Article
Infectious Diseases
Martina Ferraguti, Hans Heesterbeek, Josue Martinez-de la Puente, Miguel Angel Jimenez-Clavero, Ana Vazquez, Santiago Ruiz, Francisco Llorente, David Roiz, Hans Vernooij, Ramon Soriguer, Jordi Figuerola
Summary: Vector-borne diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, such as West Nile virus and avian malaria parasites of the genus Plasmodium, have severe impacts on public health and economy. Different species of Culex mosquitoes play important roles in the transmission of these pathogens, with Cx. perexiguus identified as the most important species contributing to the amplification of WNV in southern Spain. Targeted surveillance and control of specific mosquito species may be effective measures to reduce the transmission of these diseases.
TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES
(2021)
Review
Zoology
Francisco Castano-Vazquez, Santiago Merino
Summary: This study analyzed the relationship between climatic conditions and the abundance of blood-sucking insects and nest-dwelling ectoparasites collected from blue tit nests over a period of 10 years. The results showed that temperature and wind speed increased while rainfall decreased during the study period. The abundances of biting midges, blackflies, and blowflies increased across years, but not fleas and mites. The parasites were also significantly related to climatic variables, and their abundances showed a relationship with average temperature.
INTEGRATIVE ZOOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Parasitology
F. Castano-Vazquez, S. Merino, F. Valera, J. Veiga
Summary: The study investigated the impact of climate change on host-parasite interactions in semi-arid habitats. Heating the nests resulted in lower relative humidity, increased abundance of sand flies, mites, and carnid flies, but decreased biting midge abundance. However, nestling growth was not significantly affected.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Rodrigo Megia-Palma, Santiago Merino, Rafael Barrientos
Summary: Ontogeny, immune challenges, and habitat quality all influence the production and maintenance of colour patches in lizards. This study provides experimental evidence that colour patch production in P. algirus is plastic and can be affected by factors such as habitat quality and parasitic infections.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Parasitology
Jorge Garrido-Bautista, Josue Martinez-de la Puente, Jose Luis Ros-Santaella, Eliana Pintus, Paula Lopezosa, Nicola Bernardo, Mar Comas, Gregorio Moreno-Rueda
Summary: This study sampled Culicoides from Eurasian blue tit nests and found that habitat type and timing of reproduction have significant impacts on the abundance and species composition of Culicoides.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jessica Jimenez-Penuela, Martina Ferraguti, Josue Martinez-de la Puente, Ramon C. Soriguer, Jordi Figuerola, Caroline Isaksson
Summary: Anthropogenic activities can negatively impact the population of house sparrows by influencing their food resources and the transmission of pathogens. The levels of fatty acids in birds are influenced by dietary availability and vary between urban and rural habitats. Birds infected with Plasmodium have different levels of omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids compared to uninfected birds. Further investigation is needed to understand the relationship between blood parasite infection, fatty acid composition, and urbanization.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Federico Roldan-Zurabian, Maria Jose Ruiz-Lopez, Josue Martinez de la Puente, Jordi Figuerola, Hugh Drummond, Sergio Ancona
Summary: Haemosporidian parasites are rarely reported in seabirds, but this study found that a colony of blue-footed boobies in the Tropical North Pacific is likely free of these blood parasites. This may be due to unsuitable conditions for insect vectors in the breeding sites of the boobies.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Ornithology
Alazne Diez-Fernandez, Jose Martin, Josue Martinez-de la Puente, Laura Gangoso, Pilar Lopez, Ramon Soriguer, Jordi Figuerola
Summary: DDT, a widely used pesticide, was banned in Europe in the 1970s and 1980s due to its high toxicity and environmental persistence. However, a recent study found DDT metabolites in the secretions of European Blackbirds in southern Spain. Despite the potential immunosuppressive effect of DDT, there was no association between haemosporidian infection and DDT presence.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Maria Jose Ruiz-Lopez, Laura Barahona, Josue Martinez-de la Puente, Marta Pepio, Andrea Valsecchi, Victor Peracho, Jordi Figuerola, Tomas Montalvo
Summary: The rapid evolution of resistance to anticoagulants in rodent populations in Barcelona poses a challenge for controlling them. The study found that most mice carry gene mutations associated with resistance to commonly used anticoagulants, making the current chemical control methods ineffective and potentially harmful to the environment and human health.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Jordi Figuerola, Miguel angel Jimenez-Clavero, Maria Jose Ruiz-Lopez, Francisco Llorente, Santiago Ruiz, Andreas Hoefer, Pilar Aguilera-Sepulveda, Jessica Jimenez-Penuela, Olaya Garcia-Ruiz, Laura Herrero, Ramon C. Soriguer, Raul Fernandez Delgado, Maria Paz Sanchez-Seco, Josue Martinez-de la Puente, Ana Vazquez
Summary: Reports of West Nile virus (WNV) associated disease in humans were scarce in Spain until summer 2020 but recently there has been a significant increase in cases. The increase in human cases was preceded by a large increase in the abundance of Culex perexiguus mosquitoes in the affected areas. The first batch of WNV-infected mosquitoes was captured one month before the detection of the first human cases. Additionally, serological tests in wild birds confirmed the circulation of WNV in the affected areas, suggesting that blackbirds played an important role in the urban transmission of the virus.
EMERGING MICROBES & INFECTIONS
(2022)
Article
Parasitology
Rafael Gutierrez-Lopez, Jordi Figuerola, Josue Martinez-de la Puente
Summary: The risk of autochthonous transmission of Zika virus in Europe depends on the ability of Aedes albopictus to transmit the virus. Experimental studies have shown conflicting results in the vector competence of European populations of this mosquito species, possibly due to differences in mosquito populations and experimental procedures. A systematic review of published studies reveals that differences in infection and transmission rates are mainly attributed to variations in temperature, viral load, and the number of days post-exposure for analysis. The proportion of infected mosquitoes is affected by the viral load and post-exposure days, while the transmission rate is influenced by viral load and temperature. Therefore, methodological differences greatly affect the conclusions about the role of Aedes albopictus as a competent vector for Zika virus in Europe and its epidemiological relevance.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jessica Jimenez-Penuela, Martina Ferraguti, Josue Martinez-De la Puente, Ramon C. Soriguer, Jordi Figuerola
Summary: This study analyzed the relationship between infection of three common blood parasites (Plasmodium, Haemoproteus, and Leucocytozoon) and oxidative stress and antioxidant capacity in wild house sparrows along an urbanization gradient. The results showed that birds infected with Haemoproteus and living in urban areas had higher levels of lipid oxidative damage. Birds infected with Plasmodium showed lower antioxidant activity, while those infected with Leucocytozoon showed slightly higher antioxidant activity. Overall, this study highlights the effects of blood parasite infections and urbanization on the oxidative status of wild birds and the role of bird body condition in regulating oxidative stress.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2023)
Article
Parasitology
Rodrigo Megia-Palma, Javier Martinez, Patrick S. Fitze, Jose J. Cuervo, Josabel Belliure, Octavio Jimenez-Robles, Carlos Cabido, Jose Martin, Santiago Merino
Summary: This study collected blood samples from 23 lizard species in the western Mediterranean, North Africa, and Macaronesia, and molecularly detected multiple blood parasites including Karyolysus. The results supported the taxonomic validity of the genus and suggested that Karyolysus is less host-specific than other lizard parasites in the region.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Virology
Maria Jose Ruiz-Lopez, Milagros Munoz-Chimeno, Jordi Figuerola, Ana M. Gavilan, Sarai Varona, Isabel Cuesta, Josue Martinez-de la Puente, Angel Zaballos, Francisca Molero, Ramon C. Soriguer, Maria Paz Sanchez-Seco, Santiago Ruiz, Ana Vazquez
Summary: This study aimed to characterize the genomes of the West Nile virus (WNV) circulating in wild-trapped mosquitoes in Andalusia, Spain in 2020 and 2021. The results showed that the WNV genomes recovered from mosquito samples in 2020 were closely related to those recovered from humans during the same outbreak, and the WNV strain circulating in 2021 was highly related to the strain that caused the 2020 outbreak, indicating overwintering of WNV in the area. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the eco-epidemiology of WNV in Spain.
Article
Ecology
Martina Ferraguti, Sergio Magallanes, Jessica Jimenez-Penuela, Josue Martinez-de la Puente, Luz Garcia-Longoria, Jordi Figuerola, Jaime Muriel, Tamer Albayrak, Staffan Bensch, Camille Bonneaud, Rohan H. Clarke, Gabor A. Czirjak, Dimitar Dimitrov, Kathya Espinoza, John G. Ewen, Farah Ishtiaq, Wendy Flores-Saavedra, Laszlo Zsolt Garamszegi, Olof Hellgren, Dita Horakova, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Henrik Jensen, Asta Krizanauskiene, Marcos R. Lima, Charlene Lujan-Vega, Eyofinn Magnussen, Lynn B. Martin, Kevin D. Matson, Anders Pape Moller, Pavel Munclinger, Vaidas Palinauskas, Peter L. Pap, Javier Perez-Tris, Swen C. Renner, Robert Ricklefs, Sergio Scebba, Ravinder N. M. Sehgal, Manuel Soler, Eszter Szoellosi, Gediminas Valkiunas, Helena Westerdahl, Pavel Zehtindjiev, Alfonso Marzal
Summary: This study investigated the ecological drivers affecting avian malaria parasite lineages in native and introduced house sparrows. The results showed that urbanization was positively related to parasite prevalence in both native and introduced populations, with higher infection in areas with intermediate levels of urbanization. In introduced populations, altitude and time since bird introduction were positively associated with the number of parasite lineages.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
