The International Health Unit has several lines of research in the field of diagnosis of imported infections, both in our centre and in endemic countries. This unit has a laboratory at the HUVH and another at the Drassanes Unit with extensive experience in highly complex parasitological diagnosis, which allow access to multiple samples from travellers and immigrants. The unit has extensive experience in coordinating projects and training programs in laboratories in rural areas of low-income countries. The development of new technology applied to the diagnosis of the main parasitic infections is another of the axes of our unit. The results of the research studies have been translated into different national and international publications and into the writing of doctoral theses. Our centre is CSUR of Tropical Medicine and International Health.

Lines of investigation:

- Hemoflagellates: Development studies and evaluation of molecular biology techniques for the diagnosis and typing of Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania sp. A project financed by Roche is currently underway to validate serological techniques for the diagnosis of Chagas disease both in imported patients and in several Latin American countries.

- Malaria: Studies on the application of molecular techniques in the diagnosis of malaria in endemic countries. Detection of Plasmodium sp species by PCR, co-infections and alterations in the genes that encode the proteins that are used for rapid diagnostic techniques.

- Helminthiasis: Studies of the application of molecular techniques in the diagnosis of different helminthiasis, mainly schistosomiasis and strongyloidiasis, both in imported cases and in endemic areas.

- Innovation and technology applied to the diagnosis of tropical diseases:

1. Development of a mobile application for the microscopic diagnosis of malaria and schistosomiasis in low-income countries.

2. Collaboration in the development of rapid immunoassays and point-of-care (POC) devices for the quantitative diagnosis of malaria.

3. Interactive training programs for laboratory technicians.

4. Validation of samples collected on dry paper (DBS) for the diagnosis of imported infections.

The main objectives of the Respiratory Virus Unit are the microbiological diagnosis of viral respiratory infection, participation in virological surveillance of respiratory viruses, and teaching. In addition to incorporating the state-of-the-art technology for the detection and automation of laboratory processes, we participate in the development and evaluation of new microbiological diagnostic methods in collaboration with the industry. But, beyond being able to detect already known respiratory viruses, and others not so well known, that cause acute respiratory disease in the human population, one of our vocations is virological surveillance. For this, it is necessary to be able to characterize the respiratory viruses detected, either in the community or in the hospitalized population, using genotypic and phenotypic methods, which allow us to better identify them, to know those characteristics that make them of special interest either because their antigenic characteristics have changed, because they have acquired resistance to different antivirals, because they have changed their tropism for other hosts or tissues, or because they are associated with greater severity, among others. In addition, working with new generation sequencing techniques and bioinformatics tools has allowed us to study in depth the viral populations in the host. This work would not be possible if we did not work in a multidisciplinary way with clinical specialists, epidemiologists, mathematicians and public health specialists. But beyond the laboratory results, the products developed and our participation in national and international surveillance networks, we work to disseminate the knowledge acquired, thus contributing to greater awareness of viral respiratory infection and of the viral agents that cause it.

Vaccines confer active immunoprotection, which is why they constitute one of the medical instruments that have contributed the most to the prevention of infectious diseases, estimating that around 2.5 million deaths are avoided annually thanks to them. The significant decrease in the incidence of diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus, poliomyelitis, invasive meningococcal disease or whooping cough, among others, or even the eradication of smallpox, is clear proof of their effectiveness. Despite this, in recent years a reemergence of certain infections that can be prevented by vaccination and that are caused by specific bacteria have been detected. Some examples of these bacteria are Neisseria meningitidis, which causes invasive meningococcal disease, or Bordetella pertussis, which produces whooping cough.

The VHIR microbiology research group is working on the study of the microbiological factors that may be conditioning the reemergence of these infections, as well as the characteristics of the patients who suffer from them and that may contribute to their acquisition and development. To this end, we work on the genomic characterization of bacterial populations such as N. meningitidis or B. pertussis through state-of-the-art technologies that allow us to monitor the evolution and adaptation of circulating clones in our environment, with the aim of early identification of the appearance of high-risk clones for public health, the rapid detection of the existence of transmission clusters between people, the emergence of strains not covered by currently used vaccines, and the identification of strains resistant to first- and second-line antimicrobial treatments, with the aim of in order to be able to design optimal measures to prevent the acquisition of these diseases, reduce their dissemination and optimize antimicrobial treatments.

Competitive projects that are currently being developed in this line of work:

Secuenciación de nueva generación para el estudio de la dinámica poblacional, adaptación e identificación de nuevos antígenos vacunales de B. pertussis y B. holmesii

PI: Juan José González López

Collaborators: Albert Moreno Mingorance

Financing entity: Instituto de Salud Carlos III

Financing: 82400

Reference: FI19/00315

Duration: 01/01/2020 - 31/12/2023

Secuenciación de nueva generación para el estudio de la dinámica poblacional, adaptación e identificación de nuevos antígenos vacunales de B. pertussis y B. holmesii. Estudio PERT-ESP-VAC

PI: Juan José González López

Collaborators: María Teresa Martín Gómez, Gema Codina Grau, Carlos Rodrigo Gonzalo de Liria, Alba Mir Cros, Thais Cornejo Sánchez, Sonia Maria Uriona Tuma

Financing entity: Instituto de Salud Carlos III

Financing: 111320

Reference: PI18/00703

Duration: 01/01/2019 - 30/06/2023

Caracterización de Neisseria meningitidis tras la introducción de la vacuna frente al serogrupo B e identificación de factores predisponentes para la enfermedad meningocócica invasiva

PI: Juan José González López

Collaborators: Manuel Hernández González, José Ángel Rodrigo Pendás, Aina Aguiló Cucurull, Alba Mir Cros, Albert Moreno Mingorance, Thais Cornejo Sánchez, Andrea Martín Nalda

Financing entity: Instituto de Salud Carlos III

Financing: 123420

Reference: PI21/00132

Duration: 01/01/2022 - 31/12/2024