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Investigation

Medical Entomology

Research Lines

Content with Investigacion Entomología Médica .

The Laboratory of Medical Entomology (LME) develops an intense reference and research activity, focused on the field of disease vectors of interest in Public Health. The LME has an insectary where biological cycles of insect vectors are currently maintained, allowing the performance, among others, of vector competence and xenodiagnostic studies. The LME supports the national health system by offering techniques available in the portfolio of services for the taxonomic identification of arthropods of health interest. In addition, it performs entomological surveillance of outbreaks, supporting Surveillance Plans. In particular, the LME plays a leading role in the Entomological Surveillance Plan for Leishmaniasis in the Community of Madrid. On the other hand, the LME offers scientific advice to the CCAES (Centro de Coordinación de Alertas y Emergencias Sanitarias, Ministerio de Sanidad, Consumo y Bienestar Social), and participates in the elaboration of reports and rapid risk assessments.


 

The main research lines of the Laboratory of Medical Entomology are:

1. Maintenance of insect vector colonies: phlebotomine sand flies (Phlebotomus perniciosus, Phlebotomus papatasi and Phlebotomus argentipes, vectors of Leishmania infantum, Leishmania major and Leishmania donovani, respectively), Culex and Aedes mosquitoes (vectors of various arboviruses) and Rhodnius prolixus (vector of Trypanosoma cruzi). 
2. Biology of disease vectors of public health interest: biology, vector competence, experimental infections. The CNM has a BSL3 safety laboratory to carry out vector competence studies with culicidae and phlebotomine sand flies.
3. Entomological sampling, infectivity of potential reservoirs of leishmaniasis.
4. Insecticides and repellents: evaluation of their efficacy. 
5. Characterization of saliva proteins of hematophagous Diptera: genomics, proteomics, biochemistry and gene editing. Study of salivary proteins as markers of bite exposure, virulence factors and/or vaccines.
6. Xenodiagnosis of leishmaniasis.
7. Molecular biology and taxonomy of phlebotomine sand flies. Molecular detection of Leishmania infantum in phlebotomine sand flies and characterization of Leishmania spp. Molecular identification of blood ingested by vectors.

Research projects

Content with Investigacion Entomología Médica .

CURRENT PROJECTS

Project title: "Biochemical and functional characterisation of salivary proteins of Phlebotomus perniciosus and their role in infection by Leishmania infantum (PERNIPROT)"
Reference: Project PID2023-147773NA-I00 funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by FEDER, EU.
Start date: 01/09/2024
End date: 31/08/2028
Funding: €175,000
Principal investigator: Inés Elena Martín Martín. 
Funding agency: Agencia Estatal de Investigación (Proyecto de Generación del Conocimiento 2023).


 

Project title: "Surveillance of leishmaniasis in the Community of Madrid from a “One Health” perspective: study of the infectious capacity of patients with visceral leishmaniasis and their role as reservoirs"
Reference: PI24CIII/00026
Start date: 01/01/2025
End date: 31/12/2027
Funding: €60,000.00
Principal investigator: Inés Elena Martín Martín. 
Co-principal investigator: Maribel Jiménez Alonso
Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Strategic Action in Intramural Health, AESI). 

Service Contract: "Analysis for the surveillance of the vector and wild reservoirs that transmit leishmaniasis in the Community of Madrid"
Reference: file no. 17/2024 (A/SER-008455/2024).
Start date: 26/06/2024
End date: 10/12/25, extendable to 2026
Total funding: €171,084
Principal Investigator: Maribel Jiménez Alonso
Funding agency: Service Contract between the Instituto de Salud Carlos III and the Directorate-General for Public Health, Regional Ministry of Health of the Community of Madrid 

Project Title: CIBERINFEC Research Group (CB21/13/00110)
Start date: 2021
End date: currently active
Principal Investigator: Dr. Mª Paz Sánchez-Seco, Arbovirus and Imported Viral Diseases Unit. 
Researchers from the Medical Entomology Laboratory: Maribel Jiménez (member), Inés Martín Martín (collaborator).
Funding: €108,134. File number: CB21/13/00110.
Funding agency: Consortium Centre for Biomedical Research in NETWORK (CIBER)


 

PAST PROJECTS

Service Contract: "Evaluation of the anti-leishmania effect of the bacteria Tc1 and its derivatives in the intravectorial cycle"
Reference: ISCIII-06896
Start date: 15/12/2022
End date: 15/04/2025
Funding: €71,265.67
Principal Investigator: Inés Elena Martín Martín
Funding agency: Service Contract between the company GlaxoSmithKline R&D (GSK) and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III

Service Contract: "Analysis for the surveillance of the vector and wild reservoirs that transmit leishmaniasis in the Community of Madrid"
Reference: 59/2020 (A/SER-040739/2020)
Start date: 10/12/2021
End date: 10/12/2023.   
Funding: €42,612.17 per year   Total 2021-2023: €127,836.51
Principal Investigators: Ricardo Molina /Maribel Jiménez Alonso
Funding agency: Service contract between the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) and the Directorate-General for Public Health, Regional Ministry of Health of the Community of Madrid

Project title: "Research and Integrated Surveillance of Emerging Arboviruses West Nile, Toscana and Dengue in some areas of Spain"
Reference: PI19CIII/00014
Start date: 2020
End date: 2022
Principal Investigator: Ana Vázquez González
Co-Principal Investigator: Ricardo Molina
Funding: €60,000.00
Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Strategic Action in Intramural Health, AESI).

Project title: "Characterisation of the concept of ‘asymptomatic carrier’ in leishmaniasis: implications for treatment".
Start date: 01/01/2015
End date: 31/12/2017
Principal investigators: Javier Moreno and Javier García
Funding: €159,940
Funding agency: Study Agreement between Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi), the Spanish Foundation for International Cooperation, Health and Social Policy (FCSAI) and Fuenlabrada Hospital. Subcontractor: ISCIII Medical Entomology Unit (Maribel Jiménez and Ricardo Molina).

Project title: "Biology and control of vector-borne infections in Europe (EDENext Collaborative Project): Sandfly-borne diseases".  
Reference: Subproject (PBD) (EU, FP7-HEALTH-2010-single-stage, contract No. 261504).
Start date: 2011
End date: 2014
Principal investigator: Ricardo Molina     General coordinator: Petr Volf
Funding: €140,000
Funding agency: EU-FP7

Project Title: "Phlebotomus perniciosus saliva as a source in the search for potential targets for the development of vaccines against Leishmania infantum"
Reference: AGL2008-01592/GAN (MICINN)
Start date: 2009
End date: 2011
Principal investigator: Ricardo Molina
Funding: €70,180
Funding agency: Ministry of Science and Innovation

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María Paz Sánchez-Seco, María José Sierra, Agustín Estrada-Peña, Félix Valcárcel, Ricardo Molina, Eva Ramírez de Arellano, Angeles Sonia Olmeda, Lucía García San Miguel, Maribel Jiménez, Luis J Romero, Anabel Negredo; Group for CCHFv Research. Widespread Detection of Multiple Strains of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus in Ticks, Spain.

María Paz Sánchez-Seco, María José Sierra, Agustín Estrada-Peña, Félix Valcárcel, Ricardo Molina, Eva Ramírez de Arellano, Angeles Sonia Olmeda, Lucía García San Miguel, Maribel Jiménez, Luis J Romero, Anabel Negredo; Group for CCHFv Research. Widespread Detection of Multiple Strains of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus in Ticks, Spain. Emerg Infect Dis. 2022 Feb;28(2):394-402. doi: 10.3201/eid2802.211308.

DOI

Negredo A, Sánchez-Ledesma M, Llorente F, Pérez-Olmeda M, Belhassen-García M, González-Calle D, Sánchez-Seco MP, Jiménez-Clavero MÁ. Retrospective Identification of Early Autochthonous Case of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, Spain, 2013

Negredo A, Sánchez-Ledesma M, Llorente F, Pérez-Olmeda M, Belhassen-García M, González-Calle D, Sánchez-Seco MP, Jiménez-Clavero MÁ. Retrospective Identification of Early Autochthonous Case of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, Spain, 2013. Emerg Infect Dis. 2021 Jun;27(6):1754-1756. doi: 10.3201/eid2706.204643.

DOI

Negredo A, Sánchez-Arroyo R, Díez-Fuertes F, de Ory F, Budiño MA, Vázquez A, Garcinuño Á, Hernández L, la Hoz González C, Gutiérrez-Arroyo A, Grande C, Sánchez-Seco P. Fatal Case of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Caused by Reassortant Virus, Spain, 2018.

Negredo A, Sánchez-Arroyo R, Díez-Fuertes F, de Ory F, Budiño MA, Vázquez A, Garcinuño Á, Hernández L, la Hoz González C, Gutiérrez-Arroyo A, Grande C, Sánchez-Seco P. Fatal Case of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Caused by Reassortant Virus, Spain, 2018. Emerg Infect Dis. 2021 Apr;27(4):1211-1215. doi: 10.3201/eid2704.203462.

DOI

Laura Davó, Laura Herrero, Maria Paz Sánchez-Seco, Nuria Labiod, David Roiz, Elena Gómez-Díaz, Lourdes Hernandez, Jordi Figuerola and Ana Vázquez. Real-time PCR assay to detect Granada virus and the related Massilia and Arrabida phleboviruses

Laura Davó, Laura Herrero, Maria Paz Sánchez-Seco, Nuria Labiod, David Roiz, Elena Gómez-Díaz, Lourdes Hernandez, Jordi Figuerola and Ana Vázquez. Real-time PCR assay to detect Granada virus and the related Massilia and Arrabida phleboviruses. Davó et al. Parasit Vectors. 2020 May 29;13(1):270. doi: 10.1186/s13071-020-04110-5.

DOI

Content with Investigacion Resistencia a Antibióticos e IRAS .

List of staff

Additional Information

The Medical Entomology Laboratory has accumulated extensive experience in this field, especially in entomological field studies, biology of arthropods of medical interest, vector competence and vector control. Also, in the molecular detection of Leishmania infantum promastigotes in naturally parasitized phlebotomine sand flies, in the molecular identification of blood ingested by hematophagous arthropods and in the study of the immunomodulatory properties of proteins present in the saliva of phlebotomine sand flies and mosquitoes. Our laboratory is currently co-leading the studies of vectors and wild reservoirs of leishmaniasis in the leishmaniasis focus of Fuenlabrada, Madrid. In this sense, we have studied the role of asymptomatic individuals as reservoirs in the outbreak by xenodiagnosis. On the other hand, we have participated since 2007 in the Entomological Surveillance Program in Airports and Ports against Potential Vectors of Exotic Infectious Diseases, a program that is allowing to develop the expansion map in Spain of Aedes albopictus. In 2016-2017, we carried out surveillance of Ae. albopictus in the Community of Castilla-La Mancha. On the other hand, we conducted studies on the role of patients with post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) in the transmission of the parasite in Bangladesh and Sudan. In addition, we participate in research studying ticks transmitting Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in Spain.

Currently, it maintains confidentiality agreements with several companies participating in the evaluation of molecules with activity against pathogens in vectors (GSK), in the development of vector traps using artificial intelligence algorithms (Irideon, Spain), and in the evaluation of repellents against phlebotomine sand flies (IRSEA, France).

The laboratory actively participates in outreach activities such as the Science Week or the European Researchers' Night, among others, making medical entomology science available to the general population.

The Medical Entomology Laboratory has accumulated extensive experience in this field, especially in entomological field studies, biology of arthropods of medical interest, vector competence and vector control. Also, in the molecular detection of Leishmania infantum promastigotes in naturally parasitized phlebotomine sand flies, in the molecular identification of blood ingested by hematophagous arthropods and in the study of the immunomodulatory properties of proteins present in the saliva of phlebotomine sand flies and mosquitoes. Our laboratory is currently co-leading the studies of vectors and wild reservoirs of leishmaniasis in the leishmaniasis focus of Fuenlabrada, Madrid. In this sense, we have studied the role of asymptomatic individuals as reservoirs in the outbreak by xenodiagnosis. On the other hand, we have participated since 2007 in the Entomological Surveillance Program in Airports and Ports against Potential Vectors of Exotic Infectious Diseases, a program that is allowing to develop the expansion map in Spain of Aedes albopictus. In 2016-2017, we carried out surveillance of Ae. albopictus in the Community of Castilla-La Mancha. On the other hand, we conducted studies on the role of patients with post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) in the transmission of the parasite in Bangladesh and Sudan. In addition, we participate in research studying ticks transmitting Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in Spain.

Currently, it maintains confidentiality agreements with several companies participating in the evaluation of molecules with activity against pathogens in vectors (GSK), in the development of vector traps using artificial intelligence algorithms (Irideon, Spain), and in the evaluation of repellents against phlebotomine sand flies (IRSEA, France).

The laboratory actively participates in outreach activities such as the Science Week or the European Researchers' Night, among others, making medical entomology science available to the general population.

Content with Investigacion Hepatitis .