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Investigation
Toxoplasmosis and intestinal protozoa
Research Lines
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Research
The Molecular Virology group focuses its research on the study of HIV-1 genetic variation and viral evolution using both in vitro and ex vivo approaches, structured around the following research lines:
- Non-progressor patients. These patients maintain control of the disease in the absence of antiretroviral therapy and have therefore been proposed as a model of functional cure. Our objective is to study the contribution of viral factors to disease control through biological characterization and analysis of viral evolution in individuals with undetectable viral loads (elite controllers, EC), compared with individuals showing other patterns of viral control.
- Viral envelope. This viral protein is key in determining viral fitness. Therefore, its functionality significantly affects infection progression. In collaboration with Dr. Blanco and Dr. Valenzuela, we study which specific events (CD4 binding, fusogenicity, etc.) are associated with envelope functionality. To this end, we have analyzed envelopes from individuals with different patterns of disease progression. Some of these have been contributed to the AIDS Research Network envelope biobank for broader use.
- Dual infection. Infection with more than one viral variant (either through co-infection or superinfection) may have consequences for infection pathogenesis. Within our group, different aspects of DI have been analyzed, including its detection in non-progressor patients, its prevalence and incidence in Spain, and its influence on the neutralizing antibody response.
- Molecular Epidemiology. The group has analyzed viral evolution throughout the epidemic in Spain and in other countries (the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Uruguay, Panama, Brazil, etc.).
- Role of amino acid residues in reverse transcriptase. We study the role of specific amino acid residues in HIV-1 reverse transcriptase in enzymatic function and replication capacity using an infectious molecular clone previously obtained by the group.
- “In vitro” variability. Serial passage studies have been used to detect the mechanisms responsible for the gain or loss of viral fitness.
- Antiviral studies. We have analyzed the selection of resistance mutations in vitro against different antivirals, as well as the effect of these mutations on viral fitness, and the activity of new antivirals such as ATR inhibitors.
Virological Diagnosis and Reference in HIV and HTLV Infections
The research group provides diagnostic and reference activities through the service portfolio of the National Center for Microbiology to the entire Spanish National Health System.
These services include:
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Diagnosis and reference of HIV infection (types 1 and 2) through detection of specific antibodies and detection of proviral DNA by PCR.
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Diagnosis and reference of HTLV-I/II infection through detection of specific antibodies and detection of proviral DNA by PCR. Quantification of HTLV-1 proviral load by real-time PCR.
European Union Reference Laboratory (EURL) in the field of in vitro diagnostic medical devices for microbiological diagnosis (IVD) of HIV and HTLV (Regulation 2023/2713 of December 5th, 2023). Our role is to confirm the reliability and effectiveness of devices for detecting these pathogens and to ensure their specific performance requirements through laboratory testing before they can be marketed within the European Union.
Research projects
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- Título: Desvelando la genómica de las bacterias anaerobias procedentes de bacteriemias
Referencia Proyecto: PID202-1127477OB-I00-MPY 302/22.
Entidad financiador: Agencia Estatal de Investigación.
Fechas de ejecución: 2023-2026
Financiación 108.900 €.
Investigadora principal: Sylvia Valdezate
- Título: Plataformas MALDI-TOF/CMI SENSITITRETM Personal Técnico Apoyo
Referencia: PTA2019-016623-I.
Entidad Financiadora: Agencia Estatal de Investigación.
Fechas ejecución 12/2020-11/2023
Investigadora principal: Sylvia Valdezate
- Título: Elementos genéticos móviles protagonistas en la evolución de los serotipos pandémicos M1 y M89 de Streptococcus pyogenes en el síndrome del shock tóxico y otras infecciones invasivas
Referencia: (MPY 377/18).
Entidad financiadora: Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Agencia Estatal de Investigación en Salud Intramural (AESI).
Fechas de ejecución: 11/2018-12/2022.
Financiación: 40.000 €.
Investigadoras principales: Pilar Villalón. Co-IP Sylvia Valdezate.
- Título: Plataformas genéticas y su influencia en la resistencia a co-trimoxazol, macrólidos y tetraciclina en Nocardia spp.
Referencia: MPY 1278/15
Entidad financiadora: Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Agencia Estatal de Investigación en Salud Intramural (AESI).
Fechas de ejecución: 2015-2017.
Financiación: 88.141,8 €.
Investigadora principal: Sylvia Valdezate
- Título: Filogenia y caracterización de mecanismos moleculares de resistencia en Nocardia spp.
Referencia: MPY 1446/11
Entidad financiadora: Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (AES). ()
Fechas de ejecución: 04/2012-10/2015
Financiación: 115.457 €.
Investigadora principal: Sylvia Valdezate.
- Título: Iberian network of laboratories of biological alert. Accreditation of methods for detection highly pathogenic agents (IB-BIOALERTNET).
Entidad financiadora: COMISIÓN EUROPEA HOME/2012/ISEC/AG/CBRN/4000003810. (Instituto de Salud Carlos III (VISAVET, IVIA, INSA, INIAV))
Referencia: SAFI 1132/13-7.
Fecha de ejecución: 2013-2015.
Financiación: 699.175 €.
Tipo de participación: Miembro del equipo investigador.
- Título: EQUATOX Project Establishment of Quality Assurances for theDetection of Biological Toxins of potential Bioterrorism risk.
Entidad financiadora y convocatoria: Seven Framework Programme for Research FP7-SECURITY. (Robert Koch-Institut Berlin Alemania).
Referencia: SEC-2011.5.4-1.
Fechas de ejecución: 2012-2014.
Publications
DC-SIGN(+) Macrophages Control the Induction of Transplantation Tolerance
9. Conde P, Rodriguez M, van der Touw W, Jimenez A, Burns M, Miller J, Brahmachary M, Chen HM, Boros P, Rausell-Palamos F, Yun TJ, Riquelme P, Rastrojo A, Aguado B, Stein-Streilein J, Tanaka M, Zhou L, Zhang J, Lowary TL, Ginhoux F, Park CG, Cheong C, Brody J, Turley SJ, Lira SA, Bronte V, Gordon S, Heeger PS, Merad M, Hutchinson J, Chen SH, Ochando J. 2015. DC-SIGN(+) Macrophages Control the Induction of Transplantation Tolerance. Immunity. 16;42(6):1143-58.
PUBMED DOIProteomic characterisation of bovine and avian purified protein derivatives and identification of specific antigens for serodiagnosis of bovine tuberculosis
2.- Proteomic characterisation of bovine and avian purified protein derivatives and identification of specific antigens for serodiagnosis of bovine tuberculosis. Antonio Infantes-Lorenzo, Jose; Moreno, Inmaculada; Angeles Risalde, Maria; et ál. CLINICAL PROTEOMICS Volumen: 14 Número de artículo: 36 Fecha de publicación: NOV 2 2017
PUBMED DOIFunctional and structural characterization of four mouse monoclonal antibodies to complement C3 with potential therapeutic and diagnostic applications.
3.- Functional and structural characterization of four mouse monoclonal antibodies to complement C3 with potential therapeutic and diagnostic applications. Subias Hidalgo, Marta; Yebenes, Hugo; Rodriguez-Gallego, Cesar; et ál..EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY Volumen: 47 Número: 3 Páginas: 504-515 Fecha de publicación: MAR 2017
PUBMED DOIImmunoproteomic characterisation of Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies capri by mass spectrometry analysis of two- dimensional electrophoresis spots and western blot
5.- Immunoproteomic characterisation of Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies capri by mass spectrometry analysis of two- dimensional electrophoresis spots and western blot. Churchward, Colin P.; Rosales, Ruben S.; Gielbert, Adriana; et ál..JOURNAL OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACOLOGY Volumen: 67 Número: 3 Número especial: SI Páginas: 364-371 Fecha de publicación: MAR 2015
PUBMED DOIEfficacy of low doses of amphotericin B plus allicin against experimental visceral leishmaniasis.
6.- Efficacy of low doses of amphotericin B plus allicin against experimental visceral leishmaniasis. Corral, M. Jesus; Serrano, Dolores R.; Moreno, Inmaculada; et ál..JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY Volumen: 69 Número: 12 Páginas: 3268-3274 Fecha de publicación: DEC 2014
PUBMED DOIContent with Investigacion .
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Óscar Zaragoza Hernández
Research Professor
ORCID code: 0000-0002-1581-0845
Dr. Oscar Zaragoza graduated in Biology from the Complutense University of Madrid in 1995 and obtained his PhD from the Autonomous University of Madrid. He completed his doctoral thesis (2000) at the CSIC under the direction of Dr. Juana María Gancedo on the topic of glucose catabolite repression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. During this period, he was also tutored by Dr. Carlos Gancedo in collaborative projects, that allowed him to start working with the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans.
After a brief postdoctoral stay in the same laboratory, in 2001, he joined the laboratory of Dr. Arturo Casadevall (Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York), where he specialized in research into virulence mechanisms of pathogenic fungi, mainly Cryptococcus neoformans. In 2006 he joined the National Center for Microbiology of the ISCIII thanks to a “Ramón y Cajal” contract and he became staff scientist in 2009. Currently, he occupies the rank of Research Professor of the OPIs.
During his career, he has published more than 140 articles, 4 book chapters and a popular book ("Microscopic fungi: Friends or Enemies?"). He has obtained public and private projects, and participates as CoIP of a CIBERINFEC group. He has supervised seven doctoral theses, and numerous master's thesis projects.
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Alba Torres Cano
PhD student (FPI contract)
ORCID code: 0009-0008-3151-1803
Alba Torres Cano has a degree in Health Biology from the University of Alcalá de Henares (UAH), and completed the master's degree "Microbiology Applied to Public Health and Infectious Diseases" from the UAH. He completed his master's thesis at the CNM under the direction of Dr. Zaragoza in 2022, focusing on pathogenic yeasts. In that year, he joined the ISCIII with an FPI predoctoral contract under the direction of Dr. Óscar Zaragoza.
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Alejandra Lora Plaza
PhD student (FPI contract)
ORCID code: 0009-0004-4344-1583
Alejandra Lora Plaza graduated in Health Biology and completed the Master in Applied Microbiology in Public Health and Infectious Diseases Research (2021) at the University of Alcalá in both cases. She joined the Department of Microbiology of the Faculty of Biology of the University of Barcelona to carry out her internship and her final degree work. Subsequently, she did her Master's thesis at the Microbiology Laboratory of the Hospital Universitario Príncipe de Asturias. In 2022 she joined the Public Health and Epidemiology group at the Marqués de Valdecilla Research Institute (IDIVAL), Santander, as a research support technician. In 2024 he joined Dr. Concha Gil's group in the Department of Microbiology and Parasitology at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the Complutense University of Madrid focusing on yeasts.
In 2025 she joined ISCIII with a predoctoral FPI fellowship under the direction of Dr. Óscar Zaragoza.
List of staff
Additional Information
Our group carries out research studies in the diagnosis, reference and epidemiology of zoonoses and emerging diseases, both indigenous and imported, caused by protozoa. Coordinates the study in the human field with the relevance of the animal field and the environment (One Health initiative), with special interest in Toxoplasmosis, a highly prevalent zoonosis (WHO lists it as the 3rd food-borne zoonosis in Europe), presents a complex epidemiological cycle and causes neurological, ocular and systemic symptoms. We carry out diagnostic and characterization studies of Toxoplasma gondii from human and animal cases, to obtain greater epidemiological information and analyze the possible relationship with virulence and pathology.
Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Blastocystis and Entamoeba histolytica cause gastrointestinal diseases, affecting children, immunosuppressed people and travelers. They can cause outbreaks. We develop diagnostic and characterization studies of isolates from humans and animals, from different areas and countries, to establish the presence of the main species and genotypes and the epidemiological situation. We are beginning the study of associations between these parasites and the intestinal microbiota.
The pathogenic Free-Living Amoebas, Acanthamoeba, Naegleria fowleri and Balamuthia mandrillaris, cause emerging diseases, highlighting the importance of the environment in transmission. They cause underdiagnosed neurological and ocular cases. The diagnostic and genotyping study of human and animal isolates that we are carrying out aims to establish the real prevalence, transmission routes and epidemiology.
Our group carries out research studies in the diagnosis, reference and epidemiology of zoonoses and emerging diseases, both indigenous and imported, caused by protozoa. Coordinates the study in the human field with the relevance of the animal field and the environment (One Health initiative), with special interest in Toxoplasmosis, a highly prevalent zoonosis (WHO lists it as the 3rd food-borne zoonosis in Europe), presents a complex epidemiological cycle and causes neurological, ocular and systemic symptoms. We carry out diagnostic and characterization studies of Toxoplasma gondii from human and animal cases, to obtain greater epidemiological information and analyze the possible relationship with virulence and pathology.
Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Blastocystis and Entamoeba histolytica cause gastrointestinal diseases, affecting children, immunosuppressed people and travelers. They can cause outbreaks. We develop diagnostic and characterization studies of isolates from humans and animals, from different areas and countries, to establish the presence of the main species and genotypes and the epidemiological situation. We are beginning the study of associations between these parasites and the intestinal microbiota.
The pathogenic Free-Living Amoebas, Acanthamoeba, Naegleria fowleri and Balamuthia mandrillaris, cause emerging diseases, highlighting the importance of the environment in transmission. They cause underdiagnosed neurological and ocular cases. The diagnostic and genotyping study of human and animal isolates that we are carrying out aims to establish the real prevalence, transmission routes and epidemiology.