The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the world radically since 2020. Spain was one of the European countries with the highest incidence during the first wave. As a part of a consortium to monitor and study the evolution of the epidemic, we sequenced 2,170 samples, diagnosed mostly before lockdown measures. Here, we identified at least 500 introductions from multiple international sources and documented the early rise of two dominant Spanish epidemic clades (SECs), probably amplified by superspreading events. Both SECs were related closely to the initial Asian variants of SARS-CoV-2 and spread widely across Spain. We inferred a substantial reduction in the effective reproductive number of both SECs due to public-health interventions ( R e < 1), also reflected in the replacement of SECs by a new variant over the summer of 2020. In summary, we reveal a notable difference in the initial genetic makeup of SARS-CoV-2 in Spain compared with other European countries and show evidence to support the effectiveness of lockdown measures in controlling virus spread, even for the most successful genetic variants.

Elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus haemorrhagic disease (EEHV-HD) poses a significant threat to the captive population of juvenile Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) and also affects elephants in the wild. In human and veterinary medicine, increasing attention is returning to the interferon system, a crucial mediator in the immune response for control of infection. We describe the first reported use of the Zelnate DNA immunostimulant and recombinant human interferon alpha (rhIFNα) as additional medications in the successful treatment of a case of EEHV1A-HD in a juvenile Asian elephant at a UK zoo. Despite an exponential rise in viraemia to a peak of 2.82×106 viral genomic equivalents/ml, only mild clinical signs developed and the calf survived with no adverse effects attributed to the novel treatments. This case is compared with a previous fatal case within the same herd where Zelnate and rhIFNα were not given.

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Introduction. Colistin is an antibiotic used to treat Gram-negative bacterial infections, particularly those caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. Hypothesis/Gap Statement. The broth microdilution (BMD) reference method is the recommended protocol for detecting colistin susceptibility; however, it is laborious and expensive and cannot be performed in all laboratories. Aim. To evaluate the colistin susceptibility in Klebsiella pneumoniae , Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa using an alternative method, which has been referred to as the drop test. Methodology. A 16 µg ml−1 colistin solution was deposited on a Mueller–Hinton agar plate previously swabbed with the strain and incubated overnight, and the presence or absence of an inhibition zone was observed. Results. The categorical agreement (CA) of the drop test with respect to BMD was 100 % when 190 Enterobacterales (19 E. coli and 171 K . pneumoniae ) were used, and no major errors (MEs) or very major errors (VMEs) were detected. The CA of the drop test with respect to the BMD was 99.2 % for 119 P . aeruginosa isolates, while no ME was detected and only 1 VME (6.7%) was observed. Conclusion. The drop test is an alternative method for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of colistin against K. pneumoniae and E. coli . It is an adequate method for detecting resistant strains of P. aeruginosa , but susceptible isolates should be confirmed using BMD. The drop test is a simpler alternative to the BMD that does not require additional equipment and allows for the testing of numerous isolates in a short period of time.

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