The veterinary and researcher José R. Penadés, first head of studies of Veterinary of Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera and collaborator of the Department of Biomedical Sciences of this same centre from the Institute of Infection Immunity and Inflammation of Glasgow University where he also holds the position of Professor of Microbiology has taken part in a research published in Science Advances on the transmission of infections between different species. He has worked with CITA-IVIA researcher and PhD in Pharmacy of the CEU-UCH, María Ángeles Tormo who currently works in the Group of Severe Infections of the Institute of Sanitary Research IIS-La Fe and researchers J. Ross Fitzgerald and Rodrigo Bacigalupe of the Edinburg University.

A key research in the fight against superbugs

As concluded by the study, most dangerous pathogen bacteria are those capable of moving from one species to another representing therefore a great threat for human health and animals. Knowing the mechanisms that provide them with this capacity it is essential to avoid that transmission between humans and animals or between animals of different species.

According to Panadés, findings of the research group highlight that bacteria develop adaptations to reach new host species where they also cause infection. These conclusions have achieved a new experimental model applied to the transfer from people to sheep of Staphylococcus aureus. They have observed that bacteria evolve rapidly to best adapt to its new host.

One year ago Penadés also published in the same magazine his findings on lateral transduction, a genetic transfer mechanism of bacteria unknown to date and responsible for the rapid transformation in superbugs resistant to antibiotics.

Research is one of the priorities of CEU Universities given its key importance to generate know-how that will have to be transferred through the teaching of students and also in companies. University professors have also a two-fold duty encouraged by the Vice-Rectorate as a way to attract the best students offering different internal policies to support the research activity of professors ranging from PhD scholarships to aids for projects and research groups.