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AIDS Immunopathology

Research Lines

Content with Investigacion Inmunobiología .

The Immunobiology group has been working for years on the following lines of research:
1) The mechanisms of haematopoietic cell generation throughout ontogeny and the influence that the first haematopoietic cells exert on the innate and adaptive immune system present in the adults. We have identified and characterised a new population of B lymphocytes called B1-Rel (B220lo), which produce high levels of natural IgG/IgA antibodies. We sought to understand their role in the immune response in animal models of infection, analysing their impact on immune cell populations and on the production of soluble mediators (cytokines and immunoglobulins). In this regard, we have evaluated the generation of embryonic megakaryocytes (and their differentiation niches), their functionality and that of platelets, and their influence on haematopoietic development. For lymphoid populations, we have carried out extensive characterisation by flow cytometry and single cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) methodology. To carry out these cellomic studies, we have designed complex panels for use in multiparametric phenotypic analysis, and single cell cytometry and RNAseq omics technologies on purified cell populations.


In parallel, we are interested in understanding local immune responses in respiratory infections at times of particular susceptibility due to the fragility of the immune system (childhood and old age), both in mouse animal models, which allow their manipulation, and in humans. 

2) Mouse models studied during neonatal life, in which we evaluated the effect of antibiotic (AB) treatment and addressed the role of TLR receptors in innate, pseudo-innate and adaptive immune cell populations. In these models, we observed that AB administration was able to modulate B-lymphoid populations, as well as their ability to secrete proinflammatory cytokines in culture and their differentiation into plasma cells, with differentiated immunoglobulin repertoires. Furthermore. These effects were mediated through the Toll-like receptor-2 (TLR2).

3) Mouse models with accelerated senescence (SAMP8) and senescent animals (over 20 months of age) to map lymphoid populations and soluble mediators of the immune response (immunoglobulins and cytokines). In these models, the B lymphoid populations (B1Rel and marginal zone B lymphocytes) are observed to be altered, accompanied by an increase in IgG1 with great restriction of their VDJ repertoires.


4) Role of the B1Rel population in animal models of local or systemic infection. We analysed the response to Streptoccoccus pneumoniae (SPN) locally in the lung and systemically in the spleen, as well as the role of TLR4 in these responses.

5) In humans, we are studying immune responses in children with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) viral primo-infection. In this case we studied the immune response that occurs locally in the nasal mucosa (by analysis of nasal washings, NW) in a cohort of infected children versus healthy controls, stratified by age. We found that lymphomyeloid cells accumulate in these nasal washings in patients with diverse lymphocyte populations, as well as cytokines and immunoglobulins.

6) Analysis and characterisation of extracellular vesicles produced during respiratory infection both in lung supernatants from models of SPN infection and in LN in the case of children with RSV infection.

7) In parallel, we carry out studies of the genetic rearrangements of immunoglobulins and their use in the generation of chimeric receptors for possible use in immunotherapy.

Research projects

Content with Investigacion Inmunobiología .

-Project “Induction, differentiation and modulation of resident B lymphocytes in the lung in response to pneumococcus (NEUBLUNG)”. Ministry of Science and Innovation, PID2022-141754OB-I00 Call 2022 "Knowledge Generation Projects". 09/01/2023-08/31/2026. Financed by MICIU/AEI /10.13039/501100011033 and by ERDF, EU. PI: Belén by Andrés Muguruza. CoPI: María Luisa Gaspar Alonso-Vega.


 

-Project." Immune response of the nasal mucosa in childhood bronchiolitis” Instituto de Salud Carlos III-AESI. AESI-PI22CIII/00030 PI: Belén by Andrés Muguruza. CoPI Maria Luisa Gaspar Alonso-Vega. 01/01/2023-12/31/2025..

-Project. BenBedPhar. CA20121, European Union. Antonio Cuadrado. (CNM-ISCIII).10/19/2021-10/18/2025.

-Spanish Association Against Cancer Project “Novel comprehensive immunotherapy to specifically target the malignant clone in Sézary syndrome, an ultra-rare cancer of mature T lymphocytes”, number PROYE20084REGU. PI: José Ramón Regueiro, PI group Maria Luisa Gaspar. 01/01/2021-12/31/2023.

Project “The pulmonary immune system in homeostasis and infection: characterization and function of immature and pseudoinnate lymphoid populations.” MINECO-RETOS RTI2018-099114-B-100. PI: Maria Luisa Gaspar, CoPI: Belén de Andrés 01/01/2019-12/31/2022. Financed by MICIU/AEI /10.13039/501100011033/ and by FEDER A way of making Europe.


 

-Project “New B lymphoid populations: B1-rel pseudoinnate cells, homeostatic maintenance and their response under infection conditions.” MINECO-RETOS SAF2015-70880-R. PI: Maria Luisa Gaspar. 01/01/2016-12/31/2019.


 

-Project “Role of CD19+CD45R lymphocytes- in perinatal immune responses. Implications related to respiratory diseases in neonates. AESI PI14CIII/00049; PI Belén de Andrés. 2015-2018.

-Project “Study of the pseudo-innate population of CD19+CD45R- B lymphocytes in TLR-dependent infection models”. AESI PI11/01733FIS. PI Belén de Andrés. 2012-2015.

-Project." Cellular interactions in the establishment of B lymphoid differentiation niches: role of megakaryocytes and their implications in pathology. MINECO; SAF2012-33916. Maria Luisa Gaspar. 01/01/2013-12/31/2015.

-ISCIII Platforms Project to support R&D&I in Biomedicine and Health Sciences. PT23CIII/00006. 2023. Participating researcher: Isabel Cortegano.

-Research contracts between the Carlos III Health Institute and Inmunotek S.L. for the development of the Bactek-mv130 and Uromune-MV140 study in protection against S. pneumoniae infections. Immunotek. IP: Belen de Andrés 2019-2021.

-Research contract between the Carlos III Health Institute and Inmunotek S.L. “MV130 as a vaccine model based on trained immunity against respiratory infections due to pneumococcus and respiratory syncytial virus”, CAM Call. Industrial Doctorates. IND2023/BMD-27071. PI: Belén by Andrés Muguruza. 12/01/2023-11/30/2026.

Publications

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CD45 expression discriminates waves of embryonic megakaryocytes in the mouse.

Cortegano, I., Serrano, N., Ruiz, C., Rodríguez, M., Prado, C., Alía, M., Hidalgo, A., Cano, E., de Andrés B. and Gaspar, ML. 2018. Haematologica, 104(9):1853-1865

PUBMED DOI

Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae: Epidemiology outside Asian countries, antibiotic resistance association, methods of detection and clinical management

12. Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae: Epidemiology outside Asian countries, antibiotic resistance association, methods of detection and clinical management. Autores: García-Cobos S, Oteo-Iglesias J, Pérez-Vázquez M. Revista: Enferm Infecc Microbiol Clin (Engl Ed). 2025 Feb;43(2):102-109.

PUBMED DOI

Vector-mediated gene transfer engenders long-lived neutralizing activity and protection against SIV infection in monkeys

Johnson PR, Schnepp BC, Zhang J, Connell MJ, Greene SM, Yuste E, Desrosiers RC, Clark KR; Nat Med. 2009 Aug;15(8):901-6

PUBMED DOI

Listeriosis outbreak caused by contaminated stuffed pork, Andalusia, Spain, July to October 2019

Fernández-Martínez NF, Ruiz-Montero R, Briones E, Baños E, García San Miguel Rodríguez-Alarcón L, Chaves JA, Abad R, Varela C; LISMOAN team; Lorusso N. Euro Surveill . 2022 Oct;27(43):2200279

PUBMED DOI

Resistance gene pool to co-trimoxazole in non-susceptible Nocardia strains

Valdezate S, Garrido N, Carrasco G, Villalón P, Medina-Pascual MJ, Saéz-Nieto JA. (2015). Resistance gene pool to co-trimoxazole in non-susceptible Nocardia strains. Front Microbiol. 2015 Apr 28;6:376

PUBMED DOI

A novel typing method for Streptococcus pneumoniae using selected surface proteins

Domenech A, Moreno J, Ardanuy C, Liñares J, de la Campa AG, Martin-Galiano AJ. Front Microbiol. 2016; 31;7:420.

PUBMED DOI

Podocytes as new cellular targets of hemoglobin toxicity in massive intravascular hemolysis.

Rubio-Navarro A, Sanchez-Niño MD, Guerrero-Hue M, García-Caballero C, Gutiérrez E, Yuste C, Sevillano A, Praga M, Egea J, Román E, Cannata P, Ortega R, Cortegano I, de Andrés B, Gaspar ML, Cadenas S, Ortiz A, Egido J, Moreno JA. Podocytes as new cellular targets of hemoglobin toxicity in massive intravascular hemolysis. 2018. J.Pathol. 244(3):296-310.

PUBMED DOI

Carbapenemase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in COVID-19 Intensive Care Patients: Identification of IncL-VIM-1 Plasmid in Previously Non-Predominant Sequence Types.

13. Carbapenemase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in COVID-19 Intensive Care Patients: Identification of IncL-VIM-1 Plasmid in Previously Non-Predominant Sequence Types. Autores: Cañada-García JE, Ramírez de Arellano E, Jiménez-Orellana M, Viedma E, Sánchez A, Alhambra A, Villa J, Delgado-Iribarren A, Bautista V, Lara N, García-Cobos S, Aracil B, Cercenado E, Pérez-Vázquez M, Oteo-Iglesias J. Revista: Antibiotics (Basel). 2023 Jan 6;12(1):107.

PUBMED DOI

Identification and characterization of HIV-1 CD8+ T cell escape variants with impaired fitness

Sanchez-Merino V, Farrow MA, Brewster F, Somasundaran M, Luzuriaga K; J Infect Dis. 2008 Jan 15;197(2):300-8

PUBMED DOI

Pertactin-Deficient Bordetella pertussis with Unusual Mechanism of Pertactin Disruption, Spain, 1986-2018

14. Mir-Cros A, Moreno-Mingorance A, Martín-Gómez MT, Abad R, Bloise I, Campins M, González-Praetorius A, Gutiérrez MN, Martín-González H, Muñoz-Almagro C, Orellana MÁ, de Pablos M, Roca-Grande J, Rodrigo C, Rodríguez ME, Uriona S, Vidal MJ, Pumarola T, Larrosa MN, González-López JJ. Emerg Infect Dis. 2022 May;28(5):967-976

PUBMED DOI

Genomic Background and Phylogeny of cfiA-Positive Bacteroides fragilis Strains Resistant to Meropenem-EDTA

Medina-Pascual MJ, Valdezate S, Carrasco G, Villalón P, Garrido N, Saéz-Nieto JA. (2015) Increase in isolation of Burkholderia contaminans from Spanish patients with cystic fibrosis. Clin Microbiol Infect. ;21(2):150-6.

PUBMED DOI

An increase in negative supercoiling in bacteria reveals topology-reacting gene clusters and a homeostatic response mediated by the DNA topoisomerase I gene

Ferrándiz MJ, Martín-Galiano AJ, Arnanz C, Camacho-Soguero I, Tirado-Vélez JM, de la Campa AG. 2016. Nucl Acids Res. 44:7292-7303 (2016).

PUBMED DOI

Spatially-restricted JAG1-Notch signaling in the human thymus provides permissive microenvironments for dendritic cell development.

Martín Gayo, E., González-García, S., García-León, M., Murcia-Ceballos, A., Alcain, J., García-Peydró, M., Allende, L., de Andrés, B., Gaspar, ML. and Toribio, ML. J.Exp.Med. (2017) 214:3361-3379

PUBMED DOI

Carbapenemase-producing Emergence of NDM-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli in Spain: phylogeny, resistome, virulence and plasmids encoding blaNDM-like genes as determined by WGS. aeruginosa in Spain: interregional dissemination of the high risk-clones ST175 and ST244 carrying blaVIM-2, blaVIM-1, blaIMP-8, blaVIM-20 and blaKPC-2

14. Emergence of NDM-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli in Spain: phylogeny, resistome, virulence and plasmids encoding blaNDM-like genes as determined by WGS. Autores: Pérez-Vázquez M, Sola Campoy PJ, Ortega A, Bautista V, Monzón S, Ruiz-Carrascoso G, Mingorance J, González-Barberá EM, Gimeno C, Aracil B, Sáez D, Lara N, Fernández S, González-López JJ, Campos J, Kingsley RA, Dougan G, Oteo-Iglesias J; Spanish NDM Study Group. Revista: J Antimicrob Chemother. 2019 Dec 1;74(12):3489-3496.

PUBMED DOI

Glycosylation of gp41 of simian immunodeficiency virus shields epitopes that can be targets for neutralizing antibodies

Yuste E, Bixby J, Lifson J, Sato S, Johnson W, Desrosiers R*. 2008. J Virol 82:12472-86.

PUBMED DOI

Large Increase in Azithromycin-Resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Northern Spain

Carballo R, Povoa MC, Abad R, Navarro C, Martin E, Alvarez M, Salgado A, Potel C. Microb Drug Resist. 2022 Jan;28(1):81-86

PUBMED DOI

Epidemiology of the Acinetobacter-derived cephalosporinase, carbapenem-hydrolysing oxacillinase and metallo-beta-lactamase genes, and of common insertion sequences, in epidemic clones of Acinetobacter baumannii from Spain

Villalón P, Valdezate S, Medina-Pascual MJ, Carrasco G, Vindel A, Saez-Nieto JA. Epidemiology of the Acinetobacter-derived cephalosporinase, carbapenem-hydrolysing oxacillinase and metallo-beta-lactamase genes, and of common insertion sequences, in epidemic clones of Acinetobacter baumannii from Spain. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2013;68(3):550-3.

PUBMED DOI

Reactive oxygen species contribute to the bactericidal effects of the fluoroquinolone moxifloxacin in Streptococcus pneumoniae

Ferrándiz MJ, Martín-Galiano AJ, Arnanz C, Zimmerman T, de la Campa AG. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 60:409-417 (2016).

PUBMED DOI

Altered Marginal Zone and innate-like B cells in aged SAMP8 mice with defective IgG1 responses

Cortegano, I., Rodriguez, M., Martin, I., Prado, C., Ruiz, C., Hortigüela, R., Alia, M., Vilar, M., Mira, H., Cano, E., de Andrés, B., and Gaspar, ML. Cell death & disease (2017) 8, e3000

PUBMED DOI

Rapid cross-border emergence of NDM-5-producing Escherichia coli in the European Union/European Economic Area, 2012 to June 2022

15. Rapid cross-border emergence of NDM-5-producing Escherichia coli in the European Union/European Economic Area, 2012 to June 2022. Autores: Linkevicius M, Bonnin RA, Alm E, Svartström O, Apfalter P, Hartl R, Hasman H, Roer L, Räisänen K, Dortet L, Pfennigwerth N, Hans JB, Tóth Á, Buzgó L, Cormican M, Delappe N, Monaco M, Giufrè M, Hendrickx AP, Samuelsen Ø, Pöntinen AK, Caniça M, Manageiro V, Oteo-Iglesias J, Pérez-Vázquez M, Westmo K, Mäkitalo B, Palm D, Monnet DL, Kohlenberg A. Revista: Euro Surveill. 2023 May;28(19):2300209.

PUBMED DOI

Simian immunodeficiency virus engrafted with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-specific epitopes: replication, neutralization, and survey of HIV-1-positive plasma

Yuste E, Sanford HB, Carmody J, Bixby J, Little S, Zwick MB, Greenough T, Burton DR, Richman DD, Desrosiers RC, Johnson WE*. 2006. J Virol 80:3030-41.

PUBMED DOI

Molecular characterization of invasive serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis isolates from Spain during 2015-2018: Evolution of the vaccine antigen factor H binding protein (FHbp)

Abad R, García-Amil C, Navarro C, Martín E, Martín-Díaz A, Vázquez JA. J Infect. 2021 Apr;82(4):37-44

PUBMED DOI

The fluoroquinolone levofloxacin triggers the transcriptional activation of iron transport genes that contribute to cell death in Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Ferrándiz MJ, de la Campa AG. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 58:247-257 (2014)

PUBMED DOI

The formation of titan cells in Cryptococcus neoformans depends on the mouse strain and correlates with induction of Th2-type responses

García-Barbazán, I., Trevijano-Contador, N., Rueda, C., de Andrés, B., Pérez-Tavárez, R., Herrero-Fernández, I., Gaspar ML., and Zaragoza, O. Cellular Microbiology (2015) 18:111-124

PUBMED DOI

Carbapenemase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae From Transplanted Patients in Brazil: Phylogeny, Resistome, Virulome and Mobile Genetic Elements Harboring blaKPC-2 or blaNDM-1.

16. Carbapenemase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae From Transplanted Patients in Brazil: Phylogeny, Resistome, Virulome and Mobile Genetic Elements Harboring blaKPC-2 or blaNDM-1. Autores: Raro OHF, da Silva RMC, Filho EMR, Sukiennik TCT, Stadnik C, Dias CAG, Oteo Iglesias J, Pérez-Vázquez M. Revista: Front Microbiol. 2020 Jul 15;11:1563.

PUBMED DOI

Balancing selection and the evolution of functional polymorphism in Old World monkey TRIM5alpha

Newman RM, Hall L, Connole M, Chen GL, Sato S, Yuste E, Diehl W, Hunter E, Kaur A, Miller GM, Johnson WE; Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Dec 12;103(50):19134-9

PUBMED DOI

High susceptibility to zoliflodacin and conserved target (GyrB) for zoliflodacin among 1209 consecutive clinical Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates from 25 European countries, 2018.

Unemo M, Ahlstrand J, Sánchez-Busó L, Day M, Aanensen D, Golparian D, Jacobsson S, Cole MJ, Torreblanca RA, Ásmundsdóttir LR, Balla E, De Baetselier I, Bercot B, Carannante A, Caugant D, Borrego MJ, Buder S, Cassar R, Cole M, Dam A, Eder C, Hoffmann S, Hunjak B, Jeverica S, Kirjavainen V, Maikanti-Charalambous P, Miriagou V, Mlynarczyk-Bonikowska B, Pakarna G, Patterson L, Pavlik P, Perrin M, Shepherd J, Stefanelli P, Unemo M, Jelena V, Zákoucká H. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2021 Feb 10:dkab024

PUBMED DOI

Fluoroquinolone-resistant pneumococci: dynamics of serotypes and clones in Spain in 2012 compared with those from 2002 and 2006

Domenech A, Tirado-Vélez JM, Fenoll A, Ardanuy C, Yuste J, Liñares J, de la Campa AG. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 58:2393-2399 (2014).

PUBMED DOI

DNGR-1+ dendritic cells are located in meningeal and choroid plexus membranes of the non-injured brain.

Quintana, E., Fernández. A, de Andrés, B., Liste, I., Sancho, D., Gaspar, ML. and Cano, E. Glia (2015) 62 (12):2231-2248

PUBMED DOI

Dissemination of extensively drug-resistant NDM-producing Providencia stuartii in Europe linked to patients transferred from Ukraine, March 2022 to March 2023

17. Dissemination of extensively drug-resistant NDM-producing Providencia stuartii in Europe linked to patients transferred from Ukraine, March 2022 to March 2023. Autores: Witteveen S, Hans JB, Izdebski R, Hasman H, Samuelsen Ø, Dortet L, Pfeifer Y, Delappe N, Oteo-Iglesias J, Żabicka D, Cormican M, Sandfort M, Reichert F, Pöntinen AK, Fischer MA, Verkaik N, Pérez-Vazquez M, Pfennigwerth N, Hammerum AM, Hallstrøm S, Biedrzycka M, Räisänen K, Wielders CC, Urbanowicz P, de Haan A, Westmo K, Landman F, van der Heide HG, Lansu S, Zwittink RD, Notermans DW, Guzek A, Kondratiuk V, Salmanov A, Haller S, Linkevicius M, Gatermann S, Kohlenberg A, Gniadkowski M, Werner G, Hendrickx AP. Revista: Euro Surveill. 2024 Jun;29(23):2300616.

PUBMED DOI

Virion envelope content, infectivity, and neutralization sensitivity of simian immunodeficiency virus

Yuste E, Johnson W, Pavlakis GN, Desrosiers RC; J Virol. 2005 Oct;79(19):12455-63.

PUBMED DOI

Meningococcal Serogroup B Disease in Vaccinated Children

Soler-Garcia A, Fernández de Sevilla M, Abad R, Esteva C, Alsina L, Vázquez J, Muñoz-Almagro C, Noguera-Julian A. J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc. 2020 Sep 17;9(4):454-459

PUBMED DOI

Postnatal and adult immunoglobulin repertoires of innate-like CD19(+)CD45R(lo) B Cells.

Prado, C., Rodriguez, M., Cortegano I., Ruiz, C., Alía, M., de Andrés, B., Gaspar, ML. J Inn Inmmunol. (2014) 6: 499-514

PUBMED DOI

Characterization of Carbapenemase-Producing Klebsiella oxytoca in Spain, 2016-2017.

18. Characterization of Carbapenemase-Producing Klebsiella oxytoca in Spain, 2016-2017. Autores: Pérez-Vazquez M, Oteo-Iglesias J, Sola-Campoy PJ, Carrizo-Manzoni H, Bautista V, Lara N, Aracil B, Alhambra A, Martínez-Martínez L, Campos J; Spanish Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance Program Collaborating Group. Revista: Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2019 May 24;63(6): e02529-18.

PUBMED DOI

HIV-1-specific CD8+ T cell responses and viral evolution in women and infants

Sanchez-Merino V, Nie S, Luzuriaga K*. 2005. J Immunol 175:6976-86.

PUBMED DOI

The global meningitis genome partnership

Rodgers E, Bentley SD, Borrow R, Bratcher HB, Brisse S, Brueggemann AB, Caugant DA, Findlow J, Fox L, Glennie L, Harrison LH, Harrison OB, Heyderman RS, van Rensburg MJ, Jolley KA, Kwambana-Adams B, Ladhani S, LaForce M, Levin M, Lucidarme J, MacAlasdair N, Maclennan J, Maiden MCJ, Maynard-Smith L, Muzzi A, Oster P, Rodrigues CMC, Ronveaux O, Serino L, Smith V, van der Ende A, Vázquez J, Wang X, Yezli S, Stuart JM. J Infect. 2020; 81(4): 510-520

PUBMED DOI

Notch1 regulates progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation during murine yolk sac hematopoiesis

Isabel Cortegano, Pedro Melgar-Rojas, Luis Luna-Zurita, Miguel Ángel Rodríguez-Marcos, MA., Gaspar ML., and José Luis de la Pompa, JL. Cell death and diff. (2014) 21: 1081-1094

PUBMED DOI

Spread of the FAR-MRSA clone, a fusidic acid- and meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ST121, Europe, 2014 to 2024.

19. Spread of the FAR-MRSA clone, a fusidic acid- and meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ST121, Europe, 2014 to 2024. Autores: Roer L, Yin N, Denis O, Vendrik KE, Zwittink RD, Notermans DW, Perrin M, Khonyongwa K, Tristan A, Youenou B, Layer-Nicolaou F, Werner G, Enger H, Eikrem ECH, Darenberg J, Mäkitalo B, Paulsson M, Björkman J, Fang H, Hallbäck ET, Sundqvist M, Lindholm L, Moganeradj K, García-Cobos S, Cañada-García JE, Holzknecht BJ, Eriksen HB, Hoppe M, Bartels MD, Samaniego Castruita JA, Urth TR, Larsen AR, Petersen A. Revista: Euro Surveill. 2025 Jul;30(28):2500452.

DOI

Modulation of Env content in virions of simian immunodeficiency virus: correlation with cell surface expression and virion infectivity

Yuste E, Reeves JD, Doms RW, Desrosiers RC*. 2004. J Virol 78:6775-85.

PUBMED DOI

Epidemiology, molecular characterisation and antimicrobial susceptibility of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates in Madrid, Spain, in 2016

María D. Guerrero-Torres, María B. Menéndez, Carmen S. Guerras, Estela Tello, Juan Ballesteros, Petunia Clavo, Teresa Puerta, Mar Vera, Oskar Ayerdi, Juan C. Carrio, Inmaculada Monzo, Jorge del Romero, Julio A. Vázquez, Raquel Abad. 20. María D. Guerrero-Torres, María B. Menéndez, Carmen S. Guerras, Estela Tello, Juan Ballesteros, Petunia Clavo, Teresa Puerta, Mar Vera, Oskar Ayerdi, Juan C. Carrio, Inmaculada Monzo, Jorge del Romero, Julio A. Vázquez, Raquel Abad. Epidemiol Infect. 2019 Sep 24;147:e274

PUBMED DOI

Content with Investigacion Inmunobiología .

List of staff

Additional Information

The AIDS Immunopathology Unit has been coordinated since 2000 by Dr. José Alcamí, bringing together during its history more than 20 independent researchers who collaboratively study different aspects of HIV infection. During this years, more than 30 visiting researchers and more than 50 national and international students have passed through the unit. From the beginning of the year 2025, Javier García Pérez and Francisco Díez Fuertes assumed the coordination of the AIDS Immunopathology Unit, with the aim of projecting its scientific competitiveness following multidisciplinary approaches and through the maintenance of the current close collaborations, as well as the promotion of participation in new national and international research networks.
Historically, the current members of the unit have focused on different lines of basic research that include the study of antibodies and the development of vaccines against HIV-1, the study of viral entry and tropism of the virus or the study of the host through the genomic characterization of populations with an extreme phenotype. Currently, the activity of our unit in the field of HIV-1 is focused on three main lines:
1.    Mecanismos moleculares asociados a la protección de la infección por VIH-1 en pacientes con distrofia muscular de cinturas dominante D2 (LGMDD2).
2.    Generación de anticuerpos neutralizantes de uso terapéutico basados en la respuesta neutralizante de amplio espectro frente a virus fundadores.
3.    Cribado y caracterización de nuevos fármacos anti-latencia frente al VIH-1.
A partir del año 2020, nuestra unidad se vuelca con la investigación sobre COVID-19, participando y liderando diferentes proyectos de investigación aplicada y clínica. Fruto de esta fuerte implicación en el campo, en la actualidad se mantienen diferentes estudios sobre la caracterización de la respuesta inmune frente a SARS-CoV-2, integrando diferentes técnicas de virología molecular, estrategias de inteligencia epidemiológica y tecnologías de célula única.
We also participate in different research consortiums and networks, such as the Spanish AIDS Research Network or the Center for Biomedical Research in Infectious Diseases Network (CIBER-INFEC), in which we participate as researchers in different lines and work packages within the research programs “Global Health, emerging and re-emerging infections” as well as “HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections”.


Supervised doctoral theses

1.    GENOMIC AND FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF HIV-1 PROTECTION PARAMETERS IN PATIENTS WITH SLOW PROGRESSION OF INFECTION. 
Student: Erick de la Torre Tarazona.
Supervisors: José Alcamí and Francisco Díez Fuertes.
Academic entity: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
Defense date: July 14th, 2020.
2.    ANALYSIS OF MIARN EXPRESSION PROFILES AND FUNCTIONAL CHARACTERIZATION IN HIV-POSITIVE INDIVIDUALS WITH DIFFERENT PROGRESSION TO AIDS.
Student: Rubén Ayala Suárez.
Supervisors: José Alcamí and Francisco Díez Fuertes.
Academic entity: Universidad de Alcalá.
Defense date: June 12nd, 2023.

The AIDS Immunopathology Unit has been coordinated since 2000 by Dr. José Alcamí, bringing together during its history more than 20 independent researchers who collaboratively study different aspects of HIV infection. During this years, more than 30 visiting researchers and more than 50 national and international students have passed through the unit. From the beginning of the year 2025, Javier García Pérez and Francisco Díez Fuertes assumed the coordination of the AIDS Immunopathology Unit, with the aim of projecting its scientific competitiveness following multidisciplinary approaches and through the maintenance of the current close collaborations, as well as the promotion of participation in new national and international research networks.
Historically, the current members of the unit have focused on different lines of basic research that include the study of antibodies and the development of vaccines against HIV-1, the study of viral entry and tropism of the virus or the study of the host through the genomic characterization of populations with an extreme phenotype. Currently, the activity of our unit in the field of HIV-1 is focused on three main lines:
1.    Mecanismos moleculares asociados a la protección de la infección por VIH-1 en pacientes con distrofia muscular de cinturas dominante D2 (LGMDD2).
2.    Generación de anticuerpos neutralizantes de uso terapéutico basados en la respuesta neutralizante de amplio espectro frente a virus fundadores.
3.    Cribado y caracterización de nuevos fármacos anti-latencia frente al VIH-1.
A partir del año 2020, nuestra unidad se vuelca con la investigación sobre COVID-19, participando y liderando diferentes proyectos de investigación aplicada y clínica. Fruto de esta fuerte implicación en el campo, en la actualidad se mantienen diferentes estudios sobre la caracterización de la respuesta inmune frente a SARS-CoV-2, integrando diferentes técnicas de virología molecular, estrategias de inteligencia epidemiológica y tecnologías de célula única.
We also participate in different research consortiums and networks, such as the Spanish AIDS Research Network or the Center for Biomedical Research in Infectious Diseases Network (CIBER-INFEC), in which we participate as researchers in different lines and work packages within the research programs “Global Health, emerging and re-emerging infections” as well as “HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections”.


Supervised doctoral theses

1.    GENOMIC AND FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF HIV-1 PROTECTION PARAMETERS IN PATIENTS WITH SLOW PROGRESSION OF INFECTION. 
Student: Erick de la Torre Tarazona.
Supervisors: José Alcamí and Francisco Díez Fuertes.
Academic entity: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
Defense date: July 14th, 2020.
2.    ANALYSIS OF MIARN EXPRESSION PROFILES AND FUNCTIONAL CHARACTERIZATION IN HIV-POSITIVE INDIVIDUALS WITH DIFFERENT PROGRESSION TO AIDS.
Student: Rubén Ayala Suárez.
Supervisors: José Alcamí and Francisco Díez Fuertes.
Academic entity: Universidad de Alcalá.
Defense date: June 12nd, 2023.

The current director of CNM is Dr. José Miguel Rubio Muñoz.

Dr. José Miguel Rubio has a degree in Biological Sciences from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (1986) and a PhD in Biological Sciences from the same university (1992). He carried out his doctoral thesis at the Department of Genetics of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, as Associate Professor (1988-1989), and at the School of Biology of the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK, as Senior Research Assistant (1989-1992).

During his postdoctoral period he obtained a grant from the European Commission within the Human Capital and Mobility Program to be carried out at the University of “La Sapienza” in Rome, Italy and the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology in Crete, Greece (1993-1994). Subsequently, he made a further stay funded by the WHO and the university itself at the Department of Entomology, Wageningen University, The Netherlands (1994-1996).

Since 1997 he has been a member of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), where he joined the Department of Parasitology of the National Center of Microbiology, as an EU-INCO postdoctoral fellow and later with a grant from the Autonomous Community of Madrid (CAM). She was part of the founding group of the National Center for Tropical Medicine (2003-2006) and of the 24/7 Alerts and Emergencies Unit (2006-2018) and is currently Head of the Malaria and Emerging Parasitosis Unit of the National Microbiology Center and is part, as research staff, of the Center for Biomedical Research Network on Infectious Diseases (CIBERINFEC/ISCIII).

During his scientific career he has been Visiting Scientist at the Leonidas e Marie Dean Center (FIOCRUZ-AMAZONAS, Manaus, Brazil) and is an External Consultant of the Parasitology Departments of Cairo University (Egypt) and the Medical Research Center (MRC) of Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).  He also belongs or has belonged to different national and international committees:  Member of the expert group for malaria control of the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) since 2011; Expert-Evaluator for health programs of the European Commission since 2004; Spanish Representative (commissioned by ISCIII and MSC) in the Technical Scientific Committee of the TDR (WHO) 2007-2008; Spanish Deputy Focal Point for microbiology at the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) from 2012 to 2020; and, member of the Research Ethics Committee of ISCIII until 2019.

In this period he has published more than 100 articles in international indexed journals, 10 book chapters and has been co-editor of two books in the area of malaria, tropical medicine and neglected diseases. He has participated in 58 competitively funded research projects, 20 of them international, having been the principal investigator in 8 national and 11 international projects as PI of the project or WP leader. In addition, he has led five agreements with companies. Currently he has been awarded four sexenios of research, being presented this year 2025 to the fifth. In the teaching field, he participates in different postgraduate programs in the areas of microbiology and parasitology, having directed seven doctoral theses and more than 20 Master's or Degree final projects, both nationally and internationally. ​​​​​

El laboratorio de Referencia e Investigación en Resistencia a Antibióticos ofrece una amplia cartera de servicios al Sistema Nacional de Salud, las cuales pueden solicitarse en cnm-laboratorios.isciii.es. Jefe del Laboratorio: Jesús Oteo Iglesias (Punto focal Nacional de Resistencia antibiótica).

Dispone de dos programas de Vigilancia oficiales y gratuitos que engloban los ensayos ofertados ya sea como aislamientos individuales o mediante estudio de brotes. El Laboratorio utiliza asimismo técnicas de PCR en tiempo real para la detección de genes de resistencia, estas técnicas se han adaptado a un formato multiplex que permite detectar varios genes en la misma reacción. En los últimos años se han incluido metodologías basadas en la secuenciación de genomas completos para el análisis de bacterias multiresistentes (WGS).

Programa de vigilancia de Haemophilus influenzae. Responsables: María Pérez Vázquez (Punto focal Nacional de Haemophilus influenzae) y Belén Aracil. Laboratorio encargado de la identificación, estudio de sensibilidad y análisis genotípico de aislados de Haemophilus influenzae, centrándose esencialmente en la patología invasiva debida este patógeno. 

Programa de vigilancia de Resistencia a Antibióticos. Responsables: María Pérez Vázquez  y Belén Aracil (Punto focal Nacional de Resistencia antibiótica). Laboratorio encargado de la identificación, el estudio de sensibilidad antibiótica, y el diagnóstico fenotípico y genotípico de los diferentes mecanismos de resistencia a antibióticos fundamentalmente en enterobacterias y gram-negativos no fermentadores y Enterococcus spp.

Estudio de brotes. Responsables: Belén Aracil y María Pérez Vázquez. El programa incluye la caracterización de brotes nosocomiales y clones emergentes de alto riesgo mediante diferentes técnicas moleculares (tabla resumen). Éstas, nos permiten realizar estudios filogenéticos con el fin de obtener una información detallada acerca la relación entre los diferentes aislados y su trazabilidad. El objetivo final es generar datos que se transfieren a los hospitales como ayuda para la prevención o control de la propagación del brote.

Acreditación y Calidad. Responsable: Belén Aracil. El laboratorio Referencia e Investigación en Resistencia a Antibióticos ha sido de los primeros en el ISCIII en la utilización de técnicas acreditadas por la Entidad Nacional de Acreditaciones (ENAC). Este laboratorio consiguió la primera acreditación homologada de técnicas diagnósticas en 2012, programa que ha sido ampliado, de manera que en la actualidad más de la mitad de las técnicas ofrecidas al Sistema Nacional de Salud están debidamente acreditadas por ENAC.

Técnicos responsables de las técnicas realizadas en el Laboratorio: Noelia Lara Fuella y Verónica Bautista Sánchez.

En la siguiente imagen se resumen las técnicas ofrecidas al Sistema Nacional de Salud.

PROGRAMAS NOMBRE CARTERA SERVICIO PATÓGENO DETERMINACIÓN, DETECCIÓN, ANÁLISIS MÉTODOS

Programa de vigilancia de Haemophilus

Programa de vigilancia de resistencia a antibióticos.

Identificación bacteriana

Haemophilus sp.

Enterobacterias, gram-negativos no fermentadores, Enterococcus spp

Identificación bacteriana

Bioquímicos

MALDI TOF

Secuenciación de RNAr

Identificación capsular

Haemophilus influenzae

 

Identificación capsular fenotípica y genotípica

Aglutinación serológica en latex

PCR ind/multiplex

Determinación de Sensibilidad

Haemophilus sp.

Enterobacterias, gram-negativos no fermentadores, Enterococcus

 

Determinación de Sensibilidad

Microdilución                

Tiras epsilon               

Kirby Bauer

Métodos fenotípicos de detección de mecanismos de resistencia

Enterobacterias, gram-negativos no fermentadores,

 

Métodos fenotípicos de detección de mecanismos de resistencia

Discos y tabletas combinados con inhibidores                

Tiras combinadas     

Test de Hodge modificado

CabaNP                               

Inmunocromatografía CBP

Métodos genotípicos de detección de mecanismos de resistencia

Haemophilus sp.

Enterobacterias, gram-negativos no fermentadores, Enterococcus

 

ADN, PCR y secuenciación

PCR ind/multiplex

Análisis comparativo de las secuencias

Tipificación molecular/análisis filogenéticos

Haemophilus sp.

Enterobacterias, gram-negativos no fermentadores, Enterococcus

 

Corte enzimas de restricción, electroforesis

ADN, PCR y secuenciación

Preparación de librerías y secuenciación y análisis de genomas completos

 

PFGE

 

MLST

 

WGS