Fernando González Candelas

Infections caused by the fungus Candidozyma auris—formerly known as Candida auris—continue to rise, warns a report by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Spain reported 1,807 of the 4,012 cases in 36 European countries between 2013 and 2023, the highest number ahead of Greece (852 cases) and Italy (712), according to the survey. This microorganism spreads particularly in hospitals, causing infections that are often resistant to existing drugs.

An international team of researchers publishes a review of the complex environmental impacts of genetically modified crops in the journal Science. According to the study, widespread adoption by some of the world's largest agricultural countries has had mixed results for biodiversity, deforestation and human health, depending on the specific characteristics of these crops and the regions involved. 

The end of the zero covid policy in China is leading to an increase in the number of cases and has revived the question of whether the epidemiological situation in China could favour the emergence of new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

A sarbecovirus distantly related to SARS-CoV-2 and found in horseshoe bats in Russia is able to enter human cells using the ACE2 receptor, according to research published in PLOS Pathogens. 

A genomic analysis of monkeypox viruses from patients in the ongoing outbreak reveals that it most likely has a single origin. This 2022 monkeypox virus diverges from those of 2018-2019 in many more genetic variations than expected for Orthopoxviruses, which may represent ongoing accelerated evolution, according to the authors. The study is published in Nature Medicine.

A new variant of the coronavirus causing COVID-19 has been identified in South Africa, with numerous mutations present in other variants, including Delta. Variant B.1.1.529, as it is now called, appears to be spreading rapidly in South Africa. Attached is the rapid reaction of three Spanish researchers with expertise in genomic surveillance.