Essential Guides on Swine Health and Production. Neonatal Diarrhoea

Ana Carvajal Urueña: Degree in veterinary medicine from the University of León (Spain) in 1990 and PhD in veterinary medicine from the same university in 1994. During her pre- and postdoctoral training, she completed various research fellowships at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Zurich (Switzerland). Since 2001 she has been a lecturer at the Department of Animal Health at the University of León, and has taught in the fields of infectious diseases, preventive medicine and epidemiology. She also teaches postgraduate students on different masters programmes related to research and pig production and health. She is a member of the DIGESPORC research group dedicated to the study of infectious enteric diseases in pigs. Within this group, she has participated in research related to diseases of viral origin, porcine epidemic diarrhoea, as well as conditions caused by bacteria, such as intestinal spirochaete infections, Lawsonia intracellularis infections, and porcine salmonellosis infections, among others. In 2005, she earned a diploma from the European College of Veterinary Public Health (ECHPV) in the speciality of population medicine.

Pedro Rubio Nistal: Degree in veterinary medicine from the University of León in 1981, having earned an extraordinary degree award, and PhD in veterinary medicine from the same university in 1988. During his postdoctoral training, he completed research fellowships at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Ghent (Belgium). He first held the position of assistant lecturer, and, in 1989, he was named a permanent lecturer of infectious diseases and epidemiology in the Department of Animal Health of the University of León. Since 2000 he has been the chair of the aforementioned department. He also teaches postgraduate students on different masters programmes related to research and pig production and health. He has been a diplomate of the European College of Porcine Health Management (ECPHM) since 2007.He was also a member of several expert committees in the European Union. He directs the DIGESPORC research group dedicated to the study of gastrointestinal infections in pigs. He has supervised 13 doctoral theses and directed and participated in government-funded and privately funded research projects on porcine gastrointestinal diseases of both viral aetiology (porcine epidemic diarrhoea, transmissible gastroenteritis) and bacterial aetiology (dysentery and spirochaetosis, salmonellosis, proliferative enteropathy, etc.). The DIGESPORC group is also currently conducting on research on gut microbiota and alternatives to antibiotic use. Coauthor of a patent for a swine dysentery vaccine and of another patent for a probiotic specific to piglets with the spin-off Aquilón CyL S.L., of which he is a founding partner and scientific director.

Héctor Argüello Rodríguez Degree in veterinary medicine from the University of León in 2007 and PhD in veterinary medicine from the same university in 2013. After earning his PhD, he moved on to work at the TEAGASC Agriculture and Food Development Authority (Ireland) as a postdoctoral researcher until early 2016. He is currently a “Juan de la Cierva” postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Genetics at the University of Córdoba (Spain). His research career has focused on the study of enteric diseases in pigs, with a special interest in porcine salmonellosis. His research focuses on the diagnosis and study of the pathogenesis of enteric diseases, the pig’s local and systemic immune response, and the treatment and control of these diseases. He is currently studying the influence of microbiota on enteric processes in pigs, alternatives to antibiotic therapy, and the host’s immune response. He has received several awards for his doctoral thesis and has been a member of the FAO expert committee in charge of preparing an opinion document on the control of Salmonella in pork and beef.

Jaime Gómez Laguna Degree in veterinary medicine from the University of Córdoba in 2004, PhD in veterinary medicineand recipient of a doctoral award from the University of Córdoba in 2009. He has completed predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowships at different prestigious national and international institutions. He currently works at the University of Córdoba, as part as of the AGR-137 research group “Animal Pathology. Pathogenic Mechanisms”. Previously, he worked in the R&D Department of CICAP (Valle de los Pedroches agriculture and food quality and research centre) (2010–2015), and coordinated projects in the Primary Production Unit as the head of the AGR-263 research group “Agri-Food Research”. He teaches in the Department of Comparative Anatomy and Pathology of the University of Córdoba, as well as in different master’s degree programmes of the universities of Córdoba and Murcia on topics related to pig health and immunology. He is a member of the Spanish Society of Veterinary Pathology (SEAPV) and the European Society of Veterinary Pathology (ESVP). His research focuses on the study of immunopathogenesis against viruses of interest for pigs, as well as on the diagnosis and impact of zoonotic pathogens, such as Salmonella and Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. He has participated in numerous national and international research projects, with an emphasis on the pig health and management, which have led him to co-direct five doctoral theses, all on pig health. He is an editor and scientific reviewer for different scientific journals, as well as for international research projects (National Pork Board [USA], Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency [Canada], European Commission H2020, NSC [Poland]).

Rubén Miranda Hevia Degree in veterinary medicine from the University of León in 2012. He is currently completing his doctoral thesis in the field of porcine gut microbiota. He has lectured in the fields of infectious diseases, preventive medicine, and epidemiology. He has given training courses on molecular techniques, written various papers for national and international congresses, and published articles in magazines specialised in pig production. He is a member of the DIGESPORC research group dedicated to the study of infectious enteric diseases in pigs. Within this group, he has actively participated in research on alternatives to the use of antibiotics, mainly probiotics and phytobiotics, evaluating their antimicrobial activity and mechanisms of action.