Pérez Crossa, Ruben

Research interests

My research focuses on the analysis of genetic variability in different organisms. In the last 20 years, I have focused on the analysis of genetic variability in viruses and bacteria that affect animal health, with the goal of providing epidemiological information and biotechnological tools for their diagnosis and characterization.

Working area

My area of study includes molecular analysis of the main viruses affecting dogs and poultry in Uruguay. In canids, we characterize the variants circulating in our territory and conduct phylodynamic and phylogeographic studies of parvovirus and distemper. We have extended our studies to other continents to analyze the evolution of the virus worldwide. We have also genetically characterized strains of the canine distemper virus and described new target genes for phylogenetic studies. In avian viruses, we produced the first reports of Gumboro and bronchitis, two of the viruses that cause the greatest economic losses in the Uruguayan and global poultry industry. Avian infectious bronchitis is a coronavirus our group has been working with for 15 years, describing the variability of viruses in Latin America, designing molecular identification methodologies, and producing the first South American genomes. As part of the variability analysis of canine and avian viruses, we also performed quasispecies analysis, co-infection processes, and recombination using massive genome sequencing.
In parallel with viral studies, I developed a line of research on the bacterium Campylobacter fetus with the goal of diagnosing and characterizing it molecularly. This bacterium is a major pathogen of livestock as it causes infertility and abortions. We published the first molecular analyses performed in Uruguay on this bacterium, which have a major impact on the diagnosis and evolution of this species. In addition to genetic characterization, we develop new diagnostic and typing methodologies, applied to both viruses and bacteria, using real-time and final PCR techniques. We developed and published methodologies that constituted the first Uruguayan reports of a real-time PCR technique applied to the identification and characterization of avian viruses, as well as massive sequencing methodologies for obtaining genomes. To advance our understanding of the pathogens under study, we continue to develop a research network with national and international centers. At the national level, we are collaborating with other Udelar faculties, government agencies, and private laboratories. Internationally, we have collaborated with centers in Argentina, Germany, Mexico, and Italy. This has allowed us to become a benchmark for the genetic study of canine and industrial poultry viruses at the national and international levels. During 2019, and as a result of my experience with avian coronaviruses, I am responsible for the Evolutionary Genetics Section of a research group comprised of the Virology Section and the DLSP (Directorate of Public Health Laboratories) dedicated to researching the novel human coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). More recently, we have been working on the characterization of avian influenza and equine encephalitis strains, collaborating with the official veterinary laboratories (DILAVE) of the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries.