LABORATORY OF MICROBIOLOGY

 

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Staff

 

Pablo Zunino: Head of the research group.

Claudia Piccini: Research Assistant (from april 1st, 2003); PhD student.

Karina Antunez: Fellow (Ministry of Education) and M.Sc. student.

Vanessa Sosa: Fellow (Ministry of Education).

Rafael Pellegrino and Paola Scavone: M.Sc. students (Honorary researchers)

Bruno D’Alessandro Analía Lima, Martín Fraga and Geraldine Schlapp: Honorary researchers.

 

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Research

 

-  Virulence factors of uropathogenic Proteus mirabilis;

-  Biology and diagnosis of Paenibacillus larvae larvae, the cause of American  

    foulbrood in honeybees;

-  Microbial ecology of native aquatic environments;

-  Lactobacilus spp. as probiotics;

-  Vaccines against Clostridium perfringens for Rhea americana (American ostriches).

 

Publications

 

-Zunino, P., Piccini, C and Legnani-Fajardo, C. Growth, cellular differentiation and virulence factors expression by Proteus mirabilis grown in vitro and in vivo. Journal of Medical Microbiology. 48: 527-534. 

-Zunino, P., Geymonat, L., Allen, A., Legnani-Fajardo, C., Maskell, D. Virulence of a P. mirabilis ATF isogenic mutant is not impaired in a mouse model of ascending urinary tract infection. FEMS-Immunology and Medical Microbiology. 29: 137-144.

-Zunino, P., Geymonat, L., Allen, A. G., Preston, A., Sosa, V., Maskell. D. J. New aspects of the role of MR/P fimbriae in Proteus mirabilis urinary tract infection. FEMS-Immunology and Medical Microbiology. 31: 113-120.

-Piccini, C., Zunino, P. American Foulbrood in Uruguay: Isolation of Paenibacillus larvae subspecies larvae from larvae with clinical symptoms and adult honeybees, and susceptibility to oxytetracycline. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, 78: 176-177.

-Piccini, C., D´Alessandro, B., Antúnez, K., Zunino, P. Detection of Paenibacillus larvae subspecies larvae spores in naturally infected larvae and artificially contaminated honey by PCR. World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, 18: 761-765.

-Pellegrino, P., Galvalisi, U., Scavone, P., Sosa, V., Zunino, P. . Evaluation of Proteus mirabilis structural fimbrial proteins as antigens against urinary tract infections. FEMS-Immunology and Medical Microbiology, 36: 103-110

-Zunino, P., Sosa, V., Allen, A., Preston, A., Schlapp, G., Maskell, D. J.Proteus mirabilis fimbriae (PMF) are important for both bladder and kidney colonization in mice. Microbiology, 149: 3231-3237.

-Suárez, G., Zunino, P., Carol, H.,Ungerfeld, R. Changes in the vaginal microbial load and assessment of its antibiotic susceptibility in vitro after using intravaginal sponges in anestrous ewes. Submitted to Small Ruminants Research.

-Piccini, C., Antúnez, K., Zunino, P. An approach to the characterization of the honeybee hive bacterial flora. Submitted to Journal of Apicultural Research.

-Scavone, P., Sosa, V., Pellegrino, R., Galvalisi, U., Zunino, P. Mucosal vaccination of mice with recombinant Proteus mirabilis structural fimbrial proteins. Submitted to Microbes and Infection.

 

Teaching and training activities

 

-Post graduate teaching:

P. Zunino: M.Sc. supervisor of Rafael Pellegrino, Paola Scavone and  Karina Antúnez.

-Graduate teaching:

Supervision of Biology and Biochemistry Degrees final works:

P. Zunino:  Paola Scavone, Vanessa Sosa, Bruno D’Alessandro.

C. Piccini:  Karina Antúnez.

-Other training activities:

Training of Secondary School Biology Teachers, PEDECIBA-UNESCO Programme.

First Course for Training of Primary School Teachers focused on the eaching of Biological Science (IIBCE); theoretical and practical classes (P. Zunino and M. Fraga).

 

Services and outreach activities

 

Training courses for microbiology laboratory technicians for the beverage industry (AmBev Company).