My main research lines are:

• Functional genomics of Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Derby as relevant food pathogens. Foodborne diseases are one of the public health problems that occur most frequently in the population. Salmonellosis is a foodborne disease of worldwide distribution. Salmonella, in particular the S. enterica species, is an important food pathogen generating great problems in public health. The serotype of S. enterica associated with foodborne diseases most commonly isolated worldwide is S. enterica serovar Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis). During 1995-2001, Uruguay faced an epidemic of salmonellosis caused mainly by S. Enteritidis. Strikingly, S. Derby was isolated in food, but not in human infections. Frequently, S. Derby is also isolated as pathogen of salmonellosis. However, the current epidemiological situation of salmonellosis remains alarming due to several outbreaks nationwide. Due to the current local and regional epidemiological situation, it is urgent to know in depth the molecular mechanisms that contribute to the success of S. Enteritidis and S. Derby as a pathogen of foodborne disease. In 2019, we started a scientific project as part of my postdoctoral project in Montevideo (Uruguay). I perform functional genomic studies of S. Derby and S. Enteritidis isolates from human infection and egg sources.

• Prediction of mobile genetic elements by machine learning algorithms. The idea that many prokaryotic genomes are mosaic, composed of a “central genome backbone” of essential and house-keeping genes (the core genome) interspersed with DNA segments constituting the “mobilome” (a variety of accessory genes that form part of the pan genome), is now common currency. The mobilome embraces several types of genetic unit which, as their collective name indicates, can move from place to place in a particular genome or from cell to cell. These mobile genetic elements (MGE) can be divided into two major groups: those, such as plasmids and bacteriophages, that are transmissible from cell to cell (the intercellular MGE), and those that cannot themselves undergo transfer but which are transferred following integration into members of the first group (the intracellular MGE). Intracellular MGE or transposable elements (TE) include transposons (Tn) and insertion sequences (IS) but can embrace integrons (In) and introns. Currently, we are developing bioinformatics software to predict the presence of ISs by machine learning methods. We are creating a well-done dataset of IS from the ISFinder database and enrichment with the GenBank database. This dataset will be allowed to train the algorithm to predict the presence and classify of IS in a different genome. The project is part of the Master of Data Mining (University of Buenos Aires, Argentina) thesis of the student Miguel Angel Barros that I the mentor.

• Molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance mechanism on Gram-negative pathogens. Gram-negative bacteria cause infections including pneumonia, bloodstream infections, wound or surgical site infections, and meningitis in healthcare settings. Gram-negative bacteria are resistant to multiple drugs and are increasingly resistant to most available antibiotics. These bacteria have built-in abilities to find new ways to be resistant and can pass along genetic materials that allow other bacteria to become drug-resistant as well. I study the genomic evolution and epidemiology of different gram-negative pathogen. Also, I study the antimicrobial resistance and virulence mechanism of gram-negative pathogen using genomic and bioinformatic approaches.

• Evolutionary dynamic of Burkholderia contaminans during the chronic infection in cystic fibrosis patient. Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) is a group of more than 20 closely related bacterial species19. Bcc infection is associated with an accelerated decrease in lung function and body mass index, as well as an increased risk of mortality with respect to other pathogens associated with patients with CF. This fatal decrease when the patient is infected with Bcc is known as “cepacia syndrome” and has not been observed with any other pathogen associated with CF. The key determinants associated with this syndrome remain unknown; Bcc isolates can be recovered from patients with or without cepacia syndrome, suggesting that both bacterial and host factors play an important role in determining the clinical prognosis. Patients with CF who have chronic Bcc infection have a higher risk of mortality and a lower chance of eradicating said pathogen, and consequently have a lower chance of being included in lung transplantation programs. I study the evolutionary dynamic of B. contaminans during the chronic infection in cystic fibrosis patient.

Selected publications

• Traglia GM, Place K, Dotto C, Fernandez JS, Montaña S, Bahiense CDS, Soler-Bistue A, Iriarte A, Perez F, Tolmasky ME, Bonomo RA, Melano RG, Ramírez MS. INTERSPECIES DNA ACQUISITION BY A NATURALLY COMPETENT Acinetobacter baumannii STRAIN. Int J Antimicrob Agents. 2019 Apr;53(4):483-490. doi: 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2018.12.013. Epub 2019 Jan 3.

• Traglia G, Chiem K, Quinn B, Fernandez JS, Montaña S, Almuzara M, Mussi MA, Tolmasky ME, Iriarte A, Centrón D, Ramírez MS. GENOME SEQUENCE ANALYSIS OF AN EXTENSIVELY DRUG-RESISTANT Acinetobacter baumannii INDIGO-PIGMENTED STRAIN DEPICTS EVIDENCE OF INCREASE GENOME PLASTICITY. Sci Rep. 2018 Nov 16;8(1):16961. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-35377-5.

• Traglia GM, Quinn B, Schramm ST, Soler-Bistue A, Ramirez MS. SERUM ALBUMIN AND CA2+ ARE NATURAL COMPETENCE INDUCERS IN THE HUMAN PATHOGEN Acinetobacter baumannii. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2016 Jul 22;60(8):4920-9. doi: 10.1128/AAC.00529-16. Print 2016 Aug.

• Quinn B, Rodman N, Jara E, Fernandez JS, Martinez J, Traglia GM, Montaña S, Cantera V, Place K, Bonomo R, Iriarte A, Ramirez MS. HUMAN SERUM ALBUMIN ALTERS SPECIFIC GENES THAT CAN PLAY A ROLE IN SURVIVAL AND PERSISTENCE IN Acinetobacter baumannii. Scientific Reports. 2018 sept. doi:

• Adams MD, Pasteran F, Traglia GM, Martinez J, Huang F, Liu C, Fernandez JS, Lopez C, Gonzalez LJ, Albornoz E, Corso A, Vila AJ, Bonomo RA, Ramirez MS. DISTINCT MECHANISMS OF DISSEMINATION OF NDM-1 METALLO-Β-LACTAMASE IN Acinetobacter SPECIES IN ARGENTINA. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2020 Apr 21;64(5):e00324-20. doi: 10.1128/AAC.00324-20.

• Ramirez MS, Traglia GM, Lin DL, Tran T, Tolmasky ME. PLASMID-MEDIATED ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE AND VIRULENCE IN GRAM-NEGATIVES: THE Klebsiella pneumoniae PARADIGM. Microbiol Spectr. 2014;2(5):1-15. doi: