International Workshop on Opportunistic Protists (IWOP-12, 13 and 14)

描述（由申请人提供）：此建议的R13申请涵盖国际原生生物研讨会的下一系列会议（即IWOP-12，IWOP-13和IWOP-14）。本次会议专门讨论原生生物，这些原生生物会给免疫系统缺陷的患者带来严重问题，例如接受免疫抑制治疗或患有免疫系统衰弱疾病（如艾滋病）的患者。许多这些知之甚少的病原体最初认识到，由于他们在机会性环境中的频率增加，如在艾滋病毒/艾滋病和移植;然而，现在认识到，这些也是免疫能力宿主的病原体。这些生物体中的几种，由于它们通过食物和水传播，也是生物防御B类病原体和环境保护局（EPA）感兴趣的病原体。IWOP会议于1988年发起，旨在为规模较小但不断增长的国际科学界提供服务，这些科学界对与不寻常的不可培养的有机体肺孢子虫合作感兴趣。当时，肺孢子虫是相对未知的，被微生物界的许多人忽视。有必要举行一次小型会议，让科学家们交流在处理这些“困难”生物体方面获得的新技术和经验。IWOP研讨会的一个基本原则是通过开放参加会议来促进信息的自由交流。第二次至第十一次IWOP会议增加了其他机会主义的基于生物的社区团体，这些团体经历了肺孢子虫社区面临的许多研究挑战。IWOP会议现在包括关于隐孢子虫、微孢子虫、刚地弓形虫和致病性自由生活阿米巴的研究报告。近年来，IWOP也开始成为动体鞭毛体和其他真核微生物寄生虫研究人员的论坛，这些寄生虫由不同基因型引起，或在免疫缺陷个体中存在与免疫功能正常患者不同的病理。今天，IWOP会议被认为是大多数肺孢子虫、隐孢子虫和微孢子虫研究人员最重要的会议。在这个会议上，基于社区的项目（例如基因组测序、动物模型、培养技术等）和共识文件（即分类地位、研究优先事项和命名标准）。这是一个关键的会议，这些研究社区集中在这个困难的致病原生生物。由于这些生物中的许多在较大的真菌或寄生虫学会议上没有很好的代表性，如果不再举行这一重要论坛，研究进展显然会受到严重阻碍。IWOP-12定于2012年8月在纽约州塔里敦举行，IWOP-13定于2014年8月在西班牙塞维利亚举行，IWOP-14定于2016年7月在俄亥俄州的辛辛那提举行。 公共卫生相关性：国际原生生物研讨会（IWOP）是一系列专门讨论感染（称为机会性感染）的会议，这些感染在艾滋病患者和其他免疫系统缺陷的人中引起严重问题。1988年的第一次会议是为国际科学界提供服务的，他们有兴趣与不寻常的、不可培养的生物体肺孢子虫合作，肺孢子虫引起肺炎，是许多艾滋病患者死亡的直接原因。当时，肺孢子虫是相对未知的，被微生物界的许多人忽视。有必要举行一次小型会议，让科学家交流在实验室中难以处理的这些生物体的新技术和经验。IWOP的一个基本原则是通过开放参加会议来促进信息的自由交流。第二届至第十一届研讨会逐渐扩大到包括其他机会主义的基于有机体的科学界，这些科学界经历了肺孢子虫界面临的许多相同的研究挑战。IWOP现在包括关于隐孢子虫的研究报告;微孢子虫，两者都引起艾滋病相关的慢性腹泻;弓形虫，可引起艾滋病患者脑炎;以及自由生活的阿米巴，可引起免疫缺陷者脑炎。近年来，IWOP已开始为艾滋病患者中其他被忽视的病原体的研究人员提供论坛，包括动质体鞭毛虫利什曼原虫和克氏锥虫。IWOP已经发展成为一个重要的论坛，用于传播关于在免疫受损患者和其他动物中呈现改变的疾病特征的各种且经常被忽视的真核微生物寄生虫的信息。IWOP被认为是肺孢子虫、隐孢子虫和微孢子虫研究人员最重要的会议。尽管机会原生生物很难研究， 这些成果来自于一年两次的IWOP会议促进的科学互动。

Description (as provided by the applicant): This proposed R13 application covers the next series of meetings of the International Workshop on Opportunistic Protists (i.e. IWOP-12, IWOP-13 and IWOP-14). This meeting is devoted to protists that cause serious problems in patients with defective immune systems, such as those receiving immunosuppressive therapies or with immune system debilitating diseases, such as AIDS. Many of these poorly understood pathogens were initially recognized due to their increased frequency in opportunistic settings, such as in HIV/AIDS and transplantation; however, it is now appreciated that these are also pathogens of immune competent hosts. Several of these organisms, due to their transmission by food and water, are also biodefense category B pathogens and environmental protection agency (EPA) pathogens of interest. The IWOP meeting was initiated in 1988 to serve the small, but growing international scientific community interested in working with the unusual, non-cultivatable organism Pneumocystis. At the time, Pneumocystis was relatively unknown and was ignored by many in the microbiological community. There was a need for a small meeting where scientists could exchange new techniques and experiences gained from working with these 'difficult' organisms. A basic tenet of the IWOP Workshops is a free exchange of information facilitated by open admission to the meeting. The second through eleventh IWOP meetings grew to include other opportunistic organism-based community groups that experience many of the research challenges facing the Pneumocystis community. The IWOP meetings now include research presentations on Cryptosporidia; Microsporidia; Toxoplasma gondii; and free-living amebae that are pathogenic. In recent years, IWOP has also begun serving as a forum for researchers of kinetoplastid flagellates and other eukaryotic microbial parasites that are caused by different genotypes or present pathologies in immune deficient individuals distinct from that observed in immune competent patients. Today, the IWOP meeting is regarded as the most important meeting for most researchers of Pneumocystis, Cryptosporidia, and Microsporidia. It is the meeting at which community based projects (e.g. genome sequencing, animal models, culture techniques, etc.) and consensus papers (i.e. taxonomic status, research priorities, and nomenclature standards) have been developed. It is a critical meeting for these research communities focused on this difficult pathogenic protists. Because many of these organisms are not well represented in larger fungal or parasitology meetings, research progress would clearly be severely hampered if this important forum was no longer held. IWOP-12 is scheduled for August 2012 in Tarrytown, NY, IWOP-13 for August 2014 in Seville, Spain; and IWOP-14 for July 2016 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Public Health Relevance: The International Workshops on Opportunistic Protists (IWOP) is a series of meetings devoted to infections (termed opportunistic infections) that cause serious problems in AIDS patients and other individuals with defective immune systems. The 1st meeting in 1988 was initiated to serve the international scientific community interested in working with the unusual, non-cultivable organism Pneumocystis, which causes pneumonia and is the direct cause of death in many AIDS patients. At the time, Pneumocystis was relatively unknown and was ignored by many in the microbiological community. There was a need for a small meeting where scientists could exchange new techniques and experiences gained from working with these organisms that are difficult to work with in the laboratory. A basic tenet of IWOP is the free exchange of information facilitated by open admission to the meeting. The 2nd through 11th Workshops grew to include other opportunistic organism-based scientific communities that experience many of the same research challenges facing the Pneumocystis community. IWOP now includes research presentations on Cryptosporidium; the Microsporidia, both causing AIDS associated chronic diarrhea; Toxoplasma gondii, which can cause encephalitis in AIDS patients; and the free-living amebae which cause encephalitis in immune deficient people. In recent years, IWOP has begun serving as a forum for researchers of other neglected pathogens in AIDS patients including the kinetoplastid flagellates Leishmania and Trypanosoma cruzi. IWOP has evolved into a crucial forum for the dissemination of information on diverse and often neglected eukaryotic microbial parasites presenting altered disease profiles in immune compromised patients and other animals. IWOP is regarded as the most important meeting for researchers working on Pneumocystis, Cryptosporidium, and the Microsporidia. Although the opportunistic protists are difficult to study significant advances have resulted from the scientific interactions facilitated by the bi-annual IWOP meetings.