5th ASM Conference on Biofilms

描述（由申请人提供）：细菌和其他微生物在表面作为生物膜的附着和生长在许多方面对人类产生巨大影响，从全球循环到废水处理，再到对抗感染的种植体和牙菌斑。这种多样性反映在理解和控制生物膜所需的多学科方法中。ASM生物膜系列会议是一个国际性的会议，汇集了所有学科的科学家和工程师，讨论生物膜的最新研究和交流思想。医学领域生物膜文献的数量正在显著增加，这一迅速扩大的领域有必要频繁召开会议。为参加由美国微生物学会（ASM）于2009年11月15日至11月19日在墨西哥坎昆举行的题为“2009年生物膜”会议的美国和国际科学家提供资金支持。本次会议是该系列的第五次生物膜会议。以前的会议吸引了越来越多的听众，与会者调查表明，这些会议被认为是非常成功的，与科学界极其相关。为了适应与医疗和牙齿健康有关的生物膜问题的增加，我们专门安排了一个会议讨论“生物膜和人类微生物组”，两个会议讨论“医疗和牙齿感染中的生物膜”，一个会议讨论“生物膜耐药性机制和控制策略”。其他会议，如“生物膜EPS矩阵”、“生物膜群落中的细胞间信号传导”和“循环-二gmp信号传导”，虽然性质更基本，但仍然与公共卫生和控制生物膜的新技术的进步有很大的相关性，无论是作为感染还是作为病原体的环境储存库。本次会议的目标是汇集最优秀的人才和最新的研究成果，教育和促进跨学科合作，并最终开发出更好地理解和控制生物膜的技术。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The attachment and growth of bacteria, and other microorganisms, on surfaces as biofilms has a huge impact on mankind in numerous ways, ranging all the way from global cycling to wastewater treatment to fighting infected implants and dental plaque. This diversity is reflected in the multidisciplinary approach that is required to understand and control biofilms. The ASM Biofilms meetings series is an internationally attended conference which brings together scientists and engineers of all disciplines to discuss the latest research and exchange ideas on biofilms. The amount of biofilm literature in the medical area is markedly increasing, underlying the necessity for frequent meetings in this rapidly expanding field. Funding is requested for the support of US and International scientists attending a meeting entitled Biofilms 2009, which will be sponsored by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), held in Cancun Mexico from November 15th through November 19th 2009. This meeting represents the fifth biofilm meeting in the series. Previous meetings have drawn ever-increasing audiences, and participant surveys demonstrate that the meetings were viewed to be highly successful and extremely relevant to the scientific community. To accommodate the increase in biofilm issues relating to medical and dental health, we have dedicated one session to "Biofilms and the Human Microbiome", two sessions to "Biofilms in Medical and Dental Infections", one session to "Biofilm Resistance Mechanisms and Control Strategies". Other sessions, such as "The Biofilm EPS Matrix", "Intercellular-Signaling in Biofilm Communities" and "Cyclic-di-GMP Signaling" although more fundamental in nature, still have great relevance for public health and towards the advancement of new techniques in controlling biofilms, whether as an infection or as an environmental reservoir of pathogens. It is the goal of this meeting to bring together the best minds and most up to date research, to educate and to foster interdisciplinary collaborations and to ultimately develop techniques to better understand and control biofilms. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Many infectious bacteria live in slimy colonies called biofilms where they are protected from antibiotics and disinfectants and can avoid our immune systems; however, some biofilms are useful to mankind and are used to clean up toxic waste and wastewater. They grow on our teeth as a plaque and can infect artificial implants and catheters, as well as water pipes and shower heads. The Biofilms 2009 meeting will allow us to bring together top international scientists and engineers to share their research and discuss and exchange the latest ideas and techniques to study biofilms and how to control them.