Shifts in crane migration phenology associated with climate change in southwestern Europe

Gallocanta lagoon, NE Spain, is one of the main stopover and wintering areas of Common Cranes (Grus grus) migrating through Western Europe. We investigated how the water level of the lagoon where cranes roost, precipitation, and air temperature might have influenced the species’ migration and wintering patterns in this area between 1973 and 2018. Over the study period, the mean annual air temperature increased at 0.3 °C per decade. Simultaneously, cranes advanced the spring peak migration date at a rate of 0.37 days/year. Water level and rainfall during spring were also positively correlated with the date of spring migration peak. Because cranes need shallow water to roost, and must drink water from streams because the lagoon is saline, these correlations suggest that low water levels at roosting sites and drinking water shortage may have further accelerated the onset of northward spring migration. The water level was also positively correlated with peak crane numbers in autumn, suggesting that the roosting capacity of the lagoon may limit numbers of cranes that can stopover in the area. We conclude that global warming, variations in the water level of the lagoon, and precipitation during spring have determined changes in the use of Gallocanta as a staging and wintering area by Common Cranes during the last decades. Because climatic models predict further decreases in rainfall and higher temperatures in the area, further advances in the migration phenology of cranes should be expected, which might also have implications for the conservation and management of the species and the study area.project AgroSOS (CGL2015-66016-R Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness - FEDER funds [EU])Government of Aragón (Spain) through a predoctoral internship to J. M. Orellana (BOA 20/07/2017)Peer reviewe

Spread of a SARS-CoV-2 variant through Europe in the summer of 2020.

Following its emergence in late 2019, the spread of SARS-CoV-21,2 has been tracked by phylogenetic analysis of viral genome sequences in unprecedented detail3–5. Although the virus spread globally in early 2020 before borders closed, intercontinental travel has since been greatly reduced. However, travel within Europe resumed in the summer of 2020. Here we report on a SARS-CoV-2 variant, 20E (EU1), that was identified in Spain in early summer 2020 and subsequently spread across Europe. We find no evidence that this variant has increased transmissibility, but instead demonstrate how rising incidence in Spain, resumption of travel, and lack of effective screening and containment may explain the variant’s success. Despite travel restrictions, we estimate that 20E (EU1) was introduced hundreds of times to European countries by summertime travellers, which is likely to have undermined local efforts to minimize infection with SARS-CoV-2. Our results illustrate how a variant can rapidly become dominant even in the absence of a substantial transmission advantage in favourable epidemiological settings. Genomic surveillance is critical for understanding how travel can affect transmission of SARS-CoV-2, and thus for informing future containment strategies as travel resumes. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited

De Gremio a Colegio de Farmacéuticos. Un siglo de Historia

Análisis del proceso por el cual, en la provincia de Córdoba, el antiguo gremio de boticarios fue evolucionando y perfeccionando su oficio (siglos XIX y XX), hasta pasar a convertirse en un colectivo de carácter más científico que propiamente comercial. Lugar principal ocupa igualmente el análisis del proceso asociativo que, al igual que en toda España, se vive en la provincia de Córdoba, como fórmula para intentar afrontar con éxito los nuevos retos que el devenir les depara. En ese camino la constitución del Colegio Oficial de Farmacéuticos constituye un hito fundamental, razón por la que se analiza el proceso y se le hace un seguimiento hasta la actualidad

Rapid phenotypic convergence towards collateral sensitivity in clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa presenting different genomic backgrounds

Collateral sensitivity (CS) is an evolutionary trade-off by which acquisition of resistance to an antibiotic leads to increased susceptibility to another. This Achilles’ heel of antibiotic resistance could be exploited to design evolution-based strategies for treating bacterial infections. To date, most studies in the field have focused on the identification of CS patterns in model strains. However, one of the main requirements for the clinical application of this trade-off is that it must be robust and has to emerge in different genomic backgrounds, including preexisting drug-resistant isolates, since infections are frequently caused by pathogens already resistant to antibiotics. Here, we report the first analysis of CS robustness in clinical strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa presenting different ab initio mutational resistomes. We identified a robust CS pattern associated with short-term evolution in the presence of ciprofloxacin of clinical P. aeruginosa isolates, including representatives of high-risk epidemic clones belonging to sequence type (ST) 111, ST175, and ST244. We observed the acquisition of different ciprofloxacin resistance mutations in strains presenting varied STs and different preexisting mutational resistomes. Importantly, despite these genetic differences, the use of ciprofloxacin led to a robust CS to aztreonam and tobramycin. In addition, we describe the possible application of this evolutionary trade-off to drive P. aeruginosa infections to extinction by using the combination of ciprofloxacin-tobramycin or ciprofloxacin-aztreonam. Our results support the notion that the identification of robust patterns of CS may establish the basis for developing evolution-informed treatment strategies to tackle bacterial infections, including those due to antibiotic-resistant pathogens. IMPORTANCE Collateral sensitivity (CS) is a trade-off of antibiotic resistance evolution that could be exploited to design strategies for treating bacterial infections. Clinical application of CS requires it to robustly emerge in different genomic backgrounds. In this study, we performed an analysis to identify robust patterns of CS associated with the use of ciprofloxacin in clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa presenting different mutational resistomes and including high-risk epidemic clones (ST111, ST175, and ST244). We demonstrate the robustness of CS to tobramycin and aztreonam and the potential application of this evolutionary observation to drive P. aeruginosa infections to extinction. Our results support the notion that the identification of robust CS patterns may establish the basis for developing evolutionary strategies to tackle bacterial infections, including those due to antibiotic-resistant pathogens

Interplay among Resistance Profiles, High-Risk Clones, and Virulence in the Caenorhabditis elegans Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection Model

The increasing prevalence of nosocomial infections produced by multidrugresistant (MDR) or extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa is frequently linked to widespread international strains designated high-risk clones. In this work, we attempted to decipher the interplay between resistance profiles, high-risk clones, and virulence, testing a large (n 140) collection of well-characterized P. aeruginosa isolates from different sources (bloodstream infections, nosocomial outbreaks, cystic fibrosis, and the environment) in a Caenorhabditis elegans infection model. Consistent with previous data, we documented a clear inverse correlation between antimicrobial resistance and virulence in the C. elegans model. Indeed, the lowest virulence was linked to XDR profiles, which were typically linked to defined high-risk clones. However, virulence varied broadly depending on the involved highrisk clone; it was high for sequence type 111 (ST111) and ST235 but very low for ST175. The highest virulence of ST235 could be attributed to its exoU type III secretion system (TTSS) genotype, which was found to be linked with higher virulence in our C. elegans model. Other markers, such as motility or pigment production, were not essential for virulence in the C. elegans model but seemed to be related with the higher values of the statistical normalized data. In contrast to ST235, the ST175 high-risk clone, which is widespread in Spain and France, seems to be associated with a particularly low virulence in the C. elegans model. Moreover, the previously described G154R AmpR mutation, prevalent in ST175, was found to contribute to the reduced virulence, although it was not the only factor involved. Altogether, our results provide a major step forward for understanding the interplay between P. aeruginosa resistance profiles, high-risk clones, and virulence.This work was supported by the Planes Nacionales de IDi 2008-2011/2013-2016 and Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Subdirección General de Redes y Centros de Investigación Cooperativa, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Spanish Network for Research in Infectious Diseases (REIPI RD12/0015/0006, RD12/0015/004, RD16/0016/ 0004, RD16/0016/008, and RD16/0016/0011) and grants PI15/00088 and PI12/00734. This work was cofinanced by grants from the European Development Regional Fund “A way to achieve Europe” and operative program Intelligent Growth (2014-2020). I.S.-D. is the recipient of a P-FIS fellowship from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad.Peer Reviewe

Interplay among Resistance Profiles, High-Risk Clones, and Virulence in the Caenorhabditis elegans Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection Model.

The increasing prevalence of nosocomial infections produced by multidrug-resistant (MDR) or extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa is frequently linked to widespread international strains designated high-risk clones. In this work, we attempted to decipher the interplay between resistance profiles, high-risk clones, and virulence, testing a large (n = 140) collection of well-characterized P. aeruginosa isolates from different sources (bloodstream infections, nosocomial outbreaks, cystic fibrosis, and the environment) in a Caenorhabditis elegans infection model. Consistent with previous data, we documented a clear inverse correlation between antimicrobial resistance and virulence in the C. elegans model. Indeed, the lowest virulence was linked to XDR profiles, which were typically linked to defined high-risk clones. However, virulence varied broadly depending on the involved high-risk clone; it was high for sequence type 111 (ST111) and ST235 but very low for ST175. The highest virulence of ST235 could be attributed to its exoU+ type III secretion system (TTSS) genotype, which was found to be linked with higher virulence in our C. elegans model. Other markers, such as motility or pigment production, were not essential for virulence in the C. elegans model but seemed to be related with the higher values of the statistical normalized data. In contrast to ST235, the ST175 high-risk clone, which is widespread in Spain and France, seems to be associated with a particularly low virulence in the C. elegans model. Moreover, the previously described G154R AmpR mutation, prevalent in ST175, was found to contribute to the reduced virulence, although it was not the only factor involved. Altogether, our results provide a major step forward for understanding the interplay between P. aeruginosa resistance profiles, high-risk clones, and virulence