Infectious diseases

Use of the dynamics of viral response as a tool to individually tailor the duration of HCV treatment  in HIV-coinfected patients

Study of the interaction between ribavirin and nucleoside-analogues inhibitors of HIV reverse transcriptase in a subgenomic HCV replicon.

The aim of this research is to analyze the incidence and the changes in clinical presentation of opportunistic infections in the era of highly active antiretrovrial therapy. The improvements in the immunological status of HIV infected patients have led to new clinical problems, such as the immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome, that justify this clinical research.

Patients with HIV infection are treated with different drugs, including antiretrovirals and drugs for other purposes, which can have pharmacokinetic interactions with clinical significance or resulting in increased toxicity. This line is divided into pharmacokinetics and toxicity lines. The main objective of the pharmacokinetic research line is studying drug plasma levels of those drugs susceptible of presenting interactions, knowing whether drug levels are inside the therapeutic range, evaluating potential interactions and evaluating the impact of some co-infections in plasma concentrations (chronic HCV infection, tuberculosis,…) and whether if its necessary to modify doses in these cases. The main objective of the toxicity line is to evaluate the side effects that can occur with antiretroviral therapy, especially mitochondrial toxicity, lypodistrophy and metabolic complications, looking for factors that contribute to their apparition and looking for potential solutions.

The aim of the research are to evaluate epidemiological, etiological, diagnostic or therapeutical aspects of osteoarticular infections associated or not with the presence of metallic implants (prosthesis).

In 2000 a 7 valent conjugate pneumococcal vaccine was approved for children. The implementation of this vaccine has led to clinical changes in the incidence and clinical presentation of pneumococcal invasive disease not only in children but also in adults. In this way we are studying changes in incidence, clinical presentation of pneumococcal infection in adults, serotype distribution and antimicrobial resistance of Streptococcus pneumoniae. In the next future novel antipneumococcal vaccines will be implemented and a continuous monitoring of these infections is needed.

To establish the risk and type of infection in different populations receiving chemotherapy according to the induced immunitary alteration. Prevention measures of infection, before and after chemotherapy. To create new protocols of diagnosis and prevention of infections with the use of new biological therapies in different oncological settings. To study the incidence, prevention and characteristics of the infections presented by immigrant population under chemotherapy.

Surveillance studies of invasive candidiasis in our country. PK/PD antifungal studies in animal model. To study  voriconazole and posaconazole plasma levels and its applications in clinical management of IFI. To establish the risks, incidence, types and natural history of IFI in different setting to applicate a more rational and successful preventative strategies.

The research of infection in solid organ transplantation is based on knowledge of the epidemiology and risk factors for acquiring infections resulting from surgery, donation and immunosuppression as well as the development of intervention studies to prevent and treat these diseases.

Due to the increasing number of cases of Clostidium difficile associated diarrhoea (CDAD) reported worldwide, our research line attempt to know the epidemiology of CDAD in Barcelona area. Our aims are to determine the average annual incidence and the pooled-mean rate of CDAD for hospitalized patients, to describe the clinical characteristics and to obtain an overview of the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern, toxigenicity and genotypic features of CD isolates.

The main lines of research are focused at those cosmopolitan and tropical diseases often associated with poverty (Chagas disease, tuberculosis, leishmaniasis, malaria). We are developing new techniques for diagnosing and monitoring patients and new therapeutic schemes that offer a better option to those affected by these diseases.

Also devote efforts to strengthen health systems in developing countries by supporting vertical programs, promoting research at local level, and creating new tools for non-attendance training of local health staff.

We study the most relevant epidemiological, clinical, and therapeutic features of infections caused by multidrug-resistant pathogens, specially methicillin-resistant S. aureus and multidrug-resistant gramnegative bacilli.

An in vivo experimental model of Staphylococci and Candida central-venous catheter-related infections has been developed. We evaluate several courses of antimicrobials alone or in combination with anticoagulants.

We prospectively study the epidemiological changes of infective endocarditis at the beginning of the XXI century and, especially, their consequences on outcome. Research is focused on modifiable risk factors for mortality.

Infections by virus of the family Herpesviridae and specifically cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Eppstein Barr virus (EBV) are common in recipients of solid allograft. Besides the direct effects related to disease caused by the infection itself, indirect effects caused by its appearance are very important as well. CMV induces both immunosuppression of the host by producing superinfection due to opportunistic fungi and immunomodulation which can induce acute or chronic rejection of the graft. EBV is an oncogen virus which is related to Posttrasplant Lymphoproliferative Disease. In this research line, several projects that tried and still try to find answers to the questions previously asked are included.

The aim of the Research Line using Animal Models of Infection carried out in the Research Lab on Infectious Diseases is try to find answers to questions asked in the Clinical which cannot be answered by various methodological problems, and that once answered in the animal model allows us to consider different controlled clinical studies. Then, we have worked with the endocarditis models  due to viridans streptococci, S.aureus, E.faecalis, pneumonia due to S.pneumoniae, peritonitis,invasive aspergilosis and catheter-related septicemia due to Candida spp. i Staphylococcus spp. trying to solve some problems we found in the Clinics.