3rd ASM Conference on Enterococci

描述（由申请方提供）：肠球菌代表了一组广泛多样的细菌，包括具有重要临床意义的菌种。有些是人类肠道的天然居民，可能是机会致病菌。肠球菌是三大最常见的医院病原体之一-引起尿路和伤口感染以及细菌性肺炎和心内膜炎。它们对多种抗生素的频繁抗性以及在可移动元件（如质粒和接合转座子）上携带相关决定簇使得临床感染的治疗成为主要挑战。肠球菌也代表了其他细菌属的耐药基因的重要储存库。事实上，有证据表明，最近在金黄色葡萄球菌（MRSA）菌株中出现的高水平万古霉素耐药性可能是从常驻肠球菌获得相关决定簇的结果[Weigel et al.，Science 302：1569（2003）]。与致病性相关的基因，如编码溶细胞素和“聚集物质”的基因，也被定位在可转移元件上，其中一些容易在肠球菌之间转移，并可能转移到其他属。此外，肠球菌在食品发酵中的参与以及某些菌株作为益生菌的探索和使用已经成为重要的兴趣领域。近年来，关于肠球菌的分子生物学和遗传学已经获得了很多知识。E. faecalis和E.现在已经对粪菌进行了测序，并对许多可传播的元件进行了表征。正在继续确定与临床毒力相关的致病岛和决定因素。最后，许多细菌素系统和生物膜形成的重要因素的发现，提供了重要的信息相关的生态和肠球菌的生存能力。这次会议将于2010年7月30日至8月2日在俄勒冈州的波特兰举行，由美国微生物学会（ASM）赞助，将代表第三次关于肠球菌主题的国际会议，上一次会议于2005年8月在丹麦举行。过去的会议出席情况很好-有200至300名与会者。口头会议将包括：1）分子生物学和基因组学; 2）毒力; 3）抗生素治疗和耐药性; 4）细菌素; 5）质粒和水平转移; 6）流行病学和食物联系; 7）生物膜。还将举行两次海报会议。由于在肠球菌研究方面发表了大量新材料，而且距离上次会议已经过去了五年，因此下一次会议特别及时，人们对此充满热情。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The enterococci represent a widely diverse group of bacteria that includes species with significant clinical importance. Some are natural inhabitants of the human intestine and may be opportunistic pathogens. Enterococci are among the top three most common nosocomial agents -- giving rise to urinary tract and wound infections as well as bacteremias and endocarditis. Their frequent resistance to multiple antibiotics and harboring of related determinants on mobilizable elements like plasmids and conjugative transposons make treatment of clinical infections a major challenge. Enterococci also represent a significant reservoir of resistance genes for other bacterial genera. Indeed there is evidence that the recent emergence of high-level vancomycin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains is likely a result of acquisition of related determinant(s) from resident Enterococci [Weigel et al., Science 302:1569 (2003)]. Genes related to pathogenicity, such as those encoding cytolysins and "aggregation substance", have also been located on transferable elements, some of which transfer readily between the enterococci and possibly to other genera. In addition the involvement of enterococci in food fermentations as well as exploration and use of certain strains as probiotics have been areas of significant interest. Much knowledge has been gained in recent years with respect to the molecular biology and genetics of enterococci. Genomes of E. faecalis and E. faecium have now been sequenced and numerous transmissible elements have been characterized. Pathogenicity islands and determinants exhibiting relationships to clinical virulence are continuing to be identified. Finally, the discoveries of numerous bacteriocin-systems and factors important to biofilm formation have provided significant information relevant to the ecology and survivability of enterococci. The conference to be held in Portland, Oregon from July 30 through August 2, 2010 and sponsored by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) will represent the third international meeting on the subject of enterococci, the last being held in Denmark in August of 2005. Past conferences have been well attended -- with 200-300 participants present. Oral sessions will cover: 1) molecular biology and genomics; 2) virulence; 3) antibiotic therapy and resistance; 4) bacteriocins; 5) plasmids and horizontal transfer; 6) epidemiology and food connections; and 7) biofilms. Two poster sessions will also be held. Insofar as there is a significant amount of new material published in enterococcal research, and it will have been five years since the previous meeting, the next conference is especially timely and is being anticipated with much enthusiasm.