Presencia de una especie de malaria invasora en aves traficadas ilegalmente en la Amazonía Peruana

Resumen del trabajo presentado al XVIII Congreso Nacional y XV Iberoamericano de Etología y Ecología Evolutiva, celebrados en Badajoz (España) del 31 de octubre al 3 de noviembre de 2023.El tráfico ilegal de especies está clasificado como la tercera actividad delictiva más lucrativa y representa uno de los mayores peligros para la biodiversidad. Además, el comercio ilegal de vida silvestre puede aumentar la propagación de parásitos en todo el mundo, provocando la aparición de enfermedades que afectan a la fauna silvestre, los animales domésticos y los humanos. El orden Psittaciformes presenta la mayor proporción de especies en peligro de extinción entre todas las aves del mundo y es uno de los taxones más traficados en el comercio de mascotas. Sin embargo, la influencia del comercio ilegal de aves silvestres en la introducción de patógenos exóticos está poco investigada. Aquí examinamos la prevalencia y la diversidad genética de los parásitos hemosporidios en periquitos de alas amarillas (Brotogeris versicolorus) comercializados ilegalmente en la Amazonía peruana. El 18,5% de los periquitos estaban infectados por Plasmodium relictum GRW04, un parásito altamente invasor que provoca graves efectos negativos en el fitness de sus hospedadores e incluso la extinción de la avifauna nativa cuando se establece fuera de su área de distribución natural. Además, las aves infectadas con malaria tuvieron una peor condición corporal que las no infectados, lo que revela los efectos negativos de esta especie de malaria. Estos resultados resaltan que el comercio ilegal de fauna silvestre puede suponer un riesgo de brotes de enfermedades. Nuestros resultados también revelan conceptos epidemiológicos clave en la transmisión de enfermedades, como el papel de las especies de psitácidos poco estudiadas como reservorios naturales de haemosporidios. Estos hallazgos enfatizan la importancia las políticas y normativas que combatan el tráfico ilegal de vida silvestre y eviten la propagación de enfermedades.Peer reviewe

Double gametocyte infections in apicomplexan parasites of birds and reptiles

The simultaneous occurrence of male and female gametocytes inside a single host blood cell has been suggested to enhance apicomplexan transmission [’’double gametocyte infection (DGI) hypothesis’’]. We did a bibliographic search and a direct screen of blood smears from wild birds and reptiles to answer, for the first time, how common are these infections in the wild. Taking these two approaches together, we report here cases of DGIs in Plasmodium, Haemoproteus, Leucocy- tozoon and Hepatozoon, and cases of male–female DGIs in Haemoproteus of birds and reptiles and in Leucocy- tozoon of birds. Thus, we suggest that DGIs and male–female DGIs are more widespread than previously thought, opening a new research avenue on apicom- plexan transmissionPeer reviewe

Micromón València (Universitat de València)

En Julio de 2017 se creó la red SWI@Spain, auspiciada por el grupo de Docencia y Difusión de la Microbiología (DDM) de la Sociedad Española de Microbiología (SEM), para desarrollar la iniciativa internacional Small World Initiative (SWI) en la península ibérica. En la Universitat de València (UV) se constituyó entonces el grupo de Innovación Docente en Microbiología (IDM) para implementar el proyecto a nivel local. Avalados por el Servei de Formació Permanent i Innovació Educativa (SFPIE) de la UV, el grupo ha llevado a cabo diferentes iniciativas relacionadas con el objetivo fundamental del proyecto: divulgar la problemática actual relacionada con el uso inadecuado de antibióticos, el incremento de bacterias resistentes a éstos y la necesidad de encontrar nuevas moléculas con actividad antibacteriana para combatir las infecciones que provocan

Diversity, Loss, and Gain of Malaria Parasites in a Globally Invasive Bird

Invasive species can displace natives, and thus identifying the traits that make aliens successful is crucial for predicting and preventing biodiversity loss. Pathogens may play an important role in the invasive process, facilitating colonization of their hosts in new continents and islands. According to the Novel Weapon Hypothesis, colonizers may out-compete local native species by bringing with them novel pathogens to which native species are not adapted. In contrast, the Enemy Release Hypothesis suggests that flourishing colonizers are successful because they have left their pathogens behind. To assess the role of avian malaria and related haemosporidian parasites in the global spread of a common invasive bird, we examined the prevalence and genetic diversity of haemosporidian parasites (order Haemosporida, genera Plasmodium and Haemoproteus) infecting house sparrows (Passer domesticus). We sampled house sparrows (N = 1820) from 58 locations on 6 continents. All the samples were tested using PCR-based methods; blood films from the PCR-positive birds were examined microscopically to identify parasite species. The results show that haemosporidian parasites in the house sparrows' native range are replaced by species from local host-generalist parasite fauna in the alien environments of North and South America. Furthermore, sparrows in colonized regions displayed a lower diversity and prevalence of parasite infections. Because the house sparrow lost its native parasites when colonizing the American continents, the release from these natural enemies may have facilitated its invasion in the last two centuries. Our findings therefore reject the Novel Weapon Hypothesis and are concordant with the Enemy Release Hypothesis

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

Uptake of inorganic phosphate is a limiting factor for Saccharomyces cerevisiae during growth at low temperatures

The fermenting ability of Saccharomyces at low temperatures is crucial for the development of alcoholic beverages, but the key factors for the cold tolerance of yeast are not well known. In this report, we present the results of a screening for genes able to confer cold tolerance by overexpression in a laboratory yeast strain auxotrophic for tryptophan. We identified genes of tryptophan permeases (TAT1 and TAT2), suggesting that the first limiting factor in the growth of tryptophan auxotrophic yeast at low temperatures is tryptophan uptake. This fact is of little relevance to industrial strains which are prototrophic for tryptophan. Then, we screened for genes able to confer growth at low temperatures in tryptophan-rich media and found several genes related to phosphate uptake (PHO84, PHO87, PHO90 and GTR1). This suggests that without tryptophan limitation, uptake of inorganic phosphate becomes the limiting factor. We have found that overexpression of the previously uncharacterized ORF YCR015c/CTO1 increases the uptake of inorganic phosphate. Also, genes involved in ergosterol biosynthesis (NSG2) cause improvement of growth at 10°C, dependent on tryptophan uptake, while the gluconeogenesis gene PCK1 and the proline biosynthesis gene PRO2 cause an improvement in growth at 10°C, independent of tryptophan and phosphate uptake.I. Vicent was a recipient of a FPI fellowship from the Generalitat Valenciana. This work was supported by Grant AGL2003-03757 from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology and by Grant ACOMP06/66 from Generalitat Valenciana (both awarded to A.N.), and funded by Universidad Politecnica de Valencia (Grants PPI2742/2002 and PPI5621-05-04) awarded to A.N. and R.S.Vicent Gonzalez, IE.; Navarro Marzal, AL.; Mulet Salort, JM.; Sharma, SC.; Serrano Salom, R. (2015). Uptake of inorganic phosphate is a limiting factor for Saccharomyces cerevisiae during growth at low temperatures. FEMS Yeast Research. 15(3):1-13. doi:10.1093/femsyr/fov008S11315

GWAS and meta-analysis identifies 49 genetic variants underlying critical COVID-19

Data availability: Downloadable summary data are available through the GenOMICC data site (https://genomicc.org/data). Summary statistics are available, but without the 23andMe summary statistics, except for the 10,000 most significant hits, for which full summary statistics are available. The full GWAS summary statistics for the 23andMe discovery dataset will be made available through 23andMe to qualified researchers under an agreement with 23andMe that protects the privacy of the 23andMe participants. For further information and to apply for access to the data, see the 23andMe website (https://research.23andMe.com/dataset-access/). All individual-level genotype and whole-genome sequencing data (for both academic and commercial uses) can be accessed through the UKRI/HDR UK Outbreak Data Analysis Platform (https://odap.ac.uk). A restricted dataset for a subset of GenOMICC participants is also available through the Genomics England data service. Monocyte RNA-seq data are available under the title ‘Monocyte gene expression data’ within the Oxford University Research Archives (https://doi.org/10.5287/ora-ko7q2nq66). Sequencing data will be made freely available to organizations and researchers to conduct research in accordance with the UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research through a data access agreement. Sequencing data have been deposited at the European Genome–Phenome Archive (EGA), which is hosted by the EBI and the CRG, under accession number EGAS00001007111.Extended data figures and tables are available online at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06034-3#Sec21 .Supplementary information is available online at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06034-3#Sec22 .Code availability: Code to calculate the imputation of P values on the basis of SNPs in linkage disequilibrium is available at GitHub (https://github.com/baillielab/GenOMICC_GWAS).Acknowledgements: We thank the members of the Banco Nacional de ADN and the GRA@CE cohort group; and the research participants and employees of 23andMe for making this work possible. A full list of contributors who have provided data that were collated in the HGI project, including previous iterations, is available online (https://www.covid19hg.org/acknowledgements).Change history: 11 July 2023: A Correction to this paper has been published at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06383-z. -- In the version of this article initially published, the name of Ana Margarita Baldión-Elorza, of the SCOURGE Consortium, appeared incorrectly (as Ana María Baldion) and has now been amended in the HTML and PDF versions of the article.Copyright © The Author(s) 2023, Critical illness in COVID-19 is an extreme and clinically homogeneous disease phenotype that we have previously shown1 to be highly efficient for discovery of genetic associations2. Despite the advanced stage of illness at presentation, we have shown that host genetics in patients who are critically ill with COVID-19 can identify immunomodulatory therapies with strong beneficial effects in this group3. Here we analyse 24,202 cases of COVID-19 with critical illness comprising a combination of microarray genotype and whole-genome sequencing data from cases of critical illness in the international GenOMICC (11,440 cases) study, combined with other studies recruiting hospitalized patients with a strong focus on severe and critical disease: ISARIC4C (676 cases) and the SCOURGE consortium (5,934 cases). To put these results in the context of existing work, we conduct a meta-analysis of the new GenOMICC genome-wide association study (GWAS) results with previously published data. We find 49 genome-wide significant associations, of which 16 have not been reported previously. To investigate the therapeutic implications of these findings, we infer the structural consequences of protein-coding variants, and combine our GWAS results with gene expression data using a monocyte transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) model, as well as gene and protein expression using Mendelian randomization. We identify potentially druggable targets in multiple systems, including inflammatory signalling (JAK1), monocyte–macrophage activation and endothelial permeability (PDE4A), immunometabolism (SLC2A5 and AK5), and host factors required for viral entry and replication (TMPRSS2 and RAB2A).GenOMICC was funded by Sepsis Research (the Fiona Elizabeth Agnew Trust), the Intensive Care Society, a Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellowship (to J.K.B., 223164/Z/21/Z), the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Illumina, LifeArc, the Medical Research Council, UKRI, a BBSRC Institute Program Support Grant to the Roslin Institute (BBS/E/D/20002172, BBS/E/D/10002070 and BBS/E/D/30002275) and UKRI grants MC_PC_20004, MC_PC_19025, MC_PC_1905 and MRNO2995X/1. A.D.B. acknowledges funding from the Wellcome PhD training fellowship for clinicians (204979/Z/16/Z), the Edinburgh Clinical Academic Track (ECAT) programme. This research is supported in part by the Data and Connectivity National Core Study, led by Health Data Research UK in partnership with the Office for National Statistics and funded by UK Research and Innovation (grant MC_PC_20029). Laboratory work was funded by a Wellcome Intermediate Clinical Fellowship to B.F. (201488/Z/16/Z). We acknowledge the staff at NHS Digital, Public Health England and the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre who provided clinical data on the participants; and the National Institute for Healthcare Research Clinical Research Network (NIHR CRN) and the Chief Scientist’s Office (Scotland), who facilitate recruitment into research studies in NHS hospitals, and to the global ISARIC and InFACT consortia. GenOMICC genotype controls were obtained using UK Biobank Resource under project 788 funded by Roslin Institute Strategic Programme Grants from the BBSRC (BBS/E/D/10002070 and BBS/E/D/30002275) and Health Data Research UK (HDR-9004 and HDR-9003). UK Biobank data were used in the GSMR analyses presented here under project 66982. The UK Biobank was established by the Wellcome Trust medical charity, Medical Research Council, Department of Health, Scottish Government and the Northwest Regional Development Agency. It has also had funding from the Welsh Assembly Government, British Heart Foundation and Diabetes UK. The work of L.K. was supported by an RCUK Innovation Fellowship from the National Productivity Investment Fund (MR/R026408/1). J.Y. is supported by the Westlake Education Foundation. SCOURGE is funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (COV20_00622 to A.C., PI20/00876 to C.F.), European Union (ERDF) ‘A way of making Europe’, Fundación Amancio Ortega, Banco de Santander (to A.C.), Cabildo Insular de Tenerife (CGIEU0000219140 ‘Apuestas científicas del ITER para colaborar en la lucha contra la COVID-19’ to C.F.) and Fundación Canaria Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Canarias (PIFIISC20/57 to C.F.). We also acknowledge the contribution of the Centro National de Genotipado (CEGEN) and Centro de Supercomputación de Galicia (CESGA) for funding this project by providing supercomputing infrastructures. A.D.L. is a recipient of fellowships from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq)-Brazil (309173/2019-1 and 201527/2020-0)