Fifth Biennial Meeting of the Chlamydia Basic Research Society

描述(由申请人提供)： 衣原体仍然是影响全世界数亿人的一种重要病原体。作为沙眼的病原体，沙眼衣原体是世界上最常见的可预防失明的原因。然而，衣原体最重要的影响可能是其作为性传播感染的最常见细菌原因的作用，通常会导致女性盆腔炎以及随后的输卵管梗阻和不孕。此外，肺炎衣原体是社区获得性肺炎的主要原因，并与冠状动脉疾病有关。在兽医界，流产弧菌是绵羊流产的重要原因，具有重要的经济影响，而禽类病原体鹦鹉热弧菌通常与人类潜在的严重呼吸道人畜共患感染有关。目前的技术，特别是基因组学，在了解衣原体与宿主细胞的分子和细胞相互作用方面导致了迅速爆炸的新的和令人兴奋的工作，这影响了发病机制和宿主对感染的反应。建立衣原体基础研究学会的主要目标是提供一个论坛，在两年一度的会议上讨论衣原体和衣原体感染的基础研究问题。之前的四次会议，平均有来自17个国家的240人参加，都取得了巨大的成功，这次会议现在被衣原体研究界视为介绍新的基础研究的主要论坛。该学会的一个主要目标也是大力鼓励研究生和博士后研究员参与。在过去的四次会议中，平均41.4%的注册人是研究生和博士后研究员。这是通过在美国中等城市安排会议以降低住宿成本，并通过从包括NIH在内的外部来源筹集资金支持受训人员的注册费来实现的。学员还优先选择讲台演示。因此，2011年会议的具体目标将是1)鼓励和促进衣原体生物学和发病机制的基础研究，2)为从事衣原体生物学、发病机制和疫苗开发研究的科学家之间交流信息提供一个论坛，3)通过鼓励青年科学家积极参与会议，促进他们在衣原体研究方面的发展。 公共卫生相关性： 沙眼衣原体是性传播感染的主要细菌原因，大约10%的性活跃人口感染了沙眼衣原体。它也是导致女性盆腔炎和不孕不育的主要原因。这种疾病的一个主要问题是，许多感染是亚临床的，仍然没有得到诊断，因此主要的病理变化通常在感染被诊断和开始抗生素治疗之前发生。因此，迫切需要一种疫苗来预防疾病。该病的发病机制本身尚不完全清楚，因此对生物体与宿主细胞相互作用的基础研究是非常必要的。衣原体基础研究会两年一度的会议涉及衣原体疾病的这些方面，但也涉及衣原体引起的其他重大感染的基础研究，包括沙眼、肺炎和人畜共患感染。此外，会议对研究生和博士后研究员的重视对于培养这一领域的下一代研究人员至关重要。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Chlamydia continues to be a significant pathogen affecting hundreds of millions world-wide. As the etiologic agent of trachoma, C. trachomatis is the most common cause of preventable blindness in the world. However, perhaps the most significant impact of Chlamydia is in its role as the most common bacterial cause of sexually transmitted infection, often leading to pelvic inflammatory disease and subsequent tubal obstruction and infertility in women. In addition, C. pneumoniae is a major cause of community-acquired pneumonia and has been associated with coronary artery disease. In the veterinary world, C. abortus is a significant cause of ovine abortion and has an important economic impact, while the avian pathogen C. psittaci is often associated with potentially severe respiratory zoonotic infection in humans. Current technology, particularly genomics, has resulted in a rapid explosion of new and exciting work in the understanding of the molecular and cellular interactions of chlamydiae with their host cell which impacts the pathogenesis and host response to the infection. The Chlamydia Basic Research Society was founded with the primary goal of providing a forum to address basic research on chlamydiae and chlamydial infections at biennial meetings. Four previous meetings with an average of 240 attendees from as many as 17 countries have convened with outstanding success, and this conference is now viewed by the Chlamydia research community as the main forum for the presentation of new basic research. A major goal of the Society is also to strongly encourage the participation of graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. At the past four meetings, an average of 41.4% of the registrants was graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. This was accomplished by scheduling the conference in mid-size US cities to reduce lodging costs and by supporting the registration fees of the trainees with funds that were raised from outside sources including NIH. Trainees are also given preference for platform presentations. Therefore the specific aims of the 2011 meeting will be 1) to encourage and promote basic research in chlamydial biology and pathogenesis, 2) to provide a forum for the exchange of information among scientists engaged in research on basic chlamydial biology, pathogenesis and vaccine development, and 3) to promote the development of young scientists in Chlamydia research by encouraging their active participation in the meeting. Public Health Relevance: Chlamydia trachomatis is the leading bacterial cause of sexually-transmitted infections with approximately 10% of the sexually active population infected. It is also a leading cause of pelvic inflammatory disease and involuntary infertility in women. A major problem with the disease is that many infections are subclinical and remain undiagnosed, so that major pathologic changes often develop prior to the infection being diagnosed and antibiotic therapy being initiated. Thus there is a strong need for a vaccine to prevent disease. The disease pathogenesis itself is still not completely understood, so basic research on the interaction of the organism with its host cell is essential. The Biennial Meeting of the Chlamydia Basic Research Society addresses these aspects of chlamydial disease but also addresses basic research on other significant infections caused by chlamydiae, including trachoma, pneumonia, and zoonotic infections. Moreover, the emphasis on graduate students and post-doctoral fellows at the meeting is critical for training the next generation of researchers in this field.