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General Information
The Reference and Research Laboratory for Immuno-Preventable Bacterial Infections is composed of several independent groups that carry out reference and/or research activities on vaccine-preventable pathogenic bacteria such as Streptococcus, Neisseria, and Bordetella. As part of its reference functions, it supports the National Health System through various programs of microbiological surveillance, molecular diagnostics, and vaccine evaluation, while also providing laboratory data to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
In addition, all groups conduct both basic and translational research on these pathogens and the associated diseases, with particular emphasis on the characterization of compounds with antimicrobial activity, the study of DNA topology, antibiotic resistance, vaccines, and virulence factors.
Furthermore, the laboratory maintains extensive activity within national and international networks and consortia coordinated and/or funded by the ECDC, networked research centers, or scientific societies. It is also involved in training activities, participating as teaching staff in several specialized master’s programs and training research personnel through the supervision of interns, undergraduate and master’s theses, and doctoral dissertations.
Research
The Laboratory of Immunopreventable Bacterial Infections has the following groups/units::
Bacterial Genetics
Through multidisciplinary analysis including genomics, transcriptomics, RNomics and proteomics, this unit investigates the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae, characterising the molecular basis of its action (levofloxacin, moxifloxacin and seconeolitsin), identifying new therapeutic targets (proteins and non-coding RNAs involved in the organisation of the bacterial chromosome) and studying alternative therapies based on CRISPR technology.
Neisserias, Listeria y Bordetella
Penumococcus
Services
Services of the Pneumococcus Unit
Head: José Yuste Lobo (jyuste@isciii.es)
The Pneumococcus Unit supports the National Health System by acting as a reference laboratory for Streptococcus pneumoniae. In this regard, molecular techniques have been implemented for its diagnosis and characterisation, maintaining the microbiological surveillance programme for invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) active.
The following table summarises the service activities related to the characterisation of Streptococcus pneumoniae.
Service Activities of the Neisseria, Listeria, and Bordetella Unit
Heads:
- Raquel Abad Torreblanca (rabad@isciii.es)
- Julio Vázquez Moreno (jvazquez@isciii.es)
The Neisseria, Listeria, and Bordetella Unit supports the National Health System by acting as the reference laboratory for Neisseria meningitidis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Listeria monocytogenes, and Bordetella pertussis. In this role, the Unit works on the development and application of molecular techniques for their diagnosis and characterization, while maintaining active microbiological surveillance programs for invasive meningococcal disease (IMD), gonococcal infection (GI), and listeriosis.
Surveillance Programs
The program includes:
- Molecular diagnosis and characterization of clinical samples in which isolation has not been possible.
- Characterization of clinical isolates of Neisseria meningitidis.
The program includes phenotypic and molecular characterization of clinical isolates of N. gonorrhoeae, as well as antimicrobial susceptibility testing.
To view the details of this surveillance program, click HERE.
The program includes:
- Molecular diagnosis of clinical samples in which isolation has not been possible, using real-time PCR with probe-based detection (target: hly).
- Molecular characterization of clinical isolates of L. monocytogenes, as well as food and environmental isolates in the context of outbreak investigations.
Other activities included in the service portfolio
- Molecular diagnosis of Haemophilus influenzae in clinical samples where isolation was not possible (real-time PCR based on the use of probes, target: omp2). Capsule identification in positive cases (real-time PCR based on the use of probes, target: bexA).
- Molecular diagnosis of pertussis in clinical samples where isolation was not possible (real-time PCR based on the use of probes, targets: IS481, ptxP, IS1001, por, BhIS1001).
- Phenotypic and molecular characterization of clinical isolates of Bordetella pertussis (serotype, MLST, vaccine antigens).
- Diagnosis and molecular characterization of Lymphogranuloma Venereum (real-time PCR based on the use of probes, targets: omp1, pmpH). If an L2 genotype is obtained, the variant is determined by sequencing.
- Determination of bactericidal antibodies against Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C (serum bactericidal activity assay using rabbit complement (rSBA) as an exogenous complement source).
- Identification of Neisseria spp. (biochemical tests and 16S rRNA gene sequencing).