PLENARY SESSIONS

Avoidance and Subversion of Host Cell Defenses by Intracellular Pathogens

8:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.

Conveners:
WILLIAM JACKSON; Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
JENNIFER PHILIPS; NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY

Invited Speakers:
WILLIAM JACKSON; Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
JENNIFER PHILIPS; NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY
GEOFFREY SMITH; University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK, GlaxoSmithKline International Member of the Year Award
CHRISTIAN MUNZ; University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
KIM ORTH; University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX

Description:
To survive, intracellular pathogens must deal with a stunning variety of host cell defenses. Viruses and bacteria have evolved strategies to manipulate the host cell and avoid or subvert sophisticated defense mechanisms. Many viruses and bacteria usurp the host cell’s vesicle sorting machinery to promote generation and regulate maturation of replication vacuoles. The autophagy pathway, critical for bulk degradation of cellular contents, can destroy cytosolic viruses and bacteria and promote presentation of pathogen-derived peptides on MHC Class II molecules. However, several pathogens subvert and exploit this pathway for intracellular replication. Certain viruses have evolved strategies to block cellular immune signal transduction pathways such as activation of the NF-кB transcription factor. In some cases evolutionarily divergent pathogens have adapted similar strategies to alter the biology of the host cell. This session will illustrate how viruses and bacteria alter host cell membrane traffic as well as signaling pathways that coordinate broader immune responses.

Microbiology in 2022: The Single-cell Point of View

8:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.

Developed by the Junior Advisory Group

Conveners:
TIM MIYASHIRO; University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison,WI
FILIPA GODOY-VITORINO; DOE-Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA

Invited Speakers:
IDO GOLDING; Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
THIERRY EMONET; Yale University, New Haven, CT
VICTORIA ORPHAN; California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA
RAMUNAS STEPANAUSKAS; Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, West Boothbay Harbor, ME
NED S. WINGREEN; Princeton University, Princeton, NJ

Description:
Recent technological advances have revolutionized our ability to examine microbes at their most fundamental unit: the single cell. Striking developments in fluorescence microscopy, microfluidics, next-generation sequencing, and mathematical modeling now let us explore the essential mechanisms driving diversity, activity, and interactions among individual cells within populations and communities. Our newly-founded Junior Advisory Group for the ASM General Meeting has designed its inaugural plenary session to highlight the research of interdisciplinary scientists using these exciting new approaches. Their work explores the marvelous microbial adaptations that allow individual cells to respond to the world they encounter; approaches that will help define the direction of research in microbiology over the next decade.

Sculpting the Bacterial Cell

8:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.

Convener:
WILLIAM MARGOLIN; University of Texas Medical School-Houston, Houston, TX

Invited Speakers:
WILLIAM MARGOLIN; University of Texas-Houston, Houston, TX Division J Lecturer
LUCY SHAPIRO; Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
RUT CARBALLIDO-LOPEZ; Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Jouy-en-Josas, France
KEVIN D. YOUNG; University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR
JOE POGLIANO; University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA

Description:
Bacteria display a strikingly diverse set of morphologies, and the relative simplicity of bacterial cells makes them ideal models for understanding how physics and genes combine to assemble, organize, grow, and divide a cell. Our understanding of how a whole cell is organized is still "taking shape", but recent advances in imaging protein dynamics within live cells and numerous structural and biophysical approaches have spurred significant progress, as have comparisons among different species. This session will explore how cytoskeletal proteins act along with other proteins and mechanical constraints to help a variety of bacterial species organize their cellular contents, grow, and divide while maintaining characteristic morphologies. The speakers in this session are among the leaders in the field of bacterial cell biology, and will share their latest insights. The session should be attractive to a wide general audience.

Who's Doing What in Microbial Communities

8:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.

Convener:
MARY LIDSTROM; University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Invited Speakers:
MARY LIDSTROM; University of Washington, Seattle, WA
JILLIAN BANFIELD; University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
JONATHAN ZEHR; University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, Division Q Lecturer
ANN PEARSON; Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
STEPHEN GIOVANNONI; Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USFCC/J. Roger Porter Award

Description:
Culture-independent molecular biological techniques, such as those based on 16S Rrna sequences or on metagenomics, have revolutionized our ability to answer the question of "Who is There" in microbial communities, and provides some information on the potential for various functions in microbial populations. Activity measurements can provide information on bulk processes occurring in a microbial community. However, these techniques do not tell you which organisms are active and to what their contribution is the build activity. Several novel techniques are being developed to answer the question "Who's Doing What" in microbial communities. the speakers in this session will give examples of the application of these techniques to investigate microbial activity in diverse systems, including measuring physiological activity in single cells, using transcriptomics and proteomics to assess gene expression, and the use of lipids as biomarkers for organisms and activities in past and present communities. These and other techniques are allowing us to answer the crucial question "Who's Doing What" in microbial communities.

SYMPOSIA

Best Practices Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing: An Update from CLSI

8:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

Conveners:
JEAN B. PATEL; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
JANET HINDLER; UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA

Invited Speakers:
SUSAN E. SHARP; Kaiser Permanente- Northwest, Portland, OR, bioMerieux Sonnenwirth Award for Leadership in Clinical Microbiology
JANET HINDLER; University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
JEAN B. PATEL; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA

Description:
CLSI guidance for antimicrobial susceptibility testing is updated each year. Recent and upcoming changes in practice guidelines will be reviewed in this session. In each case, data and rationale supporting the new recommendation will be reviewed. In addition, the speakers will provide specific and practical guidance for implementing new laboratory practices. The presentations will be followed by a question and answer period on current and new antimicrobial susceptibility testing recommendations.

Diagnostic Challenges in Gastroenteritis: Emerging Methodologies Meet Emerging Pathogens

8:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.

Convener:
RANDALL T. HAYDEN; St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN

Invited Speakers:
ERIC HOUPT; University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
AMIT KAPOOR; College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, NY
J. MICHAEL JANDA; Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA
PABLO C. OKHUYSEN; The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, TX
RANDALL T. HAYDEN; St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN

Description:
Feces from patients with diarrhea are among the most frustrating speciments received in the diagnostic laboratory. Their handling requires extensive time and resources yet positive results are the exception, not the rule. There is accummulating literature describing new agents of bacterial, parasitic, and viral gastroenteritis. New insights into the epidemiology of diarrheal agents and host factors are also being developed. It is important for Medical Microbiologists to be aware of such advances in order to field questions and requests from clinicians, better serve patients, and make informed decisions about tests and services to be added to the laboratory test menu.

Diagnostic Molecular Parasitology: Revising the Gold Standard?

8:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

Convener:
DYLAN R. PILLAI; University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Invited Speakers:
PETER WEINA; Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD
DYLAN R. PILLAI; University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
THOMAS NUTMAN; National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD
JORGE GOMEZ-MARIN; Universidad del Quindio, Armenia, Colombia
ROUBING WANG; Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, Seattle, WA

Description:
Molecular diagnostics of parasites presents unique challenges and opportunities to revise age-old microscopy-based testing. While viruses and bacteria have forged ahead with sophisticated multiplex assays, this session examines how molecular diagnostics will impact the clinical management and epidemiology of parasitic infections. The symposium attempts to catalog the developing technology of molecular diagnostics as it applies to the field of parasitology. We are only now beginning to implement molecular tools for the detection of parasites. Moving from traditional microscopy or culture to PCR will undoubtedly change our understanding of the epidemiology of tropical diseases. The speakers will update the audience on developments in the validation of molecular testing for such disease entities as malaria, toxoplasmosis, stool protozoa, leishmania and helminths. Specific attention will be given to issues of sample preparation, performance characteristics, quality assurance, and cost in the clinical setting. Research studies which seek to identify new molecular targets for diagnosis will also be presented. Methods such as PCR but also point of care testing (POCT) will be addressed. The symposium will be useful for both diagnosticians, clinicians in practice, as well as study investigators relying on laboratory testing for parasites.

Management of Invasive Fungal Infections in High Risk Groups: Interface Between Clinical Microbiology and
Direct Patient Care

8:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

Conveners:
JOHN R. PERFECT; Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
THOMAS J. WALSH; Weill Cornell Medical Center of Cornell University, New York, NY

Invited Speakers:
LUIS OSTROSKY-ZEICHNER; University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, TX
THOMAS J. WALSH; Weill Cornell Medical Center of Cornell University, New York, NY
EMMANUEL ROILIDES; Aristotle University School of Medicine, Hippokration Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece
JOANNE SCHAENMAN; David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
JOHN R. PERFECT; Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC

Description:
This symposium uses several high risk, unique groups for infectious diseases to characterize issues of management. In these very high risk groups, the focus for this symposium will be on invasive fungal infections. Through the challenges of these life-threatening common pathogens, the latest principles in epidemiology,diagnostics, prevention and treatment that are applicable to all of the infectious diseases and are so critically important to the outcome of our sickest patients will be described.
This symposium will focus on the management of our most fragile patients.  A combination of evidence-based studies with insights by experts who deal with the issues daily will be provided. This approach will have general relevance to the principles of all of infectious diseases in these unique, severely immunosuppressed populations. Topics: Risks Factors and Diagnostic Markers for Candidiasis in Medical-Surgical ICU Patients; Invasive Mycoses in Patients with Hematological Malignancies and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; Invasive Candidiasis in Neonatal Intensive Care Units; Invasive Fungal Infections in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients; IRIS and Invasive Mycoses in HIV-Infected Patients.

New Insights in Global Surveillance of Current and Emerging Infectious Diseases

8:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.

Conveners:
BERNARD BUCHER; Fort-de-France University Medical Center, Fort-de-France, Martinique, FWI
DESHRATN ASTHANA; University of Miami, Miami, FL

Invited Speakers:

LONE SIMONSEN; The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, Washington, DC
JOHN N. NKENGASONG; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
RICHARD KNOCK; School of Law and Economics, University of the Antilles and Guyane, Martinique, FWI
ROY ANDERSON; Imperial College, University of London, London, United Kingdom, Division Y Lecturer
PAUL RICKETTS; Ministry of Health, Roseau, Commonwealth of Dominica

Description:
Emerging diseases have almost quadrupled over the last fifty years. New vectors of infections continue to appear all over the world; however, recent studies show that there are certain geographical areas best suitable for the emergence of new microbes. Analysis of the social, geographical, climatic and ecological context in which these diseases suddenly emerge have unveiled two main conducive environments:

• Tropical developing countries, where population pressure puts humans in contact with a very diverse wildlife.
• Developed countries (where the widespread use of antibiotics has encouraged the emergence of resistant bacterial strains – e.g., vancomycin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) and certain developing countries of the southern hemisphere (where malaria has become resistant to chloroquine). It is now estimated that about 20% of emerging diseases are caused by resistance to treatment.

In this context, surveillance and the modern technology utilized to this endeavor are key issues today. This session is about new developments in epidemic intelligence applied to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases in the international setting. It will also focus on the monitoring, early warning and attempted forecasting of infectious diseases worldwide. Special attention will be given to several avenues that aim at providing a basis for effective interventions through Decision Support Systems (DSS).

These include;

• Real-time clinical and laboratory data collection systems.
• The use of information communication technology (ICT) and its mobile phone applications for data collection and analysis.
• Selected disciplines like Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD), including data mining;
• Mathematical modeling techniques.
• Global health networks of networks.

The session will draw upon field examples, such as the development of intelligent surveillance systems in North America, Europe and the Caribbean to monitor emerging infectious diseases (eg., vector-borne diseases/dengue fever, emerging pathogens...) and will hence be of use to both the United States and global microbiology and public health communities.

Special Interest Session

Striking the Balance in Fresh Produce: Food Safety, Animal Control, Water Sourcing and Environmental Impact - Research Issues in Microbiology

11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Developed by the Committee on Agricultural and Food Microbiology, Public and Scientific Affairs Board

Conveners:
MICHAEL DOYLE; University of Georgia, Athens, GA
JACQUELINE FLETCHER; Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK

Invited Speakers:
JACQUELINE FLETCHER; Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK
DAVID WILLIAM KENNEDY ACHESON; Leavitt Partners, St. Lake City, UT
ROBERT MANDRELL; USDA, ARS, PWA, WRRC-PSM, Albany, CA

Description:
This session, sponsored by the PSAB Committee on Agricultural and Food Microbiology, will discuss complex issues that focus on fresh produce but that often arise during microbial research dealing with the need to balance multiple interests related to food safety, water sourcing, animal control and environmental impact. Parallels can be drawn across the research spectrum and this session will be of broad interest to ASM members and general meeting attendees.

Special Interest Session

Careers for Microbiologists

11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Developed by the Career Development Committee/Membership Board

Conveners:
JOANNA B. GOLDBERG; University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

Invited Speakers:
PRESTON GARCIA; Castleton State College, Castleton, VT
ELEANOR M. JENNINGS; URS Corporation, Gaithersburg, MD
SONIA K. GUTERMAN; Lawson and Weitzen, LLP, Boston, MA

Description:
This session will provide specific examples of accomplished microbiologists, who have followed disparate paths and found success in diverse careers. In addition to formal presentations by these speakers, time will be devoted to meeting and personally interacting with them. The goal is to provide information on some of the typical and less typical career opportunities in microbiology.

Special Interest Session

The Culture of Rice: From Farm to Fermentation

11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Developed by the Center for the History of Microbiology/ASM Archives

Convener:
KAREN-BETH G. SCHOLTHOF; Texas A&M University, College Station, TX

Invited Speakers:
KAREN-BETH G. SCHOLTHOF; Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
JOAN W. BENNETT; Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
IZUMI MOTAI; Takara Sake, Berkeley, CA
FRANCIS X. CUNNINGHAM, JR; University of Maryland, College Park, MD
PAMELA C. RONALD; University of California-Davis, Davis, CA

Description:
This symposium, sponsored by the Center for the History of Microbiology/ASM Archives, will focus on the history of microbiology using rice as the "driver" and will cover global issues in agriculture, nutrition, microbiology and fermentation. Using the Pacific-Rim as a starting point, the symposium will elaborate on the expansive use and culture of rice, the primary source of calories and nutrition for almost half the world population. The historical and cultural significance of rice and its uses, from basic food to fermented products including sake, will be examined. The importance of rice in understanding host innate immunity, nutritionally beneficial genetic engineering, and the development and use of fermented foodstuffs and pharmaceuticals will be discussed. This symposium will provide a broadly ranging discourse that should be of interest to ASM members associated with education, outreach or research in the areas of food microbiology, biotechnology, host-pathogen interactions, fermentation, and the history of microbiology.

Special Interest Session

New Title
Microbiome: Racial and Ethnic Differences

11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Developed by the Committee on Microbiological Issues Impacting Minorities

Conveners:
MARIAN JOHNSON-THOMPSON
FLOYD L. WORMLEY, JR.; The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX

Invited Speakers:
LARRY J. FORNEY; University of Idaho, Moscow, ID
J. DENNIS FORTENBERRY; Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, IN
COURTNEY J. ROBINSON, Ph. D, Howard University, Washington DC 
LIGIA PERALTA; University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
CECIL LEWIS; University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK

Description:
The human microbiota has a significant influence upon human physiology, immune responses, and nutrition. Consequently, multiple efforts, including the Human Microbiome Project (HMP) sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, are underway to develop resources that enable the characterization of the human microbiota and analysis of its role in human health and disease. A goal of this initiative is to understand whether changes in the human microbiome can be linked to changes in human health. Recent studies that identified inherent differences in microbial communities between individuals of different racial and ethnic groups support the need for considering differences within the microbiota between individuals when performing risk assessments and disease diagnosis. This session will examine the importance and benefits of ensuring broad racial and ethnic diversity among study participants as well as the ethical, legal and social implications (ELSI) of these studies.

Special Interest Session

In the Year 2525: Survival Strategies and Clinical Microbiology's Leadership Role in Tomorrow's Healthcare Teams

11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Developed by the Public and Scientific Affairs Board

Conveners:
DONNA WOLK; University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
VICKIE BASELSKI; University of Tennessee, Memphis, TN

Invited Speakers:
VICKIE BASELSKI; University of Tennessee, Memphis, TN
KIMBERLE C. CHAPIN-ROBERTSON; University/Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI
ELIZABETH M. MARLOWE; Southern California Permanente Medical Group, North Hollywood, California
AMY LEBER; Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH
DONNA WOLK; University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

Description:
Effective processes for laboratory growth, new test implementation, evidence-based practices, and workforce development, are often misunderstood by the healthcare community and their collaborators. As biosciences and medical diagnostics become increasingly important to the larger scientific community, the life sciences industry, government funding sources, legislators, and policy makers, it is critical for all microbiologists to understand the principles of laboratory medicine and the impact of clinical microbiologists on a modern healthcare systems. This session will highlight the professional value of clinical microbiology practices that support patient care and prudent use of healthcare resources.

Controversies in Transplantation Microbiology

3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Conveners:
MOON NAHM; University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL

Invited Speakers:
MATTHEW KUEHNERT; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
MELISSA GREENWALD; Food and Drug Administration, Division of Human Tissues, Rockville, MD
SCOTT A. BRUBAKER; American Association of Tissue Banks, McLean, VA
GEOFFREY A. LAND; Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX
MOON NAHM; University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL

Description:
Recent reports of the transmission of serious infection with organ transplantation have raised awareness and concern about the risk for and management of complications associated with these procedures. Simultaneously, clinicians and laboratory directors have been challenged to navigate a host of regulations and expectations regarding testing and quality assurance. These controversial issues come at a time when new advances in the understanding of transplant host immunology and our capacity to more closely predict and manage the risk of rejection offers the promise of expanding access to these potentially life-saving procedures. This session will introduce seasoned and even less-experienced clinical laboratory leaders to timely and controversial issues in the management of tissue and organ transplantation. Speakers drawn from clinic and research labs, as well as the CDC, FDA and tissue banks will share a broad range of perspectives on this important and complicated subject.

Divide and Conquer! The Evolution of Diverse Microbial Division Mechanisms

3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Conveners:
ESTHER ANGERT; Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Invited Speakers:
JOHN FUERST; University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
ESTHER ANGERT; Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Description:
Cell propagation is a fundamental process for all cellular life. While FtsZ-mediated binary fission dominates bacterial and euryarchaeotal division modes, alternative mechanisms have evolved in several major microbial lineages. This session with explore recent advances in the field of microbial cell division. It will feature model systems that either do not use binary fission or do not divide using FtsZ. By featuring these diverse systems, we will explore factors that influence the evolution of cell propagation mechanisms.

Getting Down to the Nuts and Bolts of Pathogenesis

3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Conveners:
KARLA SATCHELL; Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
MATTHIAS MACHNER; National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD

Invited Speakers:
MATTHIAS MACHNER; National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
KARLA SATCHELL; Northwestern University, Chicago,IL
GUILLAUME DUMÉNIL; INSERM, Paris, France

Description:
Bacterial pathogenesis is essentially the sum of numerous distinct biochemical and cell biological interactions which eventually result in alteration of the environment that is beneficial for either the host or the bacterium. This session will consider how specific biochemical changes to bacterial structures, bacteria-mediated alterations to host proteins, and interactions between bacterial and host proteins can enhance or antagonize pathogenesis. The speakers will discuss the structural mechanisms of action of the virulence factors and how this detailed biochemical knowledge enhances our understanding of overall pathogenesis. Speakers will emphasize alterations to specific bacterial or host proteins and how these detailed changes integrate into the broader scope of the infectious process.

The Great Indoors: Recent Advances in the Ecology of Built Environments

3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Convener:
BRENDAN BOHANNAN; University of Oregon, Eugene, OR

Invited Speakers:
BRENDAN BOHANNAN; University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
MARK HERNANDEZ; University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
JORDAN PECCIA; Yale University, New Haven, CT

Description:
Although humans in industrialized countries spend nearly 90% of their time in enclosed buildings, we know very little about the biology of the indoor environment. However, this is starting to change. Over the past few years, the field of indoor ecology has grown dramatically. Ecologists are beginning to apply ecological theory and concepts to understanding buildings as ecosystems. A new understanding of the biodiversity of built environments is emerging, as well as a new appreciation of the importance of interactions between humans and non-human life indoors. The proposed symposium will showcase this emerging understanding. We will feature presentations that demonstrate the utility of ecological theory for understanding built environments, that describe the dynamics of biodiversity indoors and that illustrate the interactions of humans with indoor ecology. Our focus will be on the ecology of the dominant forms of non-human life indoors - microorganisms - and their interactions with humans.

Special Interest Session

The Highway to Success for Women in Microbiology: Avoiding the Potholes and Roadblocks

3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Developed by the Committee on the Status of Women in Microbiology

Conveners:
LORRAINE A. FINDLAY; Nassau Community College, Garden City, NY
HAZEL BARTON; The University of Akron, Akron, OH

Invited Speakers:
JOAN HERBERS; President, Association for Women in Science, Alexandria, VA
JOAN STEITZ; Yale University, New Haven, CT
ERICKA GRAY; DisputEd, Boston, MA
SHIRLEY M. MALCOM; American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, DC

Description:
This session, sponsored by the Committee on the Status of Women in Microbiology, will provide strategies to assist women to remain and advance in careers in microbiology. Women in large numbers still continue to leave careers in microbiology and the sciences in general, and women continue to encounter glass ceilings and be under-rewarded in professional environments. Topics will include: When and why women are lost from science careers; How to balance the building of a career while raising a family - what are the inherent problems and what is the best timing; How to prepare for promotion and advancement; How to negotiate for a salary - women can have different negotiation styles; How to resolve gender discrimination and harassment issues; How to gain assertiveness, assure proper acknowledgement, and resolve conflicts. All members of ASM can gain useful information from this session.

Ion Homeostasis in Bacteria

3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Conveners:
IAN R. BOOTH; University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
SAMANTHA MILLER; University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom

Invited Speakers:
IAN R. BOOTH; University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
MING ZHOU; Columbia University, New York, NY
JAMES NAISMITH; University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, United Kingdom

Description:
The growth and survival of bacteria is conditional on the regulated flux of major cations and anions. We are familiar with the regulatory circuits that determine the intracellular levels of potentially toxic metals, such as zinc and copper ions, but we are often neglectful in developing our understanding of the most basic ions, potassium, sodium, protons and chloride. In this session we will present three major aspects of ionic regulatory mechanisms, including uptake and efflux of ions, but we will also place this understanding of mechanism in the wider context of cell physiology. We hope to have additional short presentations regarding novel phenomena, opportunities for therapeutic interventions that act via transport mechanisms, and other wider aspects of ion homeostasis. Opportunities will be created to ask questions regarding the basic properties of the cell in respect to ion homeostasis. By the end of the session we expect that participants will have a deeper understanding of ion transport, a seemingly abstruse but fundamental topic to cell physiology.

Mechano-Microbiology: How Bacteria Sense and Respond to Physical Forces

3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Convener:
ZEMER GITAI; Princeton University, Princeton, NJ

Invited Speakers:
DOUGLAS WEIBEL; University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
WENDY THOMAS; University of Washington, Seattle, WA
DANIEL BOND; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

Description:
While bacteria have long been known to sense and respond to chemical signals from their environments, recent work indicates that they can also sense and respond to physical signals. Such signals include physical confinement, shear stresses, association with solid surfaces, and even electrical stimuli. In addition to exploring how different types of physical forces affect bacteria, we will also consider the vast range of size scales affected by physical stimuli, including intracellular organization, cell-cell associations, and community-wide organization in biofilms. Finally, we may touch on how bacteria can not only sense their existing physical environment, but can also actively manipulate that same environment. The area of mechano-microbiology is highly inter-disciplinary and in this session we hope to bring together microbiologists, biophysicists, cell biologists, and engineers to discuss this exciting emerging field.

Microbial Colonization and the Host: Do the Colonists Reshape the Landscape?

3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Convener:
LAURA J. KNOLL; University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI

Invited Speakers:
LAURA J. KNOLL; University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
JO HANDELSMAN; Yale University, New Haven, CT
THOMAS B. NUTMAN; National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD

Description:
This session will examine the diverse mechanism whereby microbial colonization benefits the host. Colonization has traditionally been defined as a microbial community that does not affect the host. Emerging evidence now shows that microbial communities play several different beneficial roles including resisting infection from pathogenic microbes and modulating the immune response. Presentations will focus on the co-evolution of microbes with each other and the host. We will also examine the consequences to the host when colonizing microbes removed. Data from bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasite infections in their respective insect, mouse and human hosts will be presented. Examples will include how microbes that are usually considered pathogens can play protective roles against subsequent lethal challenges or during inflammatory diseases. This session will challenge canonical thinking about chronic infections and host/microbe interactions.

New Data Shed New Light on Old Questions

3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Convener:
LAURA L. MAYS HOOPES; Pomona College, Claremont, CA

Invited Speakers:
JAMES L. VAN ETTEN; University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE
LILLIAM CASILLAS-MARTINEZ; University of Puerto Rico, Humacao, Puerto Rico, Division W Lecturer and Carski Foundation Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award
LAURA L. MAYS HOOPES; Pomona College, Claremont, CA

Description:
The symposium will introduce many of the new paradigms in microbiology, presenting new findings in a way that is digestible and applicable to teaching. Our featured topics will be how the discovery of mimiviruses challenges viral evolutionary theories and changes the definition of “life,” how microbial ecology is transformed by new studies of “superorganisms” and metagenomes and geological aggregates of microbes as opposed to individuals, and how understanding epigenetics and other non-DNA based regulatory systems, which can be poorly understood by educators, interconnect many regulatory systems.

New Insights into Fungal Pathogenesis

3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Conveners:
KIRSTEN NIELSEN; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
ROBERT CRAMER; Montana State University, Bozeman, MT

Invited Speakers:
KIRSTEN NIELSEN; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
ROBERT CRAMER; Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
JIM KRONSTAD; The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Division F Lecturer

Description:
The incidence of life threatening fungal infections continues to increase due to expansion of immunocompromised patient populations. In this session, we will explore recent developments in our understanding of how these human pathogenic fungi are able to cause disease and how this increased understanding may be utilized therapeutically to improve patient outcomes. Recent research developments that will be discussed during this session include mechanisms of fungal adaptation to host microenvironments that allow robust in vivo fungal growth, host induced changes in fungal morphology that alter host fungal recognition and effector cell mediated killing, and fungal mediated host evasion strategies that encompass both microenvironmental and immune induced mechanisms. Taken together, these seminars will present an excellent overview of our current understanding of fungal pathogenesis mechanisms that is applicable to a broad spectrum of fungal-host interactions and provide a foundation for discussion on how these mechanisms can be used to develop new therapeutic options for these often lethal infections.

QUIZ BUSTERS: So You THINK You Know Microbiology! An Interactive Quiz

3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Conveners:
ROBERTA B. CAREY; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
PETER GILLIGAN; University of North Carolina Hospitals, Chapel Hill, NC

Invited Speaker:
L. BARTH RELLER; Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, TREK Diagnostic ABMM/ABMLI Professional Recognition Award

Quiz Busters Teams:

TEAM NYCASM - New York City Branch ASM
SUSAN WHITTIER; New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
KAREN ALLEVA-CELIC; New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, NY
KATHY FAUNTLEROY; New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, NY

TEAM ISM - Illinois Branch ASM
WILLIAM JANDA; University of Illinois-Chicago, Chicago, IL
VIOLETA REKASIUS; Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL
BRIDGET BLUMER; ACL-Illinois, Rosemont, IL

TEAM NCASM – Northern California Branch ASM
NIAZ BANAEI; Stanford University Medical Center, Palo Alto, CA
NANCY WATZ; Stanford University Medical Center, Palo Alto, CA
INDRE BUDVYTIENE; Valleycare Health System, San Francisco Bay Area, CA

TEAM SCASM – Southern California Branch ASM
CHARLOTTE EGAN; Orange County Public Health Laboratory, Santa Ana, CA
MARIE PEZZLO; University of California Irvine Medical Center, Irvine, CA
MARGIE MORGAN; Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA

Description:
This is the ultimate test of knowledge in the clinical microbiology laboratory. Which experts are truly experts and where should questions be sent? Upon completion of this exciting Quiz Busters Session, the participants should be able to: identify those conventional and unconventional methods of identifying microorganisms from clinical specimens worth maintaining. From the question and answer format, they should be able to determine those new procedures that clinical microbiology laboratories should consider utilizing to identify organisms more rapidly and more accurately. Finally, through the use of a case presentation format, the audience will be able to discern those tests that may need to be incorporated to identify newly discovered types of antimicrobial resistance.

Recent Advances in RNA Polymerase Structure/Function and Transcriptional Regulation

3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Convener:
ROBERT LANDICK; University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI

Invited Speakers:
ROBERT LANDICK; University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
WILMA ROSS; University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
SETH DARST; Rockefeller University, New York, NY

Description:
The past several years have witnessed continued advances in our understanding of RNA polymerase structure and how changes in structure are coupled to regulatory decisions. These include insights into conformational changes that underpin regulation of both the initiation of transcription and the elongation of RNA transcripts. It is now possible to connect these structural insights to regulatory mechanisms in ways that not only define the details of the particular system under study, but also generate principles that can be applied to other regulatory systems by inference. This session will provide attendees up-to-date knowledge of these recent advances that can be applied to countless problems in microbiology.

Sound Bites to Superbugs: How to Communicate Risk to the Public and Physicians

3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m..

Convener:
TARA C. SMITH; University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

Invited Speakers:
ROBYN WILSON; The Ohio State University; Columbus, OH
JOSH ROSENAU; National Center for Science Education, Oakland CA
JAMES HUGHES; Emory University, Atlanta, GA
TARA C. SMITH; University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

Description:
Science denial is prominent in many areas of expertise. When individuals deny health and medical information, consequences can be serious. Anti-vaccination sentiment has increased and led to outbreaks of preventable disease. In this session, attendees will learn how to communicate risk effectively to the general public; to understand why individuals do not accept scientific evidence; and to work with physicians to facilitate increased understanding.

Symbiosis as a Driver of Ecology and Evolution

3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Conveners:
EDWARD G. RUBY; University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
NICOLE DUBILIER; Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany

Invited Speakers:
CAMERON CURRIE; University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, Division R Lecturer
UTE HENTSCHEL HUMEIDA; University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
ANGELA MARIA MARCOBAL BARRANCO; Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Description:
Biology is experiencing a revolution in its vision of how animals and plants live in the world. We now know such organisms do not exist as individuals, but function together with consortia of microorganisms, many of which define where and how the organism lives. These mutualistic associations can be ancient, and the co-evolution of an animal host with one or more specific symbionts will often affect the present-day behavior, morphology and metabolism of both partners. As a result, the host species can now live in a new environment, on novel nutrients, and the symbiont will have adapted to the specific ecology of its host. This session will explore the evolutionary and ecological consequences of symbiosis in both invertebrate and vertebrate hosts, as well as the adaptations that have occurred in their specific microbial partners that increase the symbiont's evolutionary trajectory and ecological competitiveness. Thus, studies of the microbiota of marine sponges, social insects and humans are joining to reveal the principles underlying the development and function of symbioses in general.

What's for Dinner? Connecting Bacterial Metabolism with Host Interaction

3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Convener:
ANDREAS BAUMLER; University of California at Davis School of Medicine, Davis, CA

Invited Speakers:
VICTOR J. DIRITA; University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, Division B Lecturer
SEBASTIAN E. WINTER; University of California at Davis School of Medicine, Davis, CA
NICOLE KOROPATKIN; University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI

Description:
Microbial metabolism in the host underlies both beneficial and pathogenic interactions. The host response can dramatically alter growth conditions, which impacts pathogens but also alters the microbial community structure in some niches, such as the intestinal tract. This session will focus on emerging mechanistic studies elucidating how metabolism impacts colonization of specific niches in the host.

When Good Bugs Go Bad: Microbiome Dynamics and Disease

3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Conveners:
FOREST ROHWER; San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
LITA M. PROCTOR; National Human Genome Research Inst/NIH, Bethesda, MD

Invited Speakers:
FOREST ROHWER; San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
THOMAS C. G. BOSCH; Christian-Albrechts-University-Kiel, Kiel, Germany
KAREN GUILLEMIN; University of Oregon, Eugene, OR

Description:
The human microbiome consists of thousands of viral and microbial species which inhabit the human body and have co-evolved with us to protect against pathogens, regulate organ development and supply nutrients and essential co-factors for health. The members of the microbiome, which include viruses, phage, bacteria, archaea and eukaryotic microbes, interact to maintain this ecosystem but sometimes microbiomes can go awry and imbalances in microbiome function can lead to disease. This symposium will explore the various roles that the microbiome and its specific members play in the initiation and persistence of diseases. Emergent properties of the microbiome ecosystem will be compared and contrasted across various diseases. This session will also address the roles of the microbiome in disease as an evolutionary continuum from mutualism to pathogenesis

Zoonoses in Companion and Farm Animals

3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Convener:
ANDREAS SING; Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority; German National Conciliary Laboratory for Diphtheria, Bavaria, Germany

Invited Speakers:
BRUNO B. CHOMEL; University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Davis, CA
LOTHAR H. WIELER; Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
SALLY J. CUTLER; University of East London, London, United Kingdom
ELLIE J.C. GOLDSTEIN; UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA
ANDREAS SING; German National Conciliary Laboratory for Diphtheria, Oberschleissheim, Bavaria, Germany

Description:
Most emerging infectious diseases of the last few decades are caused by zoonotic pathogens. The session will enhance the knowledge on a variety of relevant zoonotic pathogens - viruses, bacteria and parasites - of both companion and farm animals to be encountered in the daily life of a medical microbiologist, medical practitioner or veterinarian. Relevant issues of zoonotic diseases will be presented from different aspects and levels: medical and veterinarian, laboratory and clinical, public health and medical care, local to global, "old" and "emerging" diseases.