioxidant enzymatic activities determination, and quantification of H2O2 and malondialdehyde. NS rats displayed a larger number of differentially expressed genes and cellular processes impacted than S rats. Remarkably, these changes involved upregulation of gene expression associated with the immune system, catabolism, mitochondrial function, and oxidative balance. NS rats presented an increase in antioxidant enzymes activity, alongside an accumulation of H2O2 and malondialdehyde levels. The expression level of 81 genes related to oxidative stress was significantly affected in NS rats. Analyzing the KEGG pathway enrichment revealed that NS rats exhibited increased activity in key catabolic pathways and decreased activity in crucial growth signaling processes. These changes contribute to the mass decrease in WAT found in NS rats. These results suggest a possible application of SeNPs in WAT reduction and induction of the immune response during adolescence.

En los últimos años son numerosas las regiones de España que están siendo afectadas por las picaduras de los simúlidos, también conocidos como moscas negras. Recientemente se están llevando a cabo más estudios acerca de estos insectos que hasta hace unas décadas eran unos grandes desconocidos y, debido a la problemática que están causando a nivel mundial, están despertando el interés de muchos científicos. Estos insectos, en concreto Simulium erythrocephalum, tienen carácter hematófago y gran capacidad de expansión, por lo que cada vez colonizan regiones más alejadas del cauce de los ríos donde suelen habitar. Sus picaduras afectan a los mamíferos, tanto a los animales como a los humanos, y producen unas picaduras muy molestas que afectan a diversos niveles, como al económico y al turístico. En algunos países actúan como vectores de enfermedades, lo que supone un gran riesgo a nivel de salud pública. Existen diversas medidas preventivas, pero actualmente no son suficientes para frenar esta plaga. En este trabajo de fin de grado se realiza un estudio de la mosca negra, con el objetivo de conocer las plagas más actuales e importantes de la mosca negra a nivel nacional y el impacto que pueden producir, así como las distintas medidas preventivas disponibles.

Introducción: algunas especies de la familia de los coronavirus han sido responsables de causar multitud de infecciones respiratorias de leves a graves en el ser humano. De todas ellas, el coronavirus causante del Síndrome Respiratorio de Oriente Medio (MERS-CoV) es el que mayor tasa de mortalidad presenta, lo que supone una seria preocupación para la salud humana. Objetivo: la finalidad de este trabajo ha sido realizar una revisión bibliográfica sobre el MERS-CoV y la enfermedad que produce. Metodología: las fuentes de información más empleadas han sido artículos científicos consultados mediante bases de datos como Pubmed, y páginas webs oficiales del ámbito de la salud, como las de la OMS y el CDC, entre otras. Resultados y discusión: el MERS-CoV se transmite fundamentalmente de manera zoonótica a través del dromedario, quedando el contagio entre humanos como una vía posible pero muy limitada. Dado que la totalidad de casos confirmados han estado vinculados a países de Oriente Medio, especialmente a Arabia Saudí, se considera un virus endémico de dicha región. Por su parte, la infección afecta sobre todo a nivel pulmonar, aunque en los cuadros clínicos más severos puede extenderse a otros órganos, sobre todo en aquellas personas mayores, inmunodeprimidas y con comorbilidades, en cuyo caso suele tener un desenlace fatal. Conclusiones: la gravedad que puede alcanzar la enfermedad y la inexistencia de una terapia antiviral específica para su tratamiento priorizan avanzar en el desarrollo de una vacuna frente al MERS-CoV, por lo que la forma más eficaz de evitar y controlar el número de contagios hasta entonces será la correcta realización de las medidas profilácticas establecidas.

El virus de Epstein Barr (VEB), también conocido como herpesvirus humano tipo 4, es el microorganismo responsable de la mononucleosis infecciosa (MI). Aproximadamente más del 90% de la población mundial está infectada por VEB, siendo los niños y los adolescentes los grupos más vulnerables. Se propaga principalmente por contacto directo con la saliva por lo que la infección es conocida comúnmente como la “enfermedad del beso”. Tras la primoinfección, el virus permanece latente de por vida en los linfocitos B memoria expresando distintos tipos de proteínas latentes: antígenos nucleares de VEB (EBNA1, EBNA2, EBNA3A, 3B, 3C y LP); proteínas de membrana latentes (LMP1, 2A, 2B); ARN codificado por VEB (EBER1 y EBER2) y microARN (BARF1, BARF0 y BART). La expresión de dichas proteínas virales se relaciona con el desarrollo de diferentes patologías asociadas a VEB. El VEB se descubrió por primera vez hace ya casi 60 años y se considera el primer virus identificado vinculado con tumores humanos entre los que se encuentran el linfoma de Burkitt, la enfermedad de Hodgkin, carcinoma nasofaríngeo, cáncer gástrico o cáncer de mama. También se han reportado casos de manifestaciones oculares relacionadas con la infección por VEB y recientemente se ha observado la implicación del virus con el desarrollo de enfermedades autoinmunes como son la esclerosis múltiple o el lupus eritematoso sistémico. El VEB es un virus muy ubicuo implicado en multitud de patologías siendo la vacunación la mejor estrategia para prevenir la infección y posibles complicaciones. Sin embargo, actualmente no existe ninguna vacuna autorizada, aunque las investigaciones están más próximas de desarrollar una vacuna segura y eficaz.

El virus del papiloma humano (VPH) es un virus de ADN bicatenario que se compone de más de 200 genotipos y está caracterizado por ser el virus que causa la infección de transmisión sexual más frecuente a nivel mundial. Dentro de los distintos genotipos, algunos presentan un elevado potencial para causar diversos tipos de cáncer, destacando entre todos ellos el cáncer de cérvix por ser uno de los más prevalentes a nivel mundial. El diagnóstico precoz de la infección por VPH está fundamentado en la prueba de VPH y el test de Papanicolau, mientras que la profilaxis está basada en el uso del preservativo y la vacunación. Actualmente existen 3 vacunas profilácticas comercializadas, aunque se están desarrollando e investigando otras nuevas con el objetivo de ampliar el abanico de posibilidades, aumentar el número de genotipos a los que están dirigidas y favorecer su empleo en los países menos desarrollados. En las lesiones originadas por VPH el tratamiento de elección es la cirugía junto con algunos fármacos dirigidos a la eliminación de las verrugas ocasionadas por el VPH o a la reducción de la carga viral. Así mismo, se encuentran en fase de investigación determinadas vacunas terapéuticas cuyo principal objetivo es eliminar las lesiones precancerosas y la infección persistente por el VPH.

Las bacterias se comunican intercelularmente a través de un proceso denominado quorum sensing. El quorum sensing comprende diversidad de sistemas que se encuentran mediados por moléculas señalizadoras llamadas autoinductores, y que se encargan de la regulación y expresión de numerosos procesos bacterianos, así como de la expresión de factores de virulencia en procesos infecciosos. Estos sistemas son dependientes de densidad celular, ya que requieren superar una concentración crítica de autoinductores en el medio para su activación. Debido a su implicación en el desarrollo de numerosos procesos patogénicos, durante los últimos 50 años se ha investigado tanto los diferentes autoinductores existentes como su funcionamiento. Además, la aparición de nuevas cepas multirresistentes durante las últimas décadas ha acelerado la búsqueda de nuevas estrategias terapéuticas. Más recientemente, han sido descubiertas estrategias naturales para la inhibición de estos procesos quorum sensing, es lo que se conoce como quorum quenching. Estas estrategias interfieren en el proceso de comunicación, ya sea bloqueando competitivamente receptores de membrana, inhibiendo las enzimas de síntesis de los autoinductores o degradando los autoinductores presentes en el medio. En este trabajo se expone información constatada acerca del quorum sensing y quorum quenching. Para ello, se hace un análisis de los autoinductores más extendidos entre las bacterias, así como de los sistemas en los que participan. También se describen los mecanismos de inhibición de quorum sensing y sus potenciales usos en el ámbito sanitario.

Las enfermedades de transmisión vectorial representan un problema significativo en la sociedad actual. Factores como la globalización o el cambio climático hacen que, si se dan las condiciones adecuadas, la amenaza de brote por una enfermedad vectorial esté presente en cualquier parte del mundo. Gracias a los diferentes métodos de control establecidos por el Centro Europeo para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades (ECDC) y la Red Nacional de Vigilancia Epidemiológica (RENAVE), es posible obtener una visión real y actualizada de la evolución de estas enfermedades en nuestro país. En esta revisión nos enfocaremos en los principales vectores artrópodos presentes en España, analizando su morfología, ciclo de vida y distribución, así como las principales enfermedades que pueden transmitir. A lo largo del trabajo examinaremos la distribución, los síntomas, el ciclo de transmisión y la situación en España de las enfermedades seleccionadas, prestando especial atención a los últimos años para discutir la evolución observada. Entre los resultados obtenidos en este estudio destacar la disminución general en la notificación de los casos de las distintas enfermedades vectoriales analizadas, siendo mucho más pronunciado este descenso a partir del año 2020, año que coincide con el comienzo de la pandemia por COVID-19. También resaltar la situación de la Fiebre Hemorrágica de Crimea Congo, donde España es prácticamente el único país europeo donde se siguen notificando casos, lo que nos coloca en el foco como principal responsable de un posible brote en el futuro. A pesar de los datos obtenidos, la aparición de brotes esporádicos en España nos confirma la necesidad seguir controlando las enfermedades vectoriales debido tanto a la localización geográfica como a las condiciones climáticas que tenemos en nuestro país haciendo que sea un territorio en continuo riesgo de sufrir posibles futuras enfermedades de transmisión vectorial.

En los últimos años la población que presenta reacciones adversas a los alimentos (RAA) se ha visto incrementada, convirtiéndose en un problema importante de salud pública. Dentro de estas RAA distinguimos las sensibilidades y las intolerancias alimentarias. La importancia y el papel de la microbiota humana en diversos procesos fisiológicos tales como la estimulación del sistema inmune o el metabolismo y la absorción de nutrientes, ha situado a esta en el eje de numerosos estudios científicos, apoyado de las revolucionarias técnicas de secuenciación disponibles. El objetivo de este Trabajo Fin de Máster ha consistido en la descripción de los avances más recientes del conocimiento del papel que ejerce la microbiota en el padecimiento de las RAA. Se han realizado diferentes estudios para establecer si existen diferencias en las poblaciones microbianas de pacientes con las alergias más frecuentes en la primera infancia como son la alergia al huevo y a la proteína de leche de vaca, demostrándose en algunos de ellos que existe una disbiosis en los pacientes con estas alergias. Por otro lado, en relación con patologías autoinmunes como la enfermedad celíaca, se ha detectado la presencia de ciertas bacterias con capacidad de metabolizar el gluten y disminuir su alergenicidad. En los pacientes con intolerancia a la lactosa se ha comprobado que la utilización de probióticos, principalmente del género Bifidobacterium y Lactobacillus, mejoran de manera significativa los síntomas de esta patología. Sin embargo, se necesitan más estudios para comprender mejor el potencial de la microbiota en el conjunto general de RAA. La prevención de las alergias en la actualidad también se está enfocando mediante la introducción temprana de los alimentos alergénicos. Algunos estudios muestran que esto favorece la adquisición de tolerancia oral y previene los episodios de hipersensibilidad debido principalmente a una estimulación de las células caliciformes. Además, la nutrición tiene un papel, In recent years, the population presenting adverse food reactions (AFR) has increased, evolving an important public health problem. We can distinguish two types of AFR, including food sensitivities and food intolerances. The importance and role of the human microbiota in several physiological processes such as the stimulation of the immune system or the metabolism and absorption of nutrients, has placed microbiota at the center of numerous scientific studies, supported by the revolutionary sequencing techniques available. The aim of this Master's thesis has been to describe the most recent advances in the knowledge of the role of the microbiota in the development of AFR. Different studies have been carried out to establish if there are differences in the microbial populations of patients with the most frequent allergies in early childhood such as egg allergy and cow's milk protein allergy, demonstrating the existence of a dysbiosis in these allergic patients. On the other hand, in relation to autoimmune pathologies such as celiac disease, the presence of certain bacteria able to metabolize gluten and reduce its allergenicity has been detected. In patients with lactose intolerance, the use of probiotics, mainly of the Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus genus, has been shown to significantly improve the symptoms of this pathology. However, more studies are needed to better understand the potential of the microbiota in the overall RAA set. The early allergenic food’s introduction is also currently being approached to allergy prevention due to some studies show that the acquisition of oral tolerance prevents hypersensitivity episodes by the stimulation of goblet cells. In addition, nutrition plays a fundamental role in the configuration of microbiota and therefore, could be related to the later establishment and development of microbial patterns.

Pediculus humanus capitis conocido como el “piojo de la cabeza”, es un parásito obligado del ser humano a nivel mundial, cuya afectación principal es un prurito muy intenso localizado en el cuero cabelludo como consecuencia de la inoculación de saliva por parte del piojo. Esta saliva produce una reacción de sensibilización causando el picor en los infestados. El contagio se produce por contacto directo entre las cabezas de las personas o, aunque puede ser menos común por el uso de fómites en contacto con el cabello. Tras una amplia revisión de artículos en bases de datos científicas, libros y páginas web oficiales, se ha conseguido profundizar acerca de la pediculosis, de sus tratamientos y de los problemas asociados a los mismos, además de conocer un poco más acerca del papel vectorial del mismo. Los resultados obtenidos demuestran que la infestación de piojos no se centra en una zona concreta del planeta, si no que en todos los continentes tenemos afectados, siendo mayor el número en América. Con respecto a los tratamientos se ha concluido que tres de los más usados como pediculicidas (permetrina, malatión e ivermectina) han presentado resistencias por mutaciones puntuales, dificultando el manejo de este problema de salud. Debido a esto, nuevas opciones terapéuticas están saliendo al mercado, tanto naturales como químicas y mecánicas. Las conclusiones obtenidas acerca del papel vectorial han confirmado la detección de bacterias en piojos y la transmisión de enfermedades tales como fiebre de las trincheras en seres humanos, afirmando así el papel vectorial. Concluyendo, esta revisión es necesaria con una amplia profundización en el papel vectorial por los pocos resultados encontrados en Europa y gran parte del mundo, y un nuevo enfoque frente a las dianas terapéuticas para erradicar las resistencias y aumentar la efectividad de los tratamientos.

La infección producida por el virus de la hepatitis C establece un riesgo para el bienestar de la población mundial ya que se estima que 71 millones de personas en todo el mundo padecen esta enfermedad. El virus de la hepatitis C es capaz de producir infecciones agudas y crónicas, ésta última puede llegar a complicaciones como cirrosis, insuficiencias hepáticas e incluso cáncer hepático. La existencia de más de un genotipo de la enfermedad complica la elección del tratamiento contra la infección. En esta revisión bibliográfica trataremos conceptos básicos del virus de la hepatitis C como sus características, las proteínas que lo componen, su mecanismo de acción viral y su ciclo de multiplicación en el que veremos etapas claves para la obtención dianas terapéuticas muy precisas para la creación de fármacos y posibles vacunas. También, conoceremos más a fondo su sintomatología, vías de transmisión, diagnóstico y su epidemiología. Así mismo, veremos los tratamientos para combatir esta enfermedad por orden cronológico desde los primeros y menos eficaces hasta los más nuevos y precisos. Según para que genotipo del virus de la hepatitis C han aumentado significativamente el número de pacientes curados por esta enfermedad. Pero a pesar de todos estos nuevos tratamientos y mejoras en la esperanza de vida en las personas que presentan hepatitis C, los tratamientos actuales no curan a todas las personas, en especial cuando la enfermedad se complica y se cronifica, por ello se siguen estudiando más fármacos para combatirla y también se están estudiando posibles vacunas para poder prevenirla.

La gripe aviar, también conocida como influenza aviar, es una enfermedad viral que afecta principalmente a las aves, aunque en algunos casos puede infectar a otros animales y a los seres humanos. El virus responsable de la gripe aviar pertenece al género Influenzavirus A y se clasifica en diferentes subtipos según las proteínas de superficie hemaglutinina (H) y neuraminidasa (N). Estos subtipos se diferencian según el daño que causen al hospedador, en virus de alta patogenicidad (IAAP) y de baja patogenicidad (IABP). El subtipo más conocido de IAAP es el H5N1, que ha sido el responsable de brotes de gripe aviar en varios países. Los virus IAAP pueden tener un impacto significativo en la industria avícola, causando grandes pérdidas económicas. Su importancia radica en la gran preocupación que supone para la salud pública debido a su potencial para infectar a los seres humanos, aunque hasta ahora no se ha demostrado la capacidad de transmitirse eficientemente entre humanos. La gripe aviar se propaga entre aves principalmente a través del contacto directo con aves infectadas o mediante heces, secreciones respiratorias o material contaminado. A nivel epidemiológico, las aves migratorias son las principales causantes de la propagación por diferentes zonas en aves salvajes. El contagio de aves a humanos es poco frecuente, pero existen casos de transmisión del virus a personas que tienen una relación cercana con aves infectadas como trabajadores avícolas, y cuando ocurre, puede desencadenar una enfermedad grave o incluso producir la muerte del paciente. Por ello, la OMS establece una serie de medidas de prevención y control que deben cumplirse rigurosamente para garantizar la seguridad de los animales y las personas, ya que existe la posibilidad de que el virus, que tiene alta probabilidad de mutación, adquiera la capacidad de transmitirse fácilmente entre humanos pudiendo provocar una pandemia., Avian influenza, also known as avian flu, is a viral disease that mainly affects birds, although in some cases it can infect other animals and humans. The virus responsible for avian influenza belongs to the genus Influenzavirus A and is classified into different subtypes according to the surface proteins haemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N). These subtypes are differentiated according to the damage they cause to the host, into highly pathogenic (HPAI) and low pathogenic (LPAI) viruses. The best known HPAI subtype is H5N1, which has been responsible for outbreaks of avian influenza in several countries. HPAI viruses can have a significant impact on the poultry industry, causing large economic losses. Their importance lies in the great public health concern due to their potential to infect humans, although the ability to transmit efficiently between humans has so far not been demonstrated. Avian influenza spreads between birds mainly through direct contact with infected birds or through faeces, respiratory secretions or contaminated material. Epidemiologically, migratory birds are the main cause of spread across different areas in wild birds. Transmission from birds to humans is rare, but there are cases of transmission of the virus to people who have a close relationship with infected birds such as poultry workers, and when it occurs, it can lead to severe disease or even death of the patient. For this reason, the WHO establishes a series of prevention and control measures that must be rigorously complied with to ensure the safety of animals and humans, as there is a possibility that the virus, which has a high probability of mutation, could acquire the capacity to be easily transmitted between humans and could cause a pandemic.

Salinity is an important problem for agriculture in the Mediterranean area, and thus, it is essential to develop mitigation strategies to reduce its impact. The main objective of this study was to test the effectiveness of halotolerant plant growth-promoting bacteria (H-PGPB) in improving grapevine salt stress tolerance. Grapevines grafted onto a salt-sensitive rootstock were inoculated with a consortium of H-PGPB. The substrate of half of the plants of each treatment was salinized up to 2 dS m−1. Plants grew for six days under these conditions, and afterward, NaCl was removed to assess plant recovery through growth, physiology, and canopy temperature measurements. Inoculation with H-PGPB had a positive effect on plant physiology, but after salt treatment, grapevines stopped their photosynthetic metabolism, leading to severe defoliation. Remarkably, after salt stress removal, inoculated plants re-sprouted faster, demonstrating that H-PGPB inoculation could be a good practice to increase vineyard resilience to salt stress.

Soil salinization is an important global issue since marginal salt-affected soils have harmful consequences in agriculture and ecosystems. This article reviews different sustainable strategies adopted for marginal soil reclamation in Mediterranean climates. An innovative approach to soil salinity management includes a wide range of technologies, such as: phytoremediation, phytodesalination, vegetative bioremediation, amendments application and Technosols as well as inoculation with beneficial microorganisms like plant growth promoting bacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Besides that, the role of Mediterranean halophyte crops in accelerating salt-affected area’s recovery while providing food and feed, and beneficial halophilic microorganisms for new bioinoculant production, are discussed. We conclude that the combined use of plant, soil- and microbial-based technologies is a valuable option to relieve saline stress exposure and improve crops growth and yield in saline conditions.

Hypersaline soils are extreme environments that have received little attention until the last few years. Their halophilic prokaryotic population seems to be more diverse than those of well-known aquatic systems. Among those inhabitants, representatives of the family Balneolaceae (phylum Balneolota) have been described to be abundant, but very few members have been isolated and characterized to date. This family comprises the genera Aliifodinibius and Fodinibius along with four others. A novel strain, designated 1BSP15-2V2T, has been isolated from hypersaline soils located in the Odiel Saltmarshes Natural Area (Southwest Spain), which appears to represent a new species related to the genus Aliifodinibius. However, comparative genomic analyses of members of the family Balneolaceae have revealed that the genera Aliifodinibius and Fodinibius belong to a single genus, hence we propose the reclassification of the species of the genus Aliifodinibius into the genus Fodinibius, which was first described. The novel strain is thus described as Fodinibius salsisoli sp. nov., with 1BSP15-2V2T (=CCM 9117T = CECT 30246T) as the designated type strain. This species and other closely related ones show abundant genomic recruitment within 80–90% identity range when searched against several hypersaline soil metagenomic databases investigated. This might suggest that there are still uncultured, yet abundant closely related representatives to this family present in these environments. In-depth in-silico analysis of the metabolism of Fodinibius showed that the biotin biosynthesis pathway was present in the genomes of strain 1BSP15-2V2T and other species of the family Balneolaceae, which could entail major implications in their community role providing this vitamin to other organisms that depend on an exogenous source of this nutrient.

The genus Natronomonas is classified on the family Haloarculaceae, within the class Halobacteria and currently includes six species isolated from salterns, saline or soda lakes, and salt mines. All are extremely halophilic (optimal growth at 20–25% [w/v] NaCl) and neutrophilic, except Natronomonas pharaonis, the type species of the genus, that is haloalkaliphilic (showing optimal growth at pH 9.0) and possesses distinct phenotypic features, such as a different polar lipid profile than the rest of species of the genus. We have carried out a genome-based study in order to determine the phylogenetic structure of the genus Natronomonas and elucidate its current taxonomic status. Overall genomic relatedness indexes, i.e., OrthoANI (Average Nucleotide Identity), dDDH (digital DNA–DNA hybridization), and AAI (Average Amino acid Identity), were determined with respect to the species of Natronomonas and other representative taxa of the class Halobacteria. Our data show that the six species of Natronomonas constitute a coherent cluster at the genus level. Besides, we have characterized a new haloarchaeon, strain F2-12T , isolated from the brine of a pond of a saltern in Isla Cristina, Huelva, Spain, and we determined that it constitutes a new species of Natronomonas, for which we propose the name Natronomonas aquatica sp. nov. Besides, the metabolic analysis revealed a heterotrophic lifestyle and a versatile nitrogen metabolism for members of this genus. Finally, metagenomic fragment recruitments from a subset of hypersaline habitats, indicated that the species of Natronomonas are widely distributed in saline lakes and salterns as well as on saline soils. Species of this haloarchaeal genus can be considered as ubiquitous in intermediate to high salinity habitats.

The fraction of low-abundance microbiota in the marine environment is a promising target for discovering new bioactive molecules with pharmaceutical applications. Phenomena in the ocean such as diel vertical migration (DVM) and seasonal dynamic events influence the pattern of diversity of marine bacteria, conditioning the probability of isolation of uncultured bacteria. In this study, we report a new marine bacterium belonging to the rare biosphere, Leeuwenhoekiella parthenopeia sp. nov. Mr9T, which was isolated employing seasonal and diel sampling approaches. Its complete characterization, ecology, biosynthetic gene profiling of the whole genus Leeuwenhoekiella, and bioactivity of its extract on human cells are reported. The phylogenomic and microbial diversity studies demonstrated that this bacterium is a new and rare species, barely representing 0.0029% of the bacterial community in Mediterranean Sea metagenomes. The biosynthetic profiling of species of the genus Leeuwenhoekiella showed nine functionally related gene cluster families (GCF), none were associated with pathways responsible to produce known compounds or registered patents, therefore revealing its potential to synthesize novel bioactive compounds. In vitro screenings of L. parthenopeia Mr9T showed that the total lipid content (lipidome) of the cell membrane reduces the prostatic and brain tumor cell viability with a lower effect on normal cells. The lipidome consisted of sulfobacin A, WB 3559A, WB 3559B, docosenamide, topostin B-567, and unknown compounds. Therefore, the bioactivity could be attributed to any of these individual compounds or due to their synergistic effect. Beyond the rarity and biosynthetic potential of this bacterium, the importance and novelty of this study is the employment of sampling strategies based on ecological factors to reach the hidden microbiota, as well as the use of bacterial membrane constituents as potential novel therapeutics. Our findings open new perspectives on cu

Fipronil is a broad-spectrum insecticide with remarkable efficacy that is widely used to control insect pests around the world. However, its extensive use has led to increasing soil and water contamination. This fact is of concern and makes it necessary to evaluate the risk of undesirable effects on non-target microorganisms, such as the microbial community in water and/or soil. Studies using the metagenomic approach to assess the effects of fipronil on soil microbial communities are scarce. In this context, the present study was conducted to identify microorganisms that can biodegrade fipronil and that could be of great environmental interest. For this purpose, the targeted metabarcoding approach was performed in soil microcosms under two environmental conditions: fipronil exposure and control (without fipronil). After a 35-day soil microcosm period, the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene of all samples was sequenced using the ion torrent personal genome machine (PGM) platform. Our study showed the presence of Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes in all of the samples; however, the presence of fipronil in the soil samples resulted in a significant increase in the concentration of bacteria from these phyla. The statistical results indicate that some bacterial genera benefited from soil exposure to fipronil, as in the case of bacteria from the genus Thalassobacillus, while others were affected, as in the case of bacteria from the genus Streptomyces. Overall, the results of this study provide a potential contribution of fipronil-degrading bacteria.

Lake Urmia located in Iran is a hypersaline environment with a salinity of about 27% (w/v). Metagenomic analyses of water samples collected from six locations in the lake exhibited a microbial community dominated by representatives of the family Haloferacaceae (69.8%), mainly those affiliated to only two genera, Haloquadratum (59.3%) and Halonotius (9.1%). Similar to other hypersaline lakes, the bacterial community was dominated by Salinibacter ruber (23.3%). Genomic variation analysis by inspecting single nucleotide variations (SNVs) and insertions/deletions (INDELs) exhibited a high level of SNVs and insertions, most likely through transformation for abundant taxa in the Lake Urmia community. We suggest that the extreme conditions of Lake Urmia and specifically its high ionic concentrations could potentially increase the SNVs and insertions, which can consequently hamper the assembly and genome reconstruction from metagenomic reads of Lake Urmia.

A gluten-free diet (GFD) is currently the only treatment available for patients with celiac disease (CD). However, adherence to a GFD can be challenging because gluten is present in many foods. A lifelong follow-up of patients with CD must be performed to promote adherence to a GFD and to identify the appearance of symptoms and the associated diseases. Therefore, the development of tools to analyze gluten exposure in these patients is important. This study proposes the development of the first automatable ELISA to monitor adherence to a GFD through the quantification of urine gluten immunogenic peptides (u-GIP). Seven healthy volunteers without suspicion of CD and 23 patients with CD were monitored as part of this study to optimize, validate, and apply this assay. Non-interference was found in the urine matrix, and the recovery percentage for spiked samples was 81–101%. The u-GIP was stable for up to 16 days when the samples were stored at different temperatures. Overall, 100% of the patients had detectable u-GIP at diagnosis (range of 0.39–2.14 ng GIP/mL), which reduced to 27% after 12 months on a GFD. Therefore, this highly sensitive immunoassay would allow the analysis of u-GIP from a large battery of samples in clinical laboratories of specialized healthcare centers.

A necessidade de mudança do modelo educacional vigente é cada vez mais evidente, principalmente, por repetidos insucessos em exames internacionais. Além disso, a sociedade contemporânea, incluindo aqui aluno e professores, requerem de habilidades e competências diferentes que se conectam com o mundo digital. Assim, entendese que a inserção da tecnologia na escola pode contribuir com os desenvolvimentos das exigências de mundo atual. Nesse viés, o professor de apoio à tecnologia e inovação (PROATEC) auxilia nesse processo de imersão a cultura digital tanto por parte dos alunos quanto dos professores. Por isso, esse artigo teve por objetivo identificar o contexto no qual essa função foi criada e como ela contribui para o desenvolvimento da cultura digital da escola. O resultado trouxe a importância desse profissional, principalmente, por entender que seu papel se relaciona fortemente com a Base Nacional Comum Curricular, The need to change the current educational model is increasingly evident, mainly due to repeated failures in international examinations. Moreover, contemporary society, including students and teachers, requires different skills and competences that connect with the digital world. Thus, it is understood that the insertion of technology in school can contribute to the developments of the current world demands. In this perspective, the teacher of support to technology and innovation (PROATEC) helps in this process of immersion in the digital culture by both students and teachers. Therefore, this article aimed to identify the context in which this function was created and how it contributes to the development of digital culture in the school. The result brought the importance of this professional, mainly, by understanding that his role is strongly related to the Common National Curricular Base.

Background: New challenges in our society are appearing following the emergence of antibiotic-resistant mi- croorganisms and the concerns about the use of antibiotics. Furthermore, food spoilage due to microorganisms leads to food waste of around 1.3 billion tons each year. Bioactive peptides obtained from food proteins, released by enzymatic hydrolysis or fermentation, can be employed as a natural alternative to antibiotics and as pre- servative agents, due to their ability to inhibit the growth of several microorganisms. Plant protein use in the food industry is increasing over animal protein, due to the environmental and animal welfare concerns of the population. Considering the concerns about the use antibiotics, their exploitation as a source of antimicrobial peptides is gaining interest in recent years. Scope and approach: This review aims to summarize the published literature on protein hydrolysates as a source of antimicrobial peptides, obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis or fermentation of plants, their mechanisms, and the use in the food industry by producing fortified products or edible coatings. Key findings and conclusions: Antibacterial and antifungal plant peptides obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis are studied to a larger extent that antiviral peptides but further research concerning identification and applicability must be done. The results published show promising uses in the food industry in many areas such as fortification of foods or active packaging with dual bioactivity, related to the antimicrobial activity – avoiding food spoilage and antimicrobial resistance.

According to the EU, the global consumption of biomass, fossil fuels, metals, and minerals is expected to double by 2050, while waste will increase by 70%. In this context, the Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) intends to integrate development and sustainability. In this regard, tailored biofertilizers based on plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) can improve plant yield with fewer inputs. In our project, an autochthonous halophyte of the Andalusian marshes, namely Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, was selected for its interest as a source of pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals. The aim of this work was to use a culturomics approach for the isolation of specific PGPB and endophytes able to promote plant growth and, eventually, modulate the metabolome of the plant. For this purpose, a specific culture medium based on M. crystallinum biomass, called Mesem Agar (MA), was elaborated. Bacteria of three compartments (rhizosphere soil, root endophytes, and shoot endophytes) were isolated on standard tryptone soy agar (TSA) and MA in order to obtain two independent collections. A higher number of bacteria were isolated on TSA than in MA (47 vs. 37). All the bacteria were identified, and although some of them were isolated in both media (Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Priestia, Rosellomorea, etc.), either medium allowed the isolation of specific members of the M. crystallinum microbiome such as Leclercia, Curtobacterium, Pantoea, Lysinibacillus, Mesobacillus, Glutamicibacter, etc. Plant growth-promoting properties and extracellular degrading activities of all the strains were determined, and distinct patterns were found in both media. The three best bacteria of each collection were selected in order to produce two different consortia, whose effects on seed germination, root colonization, plant growth and physiology, and metabolomics were analyzed. Additionally, the results of the plant metabolome revealed a differential accumulation of several primary and secondary metabolites with

Plant-growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) help plants thrive in polluted environments and increase crops yield using fewer inputs. Therefore, the design of tailored biofertilizers is of the utmost importance. The purpose of this work was to test two different bacterial synthetic communities (SynComs) from the microbiome of Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, a moderate halophyte with cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and nutraceutical applications. The SynComs were composed of specific metal-resistant plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria and endophytes. In addition, the possibility of modulating the accumulation of nutraceutical substances by the synergetic effect of metal stress and inoculation with selected bacteria was tested. One of the SynComs was isolated on standard tryptone soy agar (TSA), whereas the other was isolated following a culturomics approach. For that, a culture medium based on M. crystallinum biomass, called Mesem Agar (MA), was elaborated. Bacteria of three compartments (rhizosphere soil, root endophytes, and shoot endophytes) were isolated on standard TSA and MA media, stablishing two independent collections. All bacteria were tested for PGP properties, secreted enzymatic activities, and resistance towards As, Cd, Cu, and Zn. The three best bacteria from each collection were selected in order to produce two different consortiums (denominated TSA- and MA-SynComs, respectively), whose effect on plant growth and physiology, metal accumulation, and metabolomics was evaluated. Both SynComs, particularly MA, improved plant growth and physiological parameters under stress by a mixture of As, Cd, Cu, and Zn. Regarding metal accumulation, the concentrations of all metals/metalloids in plant tissues were below the threshold for plant metal toxicity, indicating that this plant is able to thrive in polluted soils when assisted by metal/metalloid-resistant SynComs and could be safely used for pharmaceutical purposes. Initial metabolomics analyses depict changes in plant me

Esta tesis está basada en investigaciones previas de nuestro grupo de investigación sobre el operón opvAB de Salmonella enterica. La transcripción de este locus está sujeta a variación de fase y genera dos subpoblaciones de células que presentan diferencias fenotípicas en la longitud del antígeno O del lipopolisacárido: la subpoblación OpvABOFF, que tiene el antígeno O estándar, y la subpoblación OpvABON, que exhibe un antígeno O más corto. El operón opvAB está presente en la especie S. enterica y ha sido identificado en las subespecies arizonae, diarizonae, salamae y enterica en una única copia dentro del mismo contexto cromosómico. La secuencia opvAB de S. enterica está muy conservada en comparación con la secuencia de otros operones que codifican estructuras de superficie, como los locus std y gtr. La diversidad observada en el locus opvAB está relacionada principalmente con sustituciones y los elementos cruciales en la regulación de la expresión de opvAB se encuentran conservados casi en el 100% de las secuencias. Al analizar los mecanismos de selección natural, los resultados indican que la selección purificadora podría estar actuando sobre ambos genes del locus, opvA y opvB. El mecanismo de selección purificadora está generalmente asociado con una disminución de la diversidad de la secuencia y no sería lo esperado para un locus que codifica proteínas de las envolturas celulares, como es el opvAB. Sin embargo, dado que los elementos básicos de la secuencia reguladora se encuentran altamente conservados, el mecanismo de variación de fase se mantiene seleccionado. La variación de fase del locus opvAB podría ser suficiente para generar una diversidad fenotípica en las envolturas celulares que permitiera su adaptación a diversos ambientes. Este mecanismo de variación epigenética podría considerarse una estrategia adaptativa alternativa a la selección diversificadora que actúa sobre otros loci relacionados con los antígenos de superficie. Los experimentos de evoluci

El principal objetivo de la presente Tesis Doctoral ha sido llevar a cabo un estudio taxonómico y filogenético de diferentes especies del género Trichuris parásitas de distintos hospedadores, principalmente primates no humanos (PNH), junto con otros hospedadores vertebrados, de diferentes parques zoológicos de España. Los resultados obtenidos aportarán nuevos datos de este género para clarificar la taxonomía actual y las relaciones filogenéticas de este grupo de parásitos y para su lucha y control. El desarrollo de la presente Tesis Doctoral se ha llevado a cabo en varias etapas: 1. Recogida de muestras: Para ello se recogieron muestras de heces de distintos hospedadores de diferentes parques zoológicos de España: primates, camellos, puercoespines, etc. 2. Estudio morfológico y biométrico clásico: Para llevar a cabo la determinación taxonómica por procedimientos clásicos. Se realizó un estudio morfo-biométrico inicial basándonos en los parámetros más característicos citados por distintos autores de las poblaciones de Trichuris de adultos obtenidas. 3. Estudio mediante morfometría geométrica: Para analizar si es una herramienta útil en la identificación y diferenciación de las diferentes especies de Trichuris analizadas. 4. Estudio molecular: taxonómico y filogenético. El estudio molecular de las distintas especies del género Trichuris se realizó en varias etapas: extracción de ADN; amplificación mediante la reacción en cadena de la polimerasa (PCR) de diferentes marcadores moleculares; purificación del productor de PCR; cuantificación del ADN; y secuenciación. Todo ello con el fin de estudiar diferentes marcadores moleculares ribosómicos, mitocondriales y del genoma mitocondrial completo de las distintas especies objeto de estudio. Una vez obtenidas las secuencias se alinearon y analizaron filogenéticamente basándonos en tres parámetros fundamentales: - La variabilidad interespecífica de las secuencias - La variabilidad interpoblacional - La variabilidad intrapoblac, The main objective of this Doctoral Thesis has been to carry out a taxonomic and phylogenetic study of different parasites species of the genus Trichuris from different hosts, mainly non-human primates (NHP), together with other vertebrate hosts from different zoological gardens from Spain. The results obtained will provided new data on this genus to clarify the current taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships of this parasite group and for its fight and control. The development of this Doctoral Thesis has been carried out in several stages: 1. Collection of samples: For this purpose, stool samples were collected from different hosts form different zoological gardens from Spain: primates, camels, porcupines, etc. 2. Classic morphological and biometric study: To carry out the taxonomic determination by classical procedures. An initial morpho-biometric study was carried out of the adult Trichuris population obtained based on the most characteristic parameters cited by different authors. 3. Study using geometrical morphometrics: To analyze if it is a useful tool in the identification and differentiation of the different species of Trichuris analyzed. 4. Molecular study: taxonomic and phylogenetic. The molecular study of the different species of the genus Trichuris was carried out in several stages: DNA extraction; amplification of different molecular markers by polymerase chain reaction (PCR); purification of the PCR product; DNA quantification; and sequencing. All this in order to study different ribosomal and mitochondrial molecular markers and the complete mitochondrial genome of the different species under study. Once the sequences were obtained, they were aligned and phylogenetically analyzed based on three fundamental parameters: - The interspecific variability of the sequences - Interpopulation variability - Intrapopulation variability 5. Analysis using the MALDI-TOF MS technique of many samples belonging to different species of the genus Trichuris from different

El deterioro de los suelos es uno de los problemas más acuciantes en la actualidad. Distintos tipos de estrés abiótico están presentes en suelos agrícolas y estuarinos que antes eran idóneos para cultivos y presentaban una gran biodiversidad. El manejo inadecuado de fertilizantes químicos, la salinidad, los metales pesados y otros contaminantes han contribuido a la pérdida de nutrientes y microorganismos que aportan beneficios a los suelos. En Huelva (Andalucía, España) se encuentran estuarios con gran importancia ecológica y económica, como el conjunto de estuarios de los ríos Tinto y Odiel, muy estudiados por ser una de las regiones con mayor contaminación por metales pesados del mundo, y el estuario del río Piedras, con zonas descritas como suelos pobres en nutrientes. Para poder contrarrestar el daño causado por estos estreses abióticos se han propuesto alternativas biotecnológicas de biorremediación, más sostenibles con el medio ambiente y más económicas que los tratamientos de remediación físico-químicos convencionales. En este sentido, las leguminosas son una excelente opción para recuperar suelos degradados que se encuentran expuestos a estrés abiótico, a través de la fijación biológica de nitrógeno. Estas plantas son idóneas para la fitoestabilización de metales pesados, y las bacterias promotoras del crecimiento vegetal (PGPB, Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria) se pueden utilizar como inoculantes para mejorar el crecimiento, la nodulación y, en definitiva, la adaptación de las leguminosas a los suelos contaminados. Las medidas de minerales y macronutrientes realizadas en las marismas del río Piedras mostraron una deficiencia nutricional y un bajo contenido de materia orgánica, convirtiéndolo en un suelo degradado medioambientalmente. Por otro lado, la concentración de metales/loides presentes en los suelos del estuario del río Odiel sobrepasaron los valores permitidos por la legislación autonómica y estatal en parques naturales, suelos agrícolas e industrial

Background: Gluten-free diet (GFD) is the only treatment for patients with coeliac disease (CD). and its compliance should be monitored to avoid cumulative damage. Aims: To analyse gluten exposures of coeliac patients on GFD for at least 24 months using different monitoring tools and its impact on duodenal histology at 12-month follow-up and evaluate the interval of determination of urinary gluten immunogenic peptides (u-GIP) for the monitoring of GFD adherence. Methods: Ninety-four patients with CD on a GFD for at least 24 months were prospectively included. Symptoms, serology, CDAT questionnaire, and u-GIP (three samples/visit) were analysed at inclusion, 3, 6, and 12 months. Duodenal biopsy was performed at inclusion and 12 months. Results: At inclusion, 25.8% presented duodenal mucosal damage; at 12 months, this percentage reduced by half. This histological improvement was indicated by a reduction in u-GIP but did not correlate with the remaining tools. The determination of u-GIP detected a higher number of transgressions than serology, regardless of histological evolution type. The presence of >4 u-GIP-positive samples out of 12 collected during 12 months predicted histological lesion with a specificity of 93%. Most patients (94%) with negative u-GIP in ≥2 follow-up visits showed the absence of histological lesions (p < 0.05). Conclusion: This study suggests that the frequency of recurrent gluten exposures, according to serial determination of u-GIP, could be related to the persistence of villous atrophy and that a more regular follow-up every 6 months, instead of annually, provides more useful data about the adequate adherence to GFD and mucosal healing.

With a global population of around 35 million in 47 countries, camels play a crucial role in the economy of many marginal and desert areas of the world where they survive in harsh conditions. Nonetheless, there is insufficient knowledge regarding camels’ parasite fauna which can reduce their milk and meat production. A molecular study for the Trichuris population of Camelus bactrianus from Spain is presented based on sequences of mitochondrial (cox1, cob, rrnL) and ribosomal (ITS1 and ITS2) DNA regions. Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood methods were used to infer phylogenies for (i) each gene separately, (ii) the combined mitochondrial data, and (iii) the combined mitochondrial and ribosomal dataset. Molecular analyses revealed the existence of two different genetic lineages in the Trichuris parasites populations of C. bactrianus. Future studies should focus on whether there is a coevolution process corresponding to the wild or domestic character of C. bactrianus and Camelus dromedarius. Furthermore, it is necessary to increase integrative taxonomic studies on Trichuris spp. based on morphological, biometric, and molecular data, which will inevitably contribute to our knowledge of the etiology of trichuriasis.

Estuaries are ecologically important ecosystems particularly affected by climate change and human activities. Our interest is focused on the use of legumes to fight against the degradation of estuarine soils and loss of fertility under adverse conditions. This work was aimed to determine the potential of a nodule synthetic bacterial community (SynCom), including two Ensifer sp. and two Pseudomonas sp. strains isolated from Medicago spp. nodules, to promote M. sativa growth and nodulation in degraded estuarine soils under several abiotic stresses, including high metal contamination, salinity, drought and high temperature. These plant growth promoting (PGP) endophytes were able to maintain and even increase their PGP properties in the presence of metals. Inoculation with the SynCom in pots containing soil enhanced plant growth parameters (from 3- to 12-fold increase in dry weight), nodulation (from 1.5- to 3-fold increase in nodules number), photosynthesis and nitrogen content (up to 4-fold under metal stress) under all the controlled conditions tested. The increase in plant antioxidant enzymatic activities seems to be a common and important mechanism of plant protection induced by the SynCom under abiotic stress conditions. The SynCom increased M. sativa metals accumulation in roots, with low levels of metals translocation to shoots. Results indicated that the SynCom used in this work is an appropriate ecological and safe tool to improve Medicago growth and adaptation to degraded estuarine soils under climate change conditions.

The metagenomic sequences of the prokaryotic microbiota from the brine of a crystallizer pond with 42% (wt/vol) salinity of a saltern located in Isla Cristina, Huelva, southwest Spain, were obtained by Illumina. Haloarchaea and members of the bacterial genus Salinibacter were the most abundant prokaryotes.

Biofertilization with plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) could optimize chemical fertilization for strawberry crop cultivation. A greenhouse study was arranged to assess the impact of an isolated PGPB consortium from halophytes on strawberry development, physiological traits, and nutritional balance subjected to two phosphorus fertilization limitation treatments (with and without insoluble phosphorus form application). Biofertilization had a positive effect on strawberry development. Thus, shoot and root biomass was c. 20 and 32% higher in inoculated plants grown with insoluble phosphorus. This effect was mediated by a positive bacterial impact on plant carbon absorption capacity and water use efficiency, through a reduction in CO2 diffusional and biochemical photosynthesis limitation. Thus, net photosynthetic rate and intrinsic water use efficiency showed increments of 21–56% and 14–37%, respectively. In addition, inoculation led to a better efficiency of the plant photochemical apparatus, as indicated by the invariable higher PSII photochemistry parameters. Furthermore, these effects correlated with improved nutritional balance of phosphorus and nitrogen, which was directly related to the beneficial impact on carbon metabolism and, consequently, on strawberries’ growth. In conclusion, we can recommend the biofertilization based on PGPB for achieving more efficient strawberry P fertilization management practices, providing high efficiency in yields.