Inicio del primer centro de investigación de zoonosis en España
Zoonoses is defined as any disease or infection that is naturally transmitted between vertebrate animals and humans. These diseases can be caused by various infectious agents, such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi, and are a significant challenge for global public health.
Zoonoses are particularly relevant due to their ability to spread rapidly and give rise to epidemic outbreaks, as seen in the cases of Ebola virus, avian influenza, or Covid-19.
Zoonosis can be classified according to its mode of transmission:
- Direct zoonosis: Transmission that occurs through direct contact with an infected animal, bodily fluids, or tissues. Examples include rabies and brucellosis.
- Indirect zoonosis: Occurs through a vector, such as mosquitoes or ticks, which carry the infectious agent from animals to humans. Examples include yellow fever and Lyme disease.
- Foodborne zoonosis: Transmission by consuming contaminated foods, such as unpasteurized meat or milk. Examples include toxoplasmosis and salmonellosis.
Research work on zoonoses
The Junta de Andalucía, the University of Córdoba, and the Biomedical Research Foundation in Córdoba have activated The Andalus Center for the Investigation of Zoonotic and Emerging Diseases (Caizem) with the establishment of its management council and the appointment of its first director.
The Ministry of University, Research, and Innovation assumed the Presidency of the Council, which appointed the Director of the same in its first meeting. Professor at the University of Córdoba María Ángeles Risalde, with vast experience in researching this type of disease.
This is the first center of its kind to be launched in Spain and is born to become a national reference in applied research for the control and prevention of emerging diseases from the «one health» approach.
«Caizem is the first center of its kind in Spain, where four councils, health, agriculture, fishing, water and rural development, sustainability, and university, research, and innovation, join hands with UCO to develop research of excellence for knowledge transfer and applicability to prevent and control emerging and zoonotic diseases,» said Gómez Villamandos.
This institutional collaboration model responds to the urgent need to generate useful knowledge to anticipate, monitor, and respond to communicable diseases between animals and humans. Caizem integrates professionals from various fields, such as medicine, veterinary, public health, biology, agronomic engineering, and the environment, and approaches its activities from a comprehensive and multidisciplinary perspective.
The center will focus on basic research on zoonoses, innovation in diagnostic tools and surveillance, and the development of rapid response strategies. In addition to providing technical assistance and knowledge transfer to administrations, companies, and other agents in the health and knowledge system.
Caizem is a pioneer in Spain
In this sense, Gómez Villamandas explained that Andalusia’s geographical location, its proximity to Africa, and the presence of ports where animals come from other continents. «Make this center a necessity that UCO has been growing for over 30 years and is now a reality, after the signing of a protocol in 2022 for its creation between the Council and the Academic Institution of Córdoba.»
Therefore, the university councilor explained that Caizem will develop three lines of research. The first is fundamental research to «generate knowledge aimed at understanding these zoonotic transmission diseases to study the interaction between pathogen and host, establish new therapeutic and preventive strategies, and maintain food and environmental health.»
Another major line is «new tools for diagnosis and health monitoring focused on innovation, the use of new technologies, big data, and artificial intelligence, and the design and implementation of new surveillance programs,» while the third is » Evaluation of measures to combat these diseases through the development of immunostimulants, rapid response, and evaluation of combat programs.»
Finally, Gómez Villamandos emphasized that currently, the competitive research unit on zoonoses and emerging diseases at the University of Córdoba (Enzoem), the forerunner of this center, «has 40 consolidated researchers and a great track record of research at the national and international levels, as well as extensive collaboration with research centers.»
In turn, the Secretary General of Public Health and Research and Development in the field of health at the Ministry of Health and Consumption, Aurea Morillo, highlighted the importance of creating this center given the increasing number of diseases and infections transmitted by zoonoses, directly or indirectly, which cause public health problems.
Indeed, she emphasized: «Our goal is for Caizem to become a national reference in the field of research on zoonoses and emerging diseases.»
This center will improve the efficiency of public research management in an area that has gained importance with the Covid-19 pandemic because it will allow, on the one hand, collaboration, coordination, and the pooling of efforts from research teams working in the fields of health, public health, animal health, and the environment.
Morillo explained that Caizem, with the application of the «one health» perspective, «will allow the research activity in the field of public health to have a new approach and a multidisciplinary character, due to the participation of health professionals, public health, agronomy, and veterinary experts.»
Interdiction works
For his part, the rector of UCO, Manuel Torralbo, emphasized that «today is an important day for the University of Córdoba, for the public university system of Andalusia, and for all those who believe in a useful science related to society’s real problems.»
Because the establishment of Caizem «is not just the implementation of a new research center, but it is the beginning of a working model based on collaboration between disciplines, where veterinary professionals, medicine, biology, agronomic engineering, and many other fields combine their knowledge to advance in emerging diseases and protect public health.»
He also emphasized that this center «is born with a clear interdisciplinary vocation and an approach that reminds us that human health, animal health, and the environment are interconnected.» Therefore, for the University of Córdoba, «being part of this project is a great scientific opportunity, but also a great responsibility.»
«Different administrations and fields coming together with a common goal, because in a time when health challenges are global, the response must also be,» said Torralbo, who added that from the University of Córdoba, «we will deploy all our potential of researchers, all our experience, and all our commitment so that Caizem becomes a reference, not only in Andalusia, but also at the national and international levels.»
«This center is a commitment to life-saving science and we are proud to say that it is born here in Córdoba,» concluded.
