Publications by authors named "Pilar M Munoz"

Brucellosis is a bacterial zoonosis caused by the genus , which mainly affects domestic animals. In these natural hosts, brucellae display a tropism towards the reproductive organs, such as the placenta, replicating in high numbers and leading to placentitis and abortion, an ability also exerted by the live-attenuated Rev1 strain, the only vaccine available for ovine brucellosis. It is broadly accepted that this tropism is mediated, at least in part, by the presence of certain preferred nutrients in the placenta, particularly erythritol, a polyol that is ultimately incorporated into the central carbon metabolism via two reactions dependent on transaldolase (Tal) or fructose-bisphosphate aldolase (Fba).

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Brucellosis is one of the most common and widespread bacterial zoonoses and is caused by Gram-negative bacteria belonging to the genus . These organisms are able to infect and replicate within the placenta, resulting in abortion, one of the main clinical signs of brucellosis. Although the mouse model is widely used to study virulence and, more recently, to evaluate the protection of new vaccines, there is no clear consensus on the experimental conditions (e.

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causes non-zoonotic ovine brucellosis of worldwide distribution and is responsible for important economic losses mainly derived from male genital lesions and reproductive fails. Studies about the virulence mechanisms of this rough species (lacking lipopolysaccharide O-chains) are underrepresented when compared to the main zoonotic species that are smooth (with O-chains). Zinc intoxication constitutes a defense mechanism of the host against bacterial pathogens, which have developed efflux systems to counterbalance toxicity.

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spp. are zoonotic pathogens that can affect both terrestrial and marine mammals. has been identified in various cetacean species, but only one sequence type (ST27) has been reported in humans.

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Bacteria of the genus Brucella are facultative intracellular parasites that cause brucellosis, a severe animal and human disease. Recently, a group of taxonomists merged the brucellae with the primarily free-living, phylogenetically related spp. in the genus Brucella.

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Brucella melitensis and Brucella ovis are gram-negative pathogens of sheep that cause severe economic losses and, although B. ovis is non-zoonotic, B. melitensis is the main cause of human brucellosis.

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The brucellae are facultative intracellular bacteria with a cell envelope rich in phosphatidylcholine (PC). PC is abundant in eukaryotes but rare in prokaryotes, and it has been proposed that uses PC to mimic eukaryotic-like features and avoid innate immune responses in the host. Two PC synthesis pathways are known in prokaryotes: the PmtA-catalyzed trimethylation of phosphatidylethanolamine and the direct linkage of choline to CDP-diacylglycerol catalyzed by the PC synthase Pcs.

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species cause brucellosis, a worldwide extended zoonosis. The brucellae are related to free-living and plant-associated α2- and, since they multiply within host cells, their metabolism probably reflects this adaptation. To investigate this, we used the rodent-associated biovar 5, which in contrast to the ruminant-associated and and other biovars, is fast-growing and conserves the ancestral Entner-Doudoroff pathway (EDP) present in the plant-associated relatives.

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In the original publication of this article [1], the corresponding author points out Pilar M. Muñoz and Raquel Conde‑Alvarez contributed equally to this work.

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Sheep brucellosis is a worldwide extended disease caused by B. melitensis and B. ovis, two species respectively carrying smooth or rough lipopolysaccharide.

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Article Synopsis
  • * A unique strain called sp. BCCN84.3 was discovered from a Saint Bernard dog in Costa Rica suffering from a reproductive infection.
  • * This strain shows distinct genetic markers and is classified as a pathogenic entity relevant for diagnosing brucellosis, highlighting the importance of understanding species classification for studying disease spread and evolution.
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Background: Brucellosis is a world-wide extended zoonosis that causes a grave problem in developing economies. Animal vaccination and diagnosis are essential to control brucellosis, and the need for accurate but also simple and low-cost tests that can be implemented in low-infrastructure laboratories has been emphasized.

Methodology: We evaluated bovine, sheep, goat and swine lateral flow immunochromatography assay kits (LFA), the Rose Bengal test (RBT) and a well-validated protein G indirect ELISA (iELISA) using sera of Brucella culture-positive and unvaccinated brucellosis free livestock.

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Swine brucellosis due to Brucella suis biovar 2 (bv2) is enzootic in wild boar and hare in continental Europe and may cause major economic losses to the pig industry, mainly in free-ranged pig farms. The high nucleotide identity found among the B. suis biovar 2 isolates has long hindered the full understanding of the epidemiology and the phylogeography of the disease.

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Brucellosis, an infectious disease caused by , is one of the most extended bacterial zoonosis in the world and an important cause of economic losses and human suffering. The lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of plays a major role in virulence as it impairs normal recognition by the innate immune system and delays the immune response. The LPS core is a branched structure involved in resistance to complement and polycationic peptides, and mutants in glycosyltransferases required for the synthesis of the lateral branch not linked to the -polysaccharide (O-PS) are attenuated and have been proposed as vaccine candidates.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Brucella bacteria cause brucellosis, which is a significant zoonotic disease, and understanding their CO-dependence is crucial for effective diagnosis and development of vaccines.
  • - The study explored the roles of carbonic anhydrases (CAs) in the CO-dependence of various Brucella species, discovering that certain strains, like B. abortus and B. ovis, show a lack of functional CAII, which relates to their growth traits.
  • - By inserting active CAs from other species into Brucella strains, researchers found that CO-dependence could be reversed without affecting the virulence, which could aid in producing diagnostic tools and vaccines.
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Bacteria of the genus infect a range of vertebrates causing a worldwide extended zoonosis. The best-characterized brucellae infect domestic livestock, behaving as stealthy facultative intracellular parasites. This stealthiness depends on envelope molecules with reduced pathogen-associated molecular patterns, as revealed by the low lethality and ability to persist in mice of these bacteria.

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Brucellosis is a worldwide extended zoonosis with a heavy economic and public health impact. Cattle, sheep and goats are infected by smooth Brucella abortus and Brucella melitensis, and represent a common source of the human disease. Brucellosis diagnosis in these animals is largely based on detection of a specific immunoresponse.

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Brucellosis is a zoonosis caused by bacteria of the genus Brucella that causes important economic losses and human suffering worldwide. Brucellosis control requires an understanding of the Brucella species circulating in livestock and humans and, although prevalent in African countries of the Mediterranean basin, data for this area are mostly restricted to isolates obtained from humans and small ruminants. Here, we report the characterization of twenty-four Brucella strains isolated from Algerian cattle.

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Brucellosis is a worldwide widespread zoonosis caused by bacteria of the genus Brucella. Control of this disease in a given area requires an understanding of the Brucella species circulating in livestock and humans. However, because of the difficulties intrinsic to Brucella isolation and typing, such data are scarce for resource-poor areas.

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Background: Brucella ceti infections have been increasingly reported in cetaceans. Brucellosis in these animals is associated with meningoencephalitis, abortion, discospondylitis', subcutaneous abscesses, endometritis and other pathological conditions B. ceti infections have been frequently described in dolphins from both, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

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Swine brucellosis due to Brucella suis is considered an emerging zoonotic disease whose control is based on serological testing and the subsequent culling of seropositive animals or the full depopulation of affected flocks. Here we assessed the performance of several serological tests (Rose Bengal Test [RBT], indirect ELISA [i-ELISA], blocking ELISA [b-ELISA], and two competitive ELISAs [c-ELISA]) for diagnosing swine brucellosis caused by B. suis biovar 2.

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Background: The role of wildlife as a brucellosis reservoir for humans and domestic livestock remains to be properly established. The aim of this work was to determine the aetiology, apparent prevalence, spatial distribution and risk factors for brucellosis transmission in several Iberian wild ungulates.

Methods: A multi-species indirect immunosorbent assay (iELISA) using Brucella S-LPS antigen was developed.

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