(formerly the Medical Microbiology Track)
This program, designed specifically by and for clinical and diagnostic microbiologists, was created to meet the needs of the clinical microbiology community. The specialized sessions within the track include Best Practices Sessions (formerly Core Curriculum) and Symposia. There are 26 specialized sessions that will occur alongside the other asm2012 sessions, so that you may join in whenever you choose.
NEW THIS YEAR! asm2012 will only offer P.A.C.E.® (Professional Acknowledgment for Continuing Education) credits in which a disclosure is not required nor will be collected. P.A.C.E.® accreditation is supported through the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science. ASM is offering 26 scientific sessions and 18 workshops that are P.A.C.E.® accredited at asm2012. P.A.C.E.® credits are earned by attending the session, logging onto the ASM’s CE portal after the meeting, completing a session survey and listing the time spent in the session or workshop and printing a P.A.C.E.® Continuing Education Certificate.
California Clinical Laboratory Scientists (CLS)
ASM is accredited by the California Department of Health Services to offer continuing education for California Clinical Laboratory Scientists. All sessions designated for P.A.C.E.® CE credit also quality for California CE credit toward CLS license renewal.
Florida Clinical Laboratory Personnel
ASM is accredited by the Florida Department of Health to offer continuing education for Florida Clinical Laboratory Personnel. All sessions designated for P.A.C.E.® CE credit also quality for Florida CE credit toward license renewal.
To claim credit for either California or Florida, you follow the same process as stated above in the P.A.C.E.® description.
Sunday, June 17
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; California Department of Public Health, Richmond, 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.
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.
Controversies in Transplantation Microbiology
3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Convener:
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.
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 Recipient
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.
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.
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.
Monday, June 18
Best Practices in STI Testing for HIV, Syphilis, GC and Chlamydia
8:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Conveners:
MUHAMMAD MORSHED; University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada
MICHAEL PENTELLA; State Hygienic Laboratory, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
Invited Speakers:
KAREN HOOVER; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
BARBARA VAN DER POL; Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
MARK PANDORI; San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco, CA
MICHELE OWEN; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
HARALD KESSLER; Medical University of Graz, Steria, Austria
Description:
Sexually transmitted infection is one of the key areas in the infectious disease arena. This session will provide current knowledge on best practices for HIV, Syphilis, Gonorrhea (GC) and Chlamydia tracomatis (CT) testing. The proposed session will address global controversies in the selection of syphilis screening algorithm, key questions and more refined guidelines in the context of recent CDC guidelines. The audience will also be able to get current updates on CT/GC diagnosis and their treatment efficacy along with growing resistance problems. The latest rapid HIV test methodologies and need to have quality systems in place will be discussed along with challenges of HIV I and HIV II viral load quantification in the context of growing non-B HIV subtypes in patient mix. In addition, this session will address new classes of antiretroviral drugs which are requiring an extension of genotyping menu - what technological advances are in the horizon for diagnosis and patient management.
Diagnostic and Therapeutic Implications of Novel Mechanisms of Resistance
8:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Convener:
UPINDER SINGH; Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Invited Speakers:
THEODORE C. WHITE; University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO
ROBERT SHAFER; Stanford University, Stanford, CA
PRADIPSINH RATHOD; University of Washington, Seattle, WA
STANLEY DERESINSKI; Stanford University, Stanford, CA
PATRICE COURVALIN; Institut Pasteur, Paris, France, Division C Lecturer and BD Award for Research in Clinical Microbiology
Description:
With a kick-off introduction on the world-wide scourge of bacterial resistance and dissemination from one of the world’s foremost authorities on the subject, Dr. Patrice Courvalin, winner of this year’s Becton-Dickinson award, the session will focus on some of the current major issues regarding microbial resistance. How has genetic sequencing enhanced our ability to predict resistance in HIV and improve treatment for AIDS? What are the tools needed to combat the spreading threat of drug-resistant malaria? What is happening in the realm of antifungals for Candida and related yeast? The final presentation will present series of instructive true patient cases involving resistant organisms. This symposium will focus on the academic work that underlies development of new diagnostic and therapeutic modalities and the current practical implications for clinicians on the frontline of encountering resistant organisms in their patients.
Getting By or Getting Along? Multidisciplinary Cases in Enhancing Patient Care from the Laboratory to the Bedside
8:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Convener:
COLLEEN S. KRAFT; Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Invited Speakers:
JESSE T. JACOB; Emory University, Atlanta, GA
COLLEEN S. KRAFT; Emory University, Atlanta, GA
CINDY B. MCCLOSKEY; University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK
JEROD L. NAGEL; University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI
DUANE W. NEWTON; University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI
Description:
Do you feel as though you speak a different language than the individuals who utilize your clinical laboratory? Are you sometimes concerned about when and how issues are raised and feel that the important questions are never considered? During this interactive symposium, a multidisciplinary group from different institutions will present representative cases with perspectives from the infection preventionist, the pharmacist, the clinician, and the laboratorian. Topics that will be discussed include: 1) instituting changes in antimicrobial susceptibility testing and reporting, 2) the laboratory role in infection prevention, 3) assessment and introduction of new laboratory tests, 4) pre-analytical process improvement, and 5) coordination between clinical and public health laboratories. The presentations will focus on decision making and interaction with other providers including physicians, pharmacists, and hospital administration.
The Gut Microbiome: Using the “Rest of the Story” to Inform Patient Care
8:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Conveners:
DAVID W. CRAFT; Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA
JONATHAN M. ZENILMAN; Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore, MD
Invited Speakers:
DAVID W. CRAFT; Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA
BENJAMIN C. KIRKUP; Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD
JONATHAN M. ZENILMAN; Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore, MD
MARTIN J. BLASER; NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY
JAMES VERSALOVIC; Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX
Description:
The microbial ecology of the human gastrointestinal tract is the foundational discipline of the NIH Human Microbiome Project. Simultaneously, the rising incidence of community and nosocomially acquired gastrointestinal tract infections has inspired new technology and practices in the clinical microbiology laboratory and has increasingly reformed infection control practice in the hospital setting. The clinical microbiology lab is challenged to provide diagnostic support of therapeutic decisions in which best practices are dictated by the phenotypic isolation and identification of an infectious etiology from a GI tract sample with a complex and varied microbial ecology. This seminar will provide insight into the best practices and constraints of current diagnostic laboratory capability and potential solutions from the human microbiome research bench. This forum should also provide an excellent opportunity for discourse between the clinical microbiologist and those basic science researchers and clinicians pursuing an understanding of the diagnostic and therapeutic implications of the human microbiome and the potential for changing laboratory practice, clinical algorithms, therapeutic decisions and infection control practice.
New Technology: Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze?
8:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Convener:
ROBERTA CAREY; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Invited Speakers:
MIKE RYAN; NY Department of Health, Wadsworth Center, Albany, NY
NATHAN LEDEBOER; Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
CHRISTINE GINOCCHIO; North Shore-Long Island Health System Laboratories, New Hyde Park, NY
RICHARD L. HODINKA; Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
GROVER SMITH; WakeMed Health & Hospitals, Raleigh, NC
Description:
Everyone would like to do the newest methodology and have the most current technology and toys in their lab. However new technologies come with a price beyond the actual instrument. They must be validated sufficiently, staff must be trained, specific regulatory requirements, such as those with laboratory developed tests, add to the complexity of introducing a new test methodology. Beside economic concerns, one must prove that this new test will impact patient care and improve outcome. Is the juice worth the squeeze in the end? This symposium will focus on understanding how to plan and implement new diagnostic technologies and how to evaluate the costs in resources, personnel, and documentation attached to making this decision.
Best Practices for Rapid and Emerging Diagnostic Techniques
3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Conveners:
JAYNE B. MORROW; National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
STEPHEN A. MORSE; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Invited Speakers:
JAMES MUSSER; The Methodist Hospital Research Institute, Houston, TX
JOHN F. GRIFFITH; Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, Costa Mesa, CA
JEFFREY T. FOSTER; Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ
JORDAN PECCIA; Yale University, New Haven, CT
Description:
Rapid and emerging diagnostics are changing the way we see microbes and how we treat disease. The focus of this session will be to discuss current best practices for integrating new technological capabilities and methods to address complex environmental, food, water, security and clinical diagnostic needs. Talks will provide high level guidance on the implementation of controls for analytical method, process performance and results interpretation. Invited speakers will provide examples of implementation of controls for gauging the measurement performance of new and emerging techniques (genomics methods and next generation sequencing) as well as comparisons of new techniques to traditional methods.
The Continuing Plague of Foodborne-associated Outbreaks
3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Convener:
JOHN BESSER; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Invited Speakers:
KAYE WACHSMUTH; International Public Health Consultant, DeLand, FL, Gen-Probe Joseph Public Health Award
JOHN BESSER; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
ERIC BROWN; Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD
COLLETTE FITZGERALD; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
ANGELA SPIVEY; McGuire Woods, LLC, Atlanta, GA
Description:
Foodborne illnesses outbreaks are occurring at what seems to be an increasing frequency. Detection, prevention and control of foodborne illness and outbreaks involves multiple levels of laboratories and scientists from multiple disciplines. Attendees of this symposium will hear from scientific experts in this area who will discuss new technologies, capabilities, developments and future challenges. Legal issues involving foodborne outbreaks will be described by a widely known and accomplished personal injury and products liability attorney.
Downsides of Really Sensitive (and Not So Sensitive) New Technologies
3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Convener:
DANIEL S. SHAPIRO; University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, NV
Invited Speakers:
DANIEL S. SHAPIRO; University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, NV
BRIAN WICKES; University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
JULIE R. HARRIS; Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA
Description:
This symposium will discuss the problems that are inherent in depending upon nucleic acid testing in clinical microbiology. These include: 1.) Lack of having a living organism with which to perform susceptibility testing (e.g., Neisseria gonorrhoeae) . 2.) "Noise" in 16S rRNA gene sequence databases resulting in inaccuracy in bacterial identification. 3.) Inability to distinguish species solely on the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequences (e.g., E. coli vs. Shigella). 4.) Need to use additional gene sequences (e.g., for mycobacterial identification). 5.) Persistence of the nucleic acid in killed organisms; thus a "test of cure" cannot be depended upon (e.g., Neisseria gonorrhoeae). 6.) Difficulty in validating multiplex assays that include uncommon or novel pathogens (e.g., various uncommonly sought viruses in multiplex respiratory panels). 7.) Susceptibility testing with genotypes: a moving target and potentially an issue with intellectual property. 8.) Small volume of sample used may result in missing a low number of organisms present. 9.) Technologist practices, moving into a STAT lab (non-microbiologists), and collection site contamination.
Microbiology Literature Review 2012
3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Convener:
ROBIN PATEL; Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Invited Speakers:
FERRIC C. FANG; University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA
ROBIN PATEL; Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
BETTY A. FORBES; Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, Richmond, VA
WENDY ARMSTRONG; Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Description:
This session will review the microbiology literature from the past year, highlighting some of the most notable manuscripts dealing with pathogenesis, epidemiology, vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics.
Tuesday, June 19
Best Practices in the Work-up of Specimens from the CNS and Other Sites: How Far Should You Go?
8:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Conveners:
ROBERT SAUTTER; Carolinas Pathology Group, Charlotte, NC
AUDREY N. SCHUETZ; Weill Cornell Medical Center-New York, New York, NY
Invited Speakers:
SANDRA RICHTER; Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
AUDREY N. SCHUETZ; Weill Cornell Medical Center-New York, New York, NY
LARRY GRAY; Trihealth Laboratories, Cincinnati, OH
PAUL SCHRECKENBERGER; Loyola University Medical Center, Chicago, IL
Description:
The first portion of the session will cover challenges in the diagnosis of encephalitis, meningitis, and shunt infections of the central nervous system (CNS). Serologic, culture, and molecular testing methods for the detection of common and emerging CNS pathogens will be discussed. The information presented will aid in test selection for small volume CNS specimens. The second portion of the session will review clinical microbiology cases to illustrate the controversies and best practices in the field. A point counter/point format will be used to support Dr.Yes (that supports going the extra 9 yards) in microbioloogy resources and time to pinpoint the infectious agent or use methodology that will detect all possible infecting agents. Conversely, Doctor No, will use cases to illustrate the futility in expending extra energies in going the distance in terms of microbiology. Alternating presentations, by the speakers will leave the audience to determine who is Dr. Yes and who is Dr. No.
Complications and Implications of New Technologies for Diagnosis of Infectious Diseases
8:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Conveners:
JUDY ANNE DALY; Primary Children's Medical Center, Univeristy of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
KAREN C. CARROLL; The John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
Invited Speakers:
DAN DIEKEMA; University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, Division L Lecturer
KAREN C. CARROLL; The John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
CHRISTOPHER DOERN; Children's Medical Center of Dallas, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
ANNE J. BLASCHKE; University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
JUDY ANNE DALY; Primary Children's Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Description:
Linking the impact of rapid available and emerging technologies with physician knowledge of timely local disease incidence and patient outcomes is key to improved diagnostic problem solutions. Delays in pathogen identification and antimicrobial resistance testing contribute to morbidity and mortality. Rapid assays that identify pathogens and antimicrobial resistance immediately from specimen or after culture could considerably improve patient outcomes. The deployment of promising new technologies and techniques in a manner that ensures optimal application is a challenge for leaders in the laboratory and at the bedside. This session will discuss available and emerging technologies, interventions designed to improve the communication between public health and the front line and improved outcomes for the patients these systems serve.
Pathogen Discovery: Linking a Novel Microbe to Human Disease
8:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
Convener:
CHARLES CHIU; University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
Invited Speakers:
DYLAN PILLAI; University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
CHARLES CHIU; University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
JOSEPH FAIR; Global Viral Forecasting, San Francisco, CA
DAVID RASKO; University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD
ERIC DELWART; Blood Systems Research Institute, San Francisco, CA
Description:
The rapid emergence of high-throughput diagnostics in microbiology – microarrays, mass spectrometry, and next-generation "deep" sequencing, has ushered in a new era of pathogen discovery. Yet the discovery of a novel agent in human clinical samples is merely the first step in establishing a causal relationship between the microbe and disease (Koch’s postulates). Determining whether or not a detected agent is truly a pathogen often requires a combination of phylogenetic analysis, traditional laboratory methods, such as culture, serology, and PCR, as well as extensive follow-up clinical, pathological, and epidemiological investigation. Here we will discuss the coupling of powerful pathogen discovery technologies with more conventional methods to connect a novel microbe to disease, and highlight the challenges as well as perils involved in attempting to establish such a link.
Screening and Surveillance for Antibiotic Resistance: Global, Local and Bedside Considerations
8:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Convener:
Convener:
FIONA WALSH; ACW Research Centre Department of Agriculture, Waedenswil, Zürich, Switzerland
Invited Speakers:
FIONA WALSH; ACW Research Centre Department of Agriculture, Waedenswil, Zürich, Switzerland
JOSE LUIS MARTINEZ; Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Madrid, Spain
KORNELIA SMALLA; Julius-Kuhn Institute, Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Braunschweig, Germany
ARI ROBICSEK; Northshore University HealthSystem, Evanston, IL
STUART LEVY; Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, Abbott – ASM Lifetime Achievement Award
Description:
The antibiotic resistance cycle: from environment to clinic and back again. In order to fully understand how antibiotic resistance has developed and will proceed we need to identify and characterize antibiotic resistance in each section of the bacterial community, not just the medical community. As most antibiotics and resistance genes are thought to have come from the environment this is an important source of resistance. This topic will discuss the roles of intrinsic resistance and horizontal transfer of resistance as well as the characterization of resistance mechanisms of relevance to human pathogens within the antibiotic resistance cycle. This session will highlight the routes of transmission of antibiotic resistant bacteria to humans such as food and water. Speakers will address the detection and dissemination of resistance across a range of clinical and non-clinical settings with an aim to promoting a better understanding of the antibiotic resistance cycle and to identify novel opportunities for intervention and prevention.
Best Practices in Clinical Microbiology: Beyond the Routine Culture, What Micro Labs Could be Doing to
Further Patient Care
3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Convener:
JULIE A. RIBES; University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
Invited Speakers:
SUSAN RICHARDSON; The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
BOBBI PRITT; The Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
GERALDINE HALL; Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH
ROBERT JERRIS; Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
Description:
It is exciting to be in the field of Clinical Microbiology with all the changes in methodologies that are occuring. Culture techniques are being replaced by non-culture techniques and those tried and true culture procedures are being changed to meet the demands of specific patient populations that we serve. In this session, our speakers will address the current and future best practices for the diagnosis of urinary tract infections in children, as well as the best practices for the detection of microsporidial and campylobacter infections. The final speaker of the session will discuss the use of MALDI-TOF to identify respiratory isolates from patients with cystic fibrosis. Sufficient time will be available at the end of the session to answer questions from the attendees.
Immunological Tools and Biomarkers for Infectious Diseases
3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Conveners:
DESHRATN ASTHANA; University of Miami, Miami, FL
ERIK MUNSON; Wheaton Franciscan Laboratory, Wauwatosa, WI
Invited Speakers:
PATRICK DUFFY; National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD Division AA Lecturer
AZLIYATI AZIZAN; University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
DESHRATN ASTHANA; University of Miami, Miami, FL
CHRISTINE BIRON; Brown University, Providence, RI
BRUCE RABIN; University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, Division V Lecturer and Abbott Award in Clinical and Diagnostic Immunology
Description:
Innate immunity has been identified to play an important role in host response in infectious diseases. The past decade has seen a significant expansion and understanding of the field. In addition, the session will provide current knowledge on malaria immunology and vaccines in clinical trials. Overview of immunopathogenesis of dengue and influenza viruses along with current and future directions of immunotherapyand vaccine design. The proposed session will address innate immunity, immune and surrogate markers in HIV-infection and their value in patient care and management. In addition, session will cover immunological markers of viral infections in general and how these markers can provide insights for therapeutic approaches to infections. The audience will also be able to get an overview on immune system as a window in one's psychosocial history. Since humeral and cellular immune parameters being measured in the laboratory had their quantitative and qualitative function influenced at a time much earlier than when the blood specimen was collected for analysis and how all of this impacts on patient's well-being.
Interactive Controversies in Antimicrobial Resistance Detection: Can You and Experts Agree?
3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Conveners:
REBECCA HORVAT; University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS
Invited Speakers:
FRED TENOVER; Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA
DAN AMSTERDAM; University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
JOHN STELLING; Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
JOHN PAPP; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
MICHAEL LOEFFELHOLZ; University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX
REBECCA HORVAT; University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS
Description:
Different practices have developed in clinical microbiology laboratories to test analysis or evaluate trends. This session presents various practices that use different methods, analysis or reporting strategies. The issues in this session will focus on: 1) the use of phenotypic vs genotypic methods for detection of resistance; 2) use of molecular testing to detect Neisseria gonorrhea versus culture which allows for evaluation of antimicrobial susceptibility; and 3) use of the first clinical isolate to report in the antibiogram versus using all isolates collected within a time period. Each participant will be able to evaluate their own practices based on the ideas presented.
On Top of Outbreaks: New Rapid Next Generation Sequencing Deployed for Public Health and Clinical Microbiology
3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Conveners:
PETER GERNER-SMIDT; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
DAG HARMSEN; University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany
Invited Speakers:
PETER GERNER-SMIDT; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
DAG HARMSEN; University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany
MICHAEL L. METZKER; Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
THOMAS BRIESE; Columbia University, New York, NY
ERIC SCHADT; Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY
Description:
During the Haiti Cholera 2010 and the German EHEC 2011 epidemics, NGS technologies were used for the first time nearly in real-time to elucidate bacterial outbreaks. For detection of new or unknown viral infections NGS is already in use since 1-2 years. It is therefore expected that rapid NGS platforms- especially the affordable desktop NGS machines - will soon find widespread use first in public health for prospective genomic surveillance. Furthermore, the technology will find most probably rapidly its way into clinical microbiology for individual patient diagnostics. The session will start with giving an overview of the Haiti Cholera and German EHEC NGS experiences. Then the presence and future of NGS platforms with a focus on rapid NGS machines will be presented. Next an overview of NGS usage for unbiased viral detection in human tissue will be delivered. Finally, innovative approaches to monitor infectious disease activity will be discussed.
