3rd ASM Conference on Enterococci

描述(由申请人提供)：肠球菌代表广泛多样的细菌群，其中包括具有重要临床重要性的物种。有些是人类肠道的自然居住者，可能是机会性的病原体。肠球菌是医院内最常见的三种病原体之一--引起尿路和伤口感染，以及菌血症和心内膜炎。它们对多种抗生素的频繁耐药，以及质粒和接合转座子等可动员元件上的相关决定因素，使临床感染的治疗成为一大挑战。肠球菌也是其他细菌属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)菌株中出现高水平的万古霉素耐药可能是从常驻肠球菌获得相关决定簇(S)的结果[Weigel等人，Science 302：1569(2003)]。与致病相关的基因，如编码细胞溶血素和“聚集物质”的基因，也位于可转移元件上，其中一些很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利用一直是人们非常感兴趣的领域。近年来，在肠球菌的分子生物学和遗传学方面获得了许多知识。粪肠球菌和粪肠球菌的基因组已经被测序，并确定了许多可传播的元件。与临床毒力有关的致病岛和决定因素仍在继续确定。最后，大量细菌素系统和生物被膜形成的重要因素的发现为肠球菌的生态学和生存能力提供了重要的信息。这次会议将于2010年7月30日至8月2日在俄勒冈州波特兰举行，由美国微生物学会(ASM)主办，这将是关于肠球菌主题的第三次国际会议，上一次会议于2005年8月在丹麦举行。过去的会议都有很多人参加--有200-300人出席。口头会议将涵盖：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。鉴于肠球菌研究发表了大量的新材料，而且距离上一次会议已经过去了五年，下一次会议尤其及时，人们正以极大的热情期待着下一次会议。

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.