Public release date: 6-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Garth Hogan ghogan@asmusa.org American Society for Microbiology

Washington, DCJune 6, 2012 Lilliam Casillas-Martnez, Ph.D., has been honored with the 2012 Carski Foundation Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award. Casilla is a Professor in the Biology Department at the University of Puerto Rico-Humacao (UPRH). One of Casillas' strongest passions is to educate and help women from low income homes, or "invisible students," as she calls them. Because there are so few Latin American women in positions of power, she feels that mentoring young women is crucial to their development. Nominator and former student Lorraine D. Rodriguez-Rivera, now a Ph.D. candidate in the Laboratory for Food Microbiology and Pathogenesis of Foodborne Diseases at Cornell University, describes Casillas' effect on others: "Casillas has had a profound impact on the professional development of many women in Puerto Rico. As my undergraduate advisor, she provided me with valuable tools for my career. I would like to become a professor and inspire minority students the way she inspired me towards becoming a professional in microbiology."

Casillas received her B.S. in Industrial Microbiology from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, and her Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Connecticut, Storrs. There she studied Bacillus subtilis under the tutelage of Peter and Barbara Setlow. Upon completion of her doctorate, Casillas attended the Microbial Diversity Course in Woods Hole and she continues to conduct research in emerging fields such as geomicrobiology and metagenomics. Once at the University of Puerto Rico-Humacao, Casillas started a productive collaboration in geomicrobiology with Pieter Visscher from the Integrative Geosciences Department at the University of Connecticut.

One of Casillas' proud accomplishments is the NSF-funded Cabo Rojo Salterns Microbial Observatory, where undergraduate students learn how to conduct in situ studies. To date, more than one hundred Puerto Rican students have received hands-on training in techniques in geomicrobiology and metagenomics. In addition to working on research projects, undergraduate students in Casillas' lab are required to design outreach activities to implement during visits to local public schools. Her laboratory is well known for its active participation in science fairs, open houses, and the development of workshops for local high school teachers.

Casillas' nomination was supported by Mayra Cancel, a high school teacher from the Puerto Rico public school system. "Casillas' efforts have changed my perception of the community of researchers in Puerto Rico and have strengthened their ties with teachers of the public system education," explained Cancel. "Education is basic for human progress, individually and collectively. Casillas' workshops for teachers strengthen the collective of research groups in the schools of our community and have served as motivation to reaffirm our confidence in higher education and its commitment to educational principles."

With the support of several agencies, Casillas has been able to combine undergraduate education with research projects such as characterizing novel microorganisms, constructing metagenomic libraries from various extreme environments in Puerto Rico, and screening for novel antibiotics. In the last decade, more than fifty undergraduates from her laboratory have continued graduate studies. "Casillas' success as a teacher and a mentor is evident in the triumphs of her students. Her down-to-earth style of mentoring, her charismatic personality and her availability to her students allowed us to approach her whenever advice was needed," described a former undergraduate student, Angel Casanovanow a Ph.D. candidate in the Microbiology Doctoral Training Program of the University of Wisconsin, Madison. "She was more than my undergraduate professor; she is a teacher from whom I have learned and acquired many skills that have allowed me to succeed in my quest for knowledge."

In her short career, Casillas has received several honors and has been invited to serve as a member on several review panels for agencies such as the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Agriculture. She has been the main speaker in several local and international conferences and has published more than twenty scientific publications (two in educational journals) and three book chapters. More recently, she was awarded the 2010 Arturo Carrion Lecture Award from ASM's Puerto Rican Chapter for her excellence in teaching Microbiology in Puerto Rico. Casillas is already building a legacy through the achievement and values she instills in her students, as well as her overall impact on the Puerto Rican community.

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To view Dr. Cassillas' biosketch, please visit: http://www.asm.org/index.php/awards-grants/current-carski-foundation-distinguished-undergraduate-teaching-award-laureate.html

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The American Society for Microbiology honors Lilliam Casillas-Martinez

Public release date: 6-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Garth Hogan ghogan@asmusa.org American Society for Microbiology

Washington, DCJune 6, 2012 E. Peter Greenberg, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Microbiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, has been honored with the 2012 D.C. White Research and Mentoring Award. Recognizing distinguished accomplishments in interdisciplinary research and mentoring in microbiology, this award honors D.C. White, who was known for his interdisciplinary scientific approach and for being a dedicated and inspiring mentor. As stated by his nominator, former graduate student Heidi Kaplan, now at the University of Texas Medical School, "Greenberg's career is marked by outstanding success in what continues to be recognized as interdisciplinary research in quorum sensing. In addition, his mentoring qualities are legendary. He has made an indelible impact on the scientific careers of his students and postdoctoral fellows, and most have gone on to be leaders in microbiology."

Greenberg received his bachelor's in Biology from Western Washington University, and his master's in Microbiology from the University of Iowa. He then went on to the University of Massachusetts, where he earned his Ph.D. in Microbiology. "During that period, Greenberg isolated the first extremophilic spirochete, the salt-loving, vividly red bacterium S. halophila," explained Jared Leadbetter, Caltech. "It was also then that he identified his career-long interest in how bacteria sense the world in which they live, and how they employ such information in behavior and transcription." He next became a NIH postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University, before joining the faculty at Cornell University and eventually the University of Iowa. In 2005, Greenberg returned to the Pacific Northwest at the University of Washington.

Greenberg has spent his scientific career studying the social behavior of bacteria. He has focused on the coordination of activities in groups of bacteria, with an emphasis on cell-to-cell communication and a phenomenon that is known as quorum sensing. "Greenberg pioneered the quorum-sensing field and has remained one of its leaders. He made a seamless transition from working on bacterial luminescence, a microbiological oddity, to focusing on Pseudomonas pathogenesis, a system that has critical implications on human health," expounded Kaplan. Bacterial communication controls virulence in a variety of pathogenic bacteria, and has thus become a target for the development of new therapeutic strategies. Bacteria have also become models for studies of selection for and evolution of cooperative behavior.

Greenberg's work has been recognized by his election as a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Association of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Academy of Microbiology. "Greenberg's seminal work on quorum sensing and biofilms has revolutionized the way we think about bacterial social behaviors, and the development of 'sociomicrobiology' as a field has impacted virtually every bacteriology researcher in the world," says Marvin Whiteley, University of Texas, Austin. "Greenberg and the students he's mentored reached several important milestones first," adds Leadbetter. "Among them: the first genes cloned from a spirochete, the first evidence for glycosylated proteins in a prokaryote (a highly contentious result at the time that has since proven to be a widespread feature of other bacteria proteins), andperhaps most seminallythe first demonstration in any bacterium of how rotational changes in multiple flagellar motors are coordinated in spirochete cells, ie. through electrical, not chemical, means."

Greenberg's excellence in mentoring has had a lasting impact on his former students, and his valuable guidance has defined the careers of many. "He created an environment that challenged everyone to meet their maximum potential and greatly impact their field," Kaplan said. Whitely summarizes, "Greenberg is an intuitive scientist and encourages creative thinking by his students/post-docs. Importantly, he encourages each individual to follow their interests, whether it be research and/or teaching in academic or industrial settings."

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To view Dr. Greenberg's biosketch, please visit: http://www.asm.org/index.php/awards-grants/current-dc-white-award-laureate.html

The D.C. White Research and Mentoring Award will be presented during the 112th General Meeting of the ASM, June 16 - 19, 2012 in San Francisco, California. ASM is the world's oldest and largest life science organization and has more than 40,000 members worldwide. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences and promote the use of scientific knowledge for improved health and economic and environmental wellbeing.

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The American Society for Microbiology honors E. Peter Greenberg

Public release date: 6-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Garth Hogan ghogan@asmusa.org American Society for Microbiology

Washington, DCJune 6, 2012 Bess B. Ward, William J. Sinclair Professor of Geosciences, Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, has been presented the 2012 Procter & Gamble Award in Applied and Environmental Microbiology. This award recognizes distinguished achievement in research and development in applied and environmental microbiology. "Ward has had a sustained and substantial influence on the field of marine microbiology over her career, directly through her seminal efforts defining the physiology, biogeochemistry, and molecular phylogeny of organisms responsible for key processes in the marine N cycle, nitrate reduction, nitrification, and denitrification, as well as through her mentoring and leadership," explains nominator Douglas Capone, University of Southern California. "She is currently in hot pursuit of factors which control the activity of denitrifiers and anaerobic ammonium oxidizers in the major oxygen minimum zones of the world's oceans."

Ward received her undergraduate degree in zoology at Michigan State University, Lansing, and her Ph.D. in Oceanography from the University of Washington, Seattle. Ward then held postdoctoral and research scientist positions at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California. She next joined the Department of Ocean Sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz as an assistant professor, becoming department chair after six years, before moving to Princeton. She has been department chair at Princeton for six years, in a department with research specialties spanning the entire range from theoretical seismology to her own work in marine microbiology.

Ward's research centers on the biogeochemistry of nitrogen in the marine environment. A major and continuing theme in her work is nitrification, a topic that has seen many important developments in recent years. She continues to work on nitrogen cycling in low oxygen regions of the world ocean. Her other studies include methane oxidation and N utilization by phytoplankton. Her signature approach is to combine biogeochemical approaches, typified by the use of stable isotopes to quantify the rates of nitrogen cycle processes, with molecular biological methods in order to link the rates of important transformations with the microbes that are responsible for them. "Her approach has been to simultaneously quantify the relevant fluxes using tracer techniques and the diversity and distribution of the operative microorganisms and functional enzymes," described Francois Morel, Princeton University. "Her results have played a central role in forging our present understanding of the marine N cycle."

"Ward has had an extremely productive and influential career," says Allan Devol of the University of Washington. A Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, Ward has also been honored with Fellowship in the American Geophysical Union and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1997, she was the first women and the youngest person to receive the G. Evelyn Hutchinson Medal from the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography. She has authored over 100 research papers and book chapters, and has edited volumes and served on journal editorial boards. "In addition, Ward has provided exceptional mentoring to her students and post-docs, many of whom have significant careers of their own," says Devol.

"In my view, the caliber of Ward's work, which has always been very high, keeps increasingas seen in her elegant recent paper in Nature quantifying the relative importance of dentrification and anammox in the oxygen minimum zones of the Pacific and Indian oceans. She is clearly a leader in environmental microbiologyone who richly deserves this recognition," summarizes Morel.

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To view Dr. Ward's biosketch, please visit: http://www.asm.org/index.php/awards-grants/current-procter-a-gamble-award-laureate.html

The Procter & Gamble Award in Applied and Environmental Microbiology will be presented during the 112th General Meeting of the ASM, June 16 - 19, 2012 in San Francisco, California. ASM is the world's oldest and largest life science organization and has more than 40,000 members worldwide. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences and promote the use of scientific knowledge for improved health and economic and environmental wellbeing.

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The American Society for Microbiology honors Bess B. Ward

Public release date: 6-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Garth Hogan ghogan@asmusa.org American Society for Microbiology

Washington, DCJune 6, 2012 Patrice Courvalin, M.D., Institut Pasteur, Paris, France, has been honored with the 2012 BD Award for Research in Clinical Microbiology. This award honors a distinguished scientist for research accomplishments that form the foundation for important applications in clinical microbiology. "Courvalin is internationally renowned for his in-depth studies in microbiology, with particular emphasis on antibiotic resistance," explains Stuart Levy, Tufts University School of Medicine. "Courvalin has made important discoveries in the fields of infectious diseases, microbiology, and drug resistance. The areas of his studies are broad, and benefit from his insightful recognition of novel findings." Currently Professor de Classe Exceptionnelle at the Institut Pasteur, Paris, Courvalin also directs the French National Reference Center for Antibiotics and is the Head of the Antibacterial Agents Unit.

Courvalin received master's degrees in Sciences and Human Biology from the University of Sciences, Paris, France. He then received his Doctorate in Medical Sciences cum laude from Medical School, Paris, and was a medical resident at the Hopital de l'Institut Pasteur. He then became a Research Associate at the University of Wisconsin, Madison from 1974-1977, and was Visiting Scholar in the Department of Biology, University of California, San Diego from 1989-1990. Courvalin has held many positions at the Institut Pasteur since 1970, including Chairman of the Department of Fundamental and Medical Microbiology from 2002-2003.

"Courvalin has carried out stellar research on the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance for some thirty years," according to Julian Davies, University of British Columbia. An expert in the genetics and biochemistry of antibiotic resistance, Courvalin first described and elucidated vancomycin resistance in Enterococcus. "This was arguably one of the most important findings in clinical antibiotic resistance microbiology of the past several decades," says his nominator, Gerry Wright of McMaster University. His research has led to a revision of the dogma describing natural dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes. "He has gone on to identify and classify several genetic variants of vancomycin resistance in Enterococci and recently in Staphylococci," Wright continued. Courvalin and his colleagues demonstrated that a wide variety of pathogenic bacteria can promiscuously exchange the genetic material conferring antibiotic resistance, proved that conjugation could account for dissemination of resistance determinants between phylogenetically remote bacterial genera, elucidated the transposition mechanism of conjugative transposons from Gram-positive cocci, and more recently have shown direct mammalian cells. "His contributions are always original and highly pertinent to practical aspects of antimicrobial chemotherapy. In addition, he is not only a leading researcher, but has applied his research for diagnostic purposes," expands Davies.

With more than 290 publications in international scientific journals, Courvalin's work is highly cited and recognized. He is Doctor honoris causa of the University of El Bosque, Bogota, the University of Mons, Hainaut, and the Technical University of Denmark. Courvalin has received numerous awards, including the Louis Garrod Award of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, the International Society for Chemotherapy's Hamao Umezawa Award, the Hoechst Marion Roussel Award from the ASM, the ISI Award (French Microbiologist Citation Laureate), the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Excellence Award, and the AGF Grand Prix of the French National Academy of Sciences. In addition, the Fondation de France has presented him with the Thrse Lebrasseur, Jacques Monod, and Jean Valade Awards. A Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, Courvalin has also been honored with Fellowship by the French National Academy of Technologies, European Academy of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Royal Academy of Medicine, Sarragossa, and the Royal College of Physicians, London, and has been named an honorary Fellow of the Australian Society for Antimicrobials. He serves on the editorial board of several international journals in microbiology and infectious diseases. "Courvalin has truly spanned fundamental research on resistance and its application in the clinic, and is highly deserving of this award," summarizes Wright.

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To view Dr. Courvalin's biosketch, please visit: http://www.asm.org/index.php/awards-grants/current-bd-award-for-research-in-clinical-microbiology-laureate.html

The BD Award for Research in Clinical Microbiology will be presented during the 112th General Meeting of the ASM, June 16 - 19, 2012 in San Francisco, California. ASM is the world's oldest and largest life science organization and has more than 40,000 members worldwide. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences and promote the use of scientific knowledge for improved health and economic and environmental well-being.

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The American Society for Microbiology honors Patrice Courvalin

Public release date: 6-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Garth Hogan ghogan@asmusa.org American Society for Microbiology

Washington, DCJune 6, 2012 L. Barth Reller, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Pathology, Duke University School of Medicine, and Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, has been honored with the 2012 TREK Diagnostic ABMM/ABMLI Professional Recognition Award. This award recognizes a Diplomate of the American Board of Medical Microbiology (ABMM) or the American Board of Medical Laboratory Immunology (ABMLI) for outstanding contributions to the professional recognition of certified microbiologists and immunologists and the work that they do. Reller was nominated by Lizzie Harrell, also of Duke University. "Reller has made significant contributions to the advancement and public recognition of the profession of clinical microbiology through his numerous publications, worldwide lectures, mentoring and training of clinical microbiologists at all levels, and long-term service to numerous scientific organizations," describes Harrell. "He is a strong advocate for evidence-based clinical microbiology, excellent training, and certification of clinical microbiologists at all levels."

Reller received his M.D. from the University of Virginia School of Medicine. He then completed an Internal Medicine residency, and fellowships in Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology at the University of Washington, before continuing on to receive his Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from the University of Liverpool. Reller next served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia before becoming the Director of Clinical Microbiology at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, followed by Professor of Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. In 1988, Reller joined the faculty of the Duke University School of Medicine as Professor of Medicine and Pathology, where his research interests include bacteremia, enteric bacteriology, and parasitic diseases. He was also Director of Clinical Microbiology at Duke University Medical Center from his hiring in 1988 through 2011.

Many honors, certifications, and service contributions support Reller's reputation as a leader in the field of clinical microbiology. Reller is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases by the American Board of Internal Medicine, and in Medical Microbiology by the American Board of Pathology and the ABMM. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Reller serves as Special Section Co-Editor for Medical Microbiology for the Infectious Diseases Society of America's journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, and the Past Chairman of the Anti infective Advisory Committee of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). He is now a consultant to this committee, and also to the FDA's Medical Microbiology Devices Advisory Committee. "Reller has diligently supported and guided the efforts of CLSI, CDC, FDA Anti-infective and Microbiology Devices panels, editorial boards, and professional committees, all of which impact medical microbiology," says Michael Wilson, Denver Health and University of Colorado. "I believe Reller to be one of the best medical microbiologists; an individual who brings distinguished credit to himself, the ABMM, and our profession. I know of no other individual who has been more effective at promoting the profession of medical microbiology."

In addition to his various contributions to the field, Reller has mentored and trained 38 Medical Microbiology Fellows who now serve in leadership positions in the US and six other countries. He strongly encourages those he mentors to become board-certified, remain active in the field, and be stewards of the profession. "As an early trainee under Reller's tutelage, I can attest to his generous and supportive mentorship. Over many years he has given his time and ideas to his trainees, then guided them toward completion of work for which they receive primary credit but which could not be accomplished without his critical thought and guidance. His keen intellect, encyclopedic knowledge, and common sense approach make him truly deserving of this award," says Melvin Weinstein, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

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To view Dr. Reller's biosketch, please visit: http://www.asm.org/index.php/awards-grants/current-trek-diagnostic-abmmabmli-professional-recognition-award-laureate.html

The TREK Diagnostic ABMM/ABMLI Professional Recognition Award will be presented during the 112th General Meeting of the ASM, June 16 - 19, 2012 in San Francisco, California. ASM is the world's oldest and largest life science organization and has more than 40,000 members worldwide. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences and promote the use of scientific knowledge for improved health and economic and environmental wellbeing.

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The American Society for Microbiology honors L. Barth Reller

Public release date: 6-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Garth Hogan ghogan@asmusa.org American Society for Microbiology

Washington, DCJune 6, 2012 Brent Barrett, Indiana State Department of Health, has been honored with the 2012 Scherago-Rubin Award. This award, presented for over twenty years, recognizes an outstanding bench-level clinical microbiologist. It was established by the late Sally Jo Rubin in honor of her grandfather, Professor Morris Scherago. "Barrett personifies the best of clinical microbiology," states his nominator, Judith Lovchik, Indiana State Department of Health Laboratory and and Diplomate of the American Board of Medical Microbiology (ABMM). "His intense focus on clinical microbiology has no parallel."

Barrett received his B.S. in microbiology from Purdue University in 1976 and his American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) certification in 1980. Barrett worked as a medical microbiologist at Community Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana from 1976 to 1980, then again part-time from 1982 to 1995. In 1996 he began part-time work as a microbiologist at Mid America Clinical Laboratories, which he continues today. His full-time position, which he has held since 1980, is microbiologist at the Indiana State Department of Health in Indianapolis. "Barrett is first and foremost a medical technologist, who for many years has worked in the enteric and parasitic diagnostic laboratory at the Indiana State Department of Health," explains James Snyder, University of Louisville Hospital, and ABMM Diplomate. "With his leadership, this laboratory gained national recognition as one of the few public health laboratories that practices state of the art diagnostics and serves as a major source of information regarding epidemiology and continuing education."

"During his many years as a bench-level clinical microbiologist, Barrett has done more for the continuing education of bench-level clinical microbiology technologists than anyone I have known," explains Larry Gray, Bethesda and Good Samaritan Hospitals, Cincinnati, and ABMM Diplomate. A ProMED-mail Rapporteur, he was presented in 2007 with the ProMED-mail Award for Excellence in Outbreak Reporting on the Internet. He is actively involved in parasitology case studies and workshops for the ASM and the South Central Association for Clinical Microbiology (SCACM), ASM and ASCP audio-conferences on parasitology and Shiga toxin producing E. coli, and SCACM's Interest Group sessions on enteric bacteria and parasitology. Barrett has also been an active participant in ASM activities. He currently serves as Division C list-serv co-moderator, an Askit Expert, and a member of the Clinical Microbiology Portal Committee.

In addition to his other duties, Barrett has been a member of SCACM since 1978 and has served the organization in several elected and appointed positions, including Treasurer, President, Director at Large, Internet Resources Chairman, and Audio-conference Chairman. "Barrett's enthusiasm for, love of, and dedication to bench level clinical microbiology are major reasons SCACM is and continues to be the oldest, largest, and most active clinical microbiology organization in the world," says Gray. In 2006, Barrett was named SCACM's Outstanding Contributor to Clinical Microbiology for his contributions.

Barrett is an excellent instructor who freely shares his expertise and enthusiasm. A highly requested speaker, he frequently presents case studies in parasitology and other enteric diseases. "Barrett's attributes and contributions to diagnostics and continuing education are exceptional and place him in a class of his own. He is truly the consummate medical microbiologist," summarizes Snyder.

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To read Mr. Barrett's biosketch, please visit: http://www.asm.org/index.php/awards-grants/current-scherago-rubin-award-laureate.html

The Scherago-Rubin Award will be presented during the 112th General Meeting of the ASM, June 16 - 19, 2012 in San Francisco, California. ASM is the world's oldest and largest life science organization and has more than 40,000 members worldwide. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences and promote the use of scientific knowledge for improved health and economic and environmental well-being.

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The American Society for Microbiology honors Brent Barrett

ANKARA, Turkey--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

At the 7th National Molecular and Diagnostic Microbiology Congress in Ankara, Bruker announces an exclusive framework agreement with Dzen (www.duzen.com.tr) in the area of molecular microbial identification based on MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Dzen is one of the leading private diagnostic laboratory groups in Turkey, and Bruker is the leading provider of mass spectrometry-based microorganism identification solutions worldwide. Dzen Laboratories, a highly regarded clinical diagnostics company for 38 years, is the pioneer in its field in introducing new technologies into routine clinical use in Turkey. In addition, Dzen also supports government and university funded health programs, and is the contract service provider of several embassies for visa applications.

During an extensive evaluation study of the commercially available MALDI-TOF based microorganism identification systems, Brukers MALDI Biotyper solution repeatedly outperformed other systems in both its analytical performance and easy to use workflow. On this basis, Dzen decided to enter into an exclusive long-term agreement with Bruker to equip its laboratories with the market leading MALDI Biotyper system.

We decided that the MALDI Biotyper is the most suitable system based on its smart and intelligent workflows and IT embedding features, and coupled with Brukers service and support network significantly reduced the challenges of implementing a new technology like MALDI-TOF into our daily routine workflow, commented Dr. Grkem Yaman, Microbiology Specialist at Dzen.

Dr. Yaman commented further: After successfully introducing a revolutionary species identification workflow, Brukers team of microbiologists are continuing to expand the horizons of MALDI-TOF microbial applications, providing us with initial ideas on how to detect particular resistance mechanisms with the MALDI Biotyper. This means that MALDI-TOF based detection of -lactamases and carbapenemases activity is possible in less than three hours, for some enzymes even within one hour. This approach also can be applied to the analysis of positive blood cultures using Brukers MALDI Sepsityper kit, obtaining information both on the species and its possible resistance mechanisms within a couple of hours. This may have a significant impact on the clinical management of patients in Turkey.

When considering potential partners it is important for us to identify not only the most reliable partner but one that fully understands our needs and requirements. Brukers Open Microbiology Concept permits us to use and connect different technologies of our choice; this flexible approach compliments our own strategy and concepts perfectly. The philosophies of both companies fit nicely together and I am looking forward to expanding the cooperation into other regions in the future, concluded Dr. Elvan Laleli-Sahin, Member of the Board of Directors, Dzen.

Dr. Guido Mix, Director of Microbiology at Bruker Daltonics, added: We are very pleased that after leading the MALDI-TOF-based revolution for microbial identification, Bruker is now also leading the integration of this new molecular method into the overall microbiological workflow. Our efforts toward developing smart and straightforward workflows for the daily microbiological routine of labs are especially valued by our customers. Being able to offer very robust mass spectrometer hardware and software, and proven hands-on standard operating protocols, all backed-up by our dedicated microbiology support specialists, makes Bruker a reliable long-term partner.

About the Bruker MALDI Biotyper

Brukers dedicated MALDI Biotyper solution (www.bdal.com/maldibiotyper) enables molecular identification, and taxonomical classification or dereplication of microorganisms like bacteria, yeasts and fungi. Classification and identification of microorganisms is achieved reliably and quickly using proteomic fingerprinting by high-throughput MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Applications include clinical routine microbial identification, environmental and pharmaceutical analysis, taxonomical research, food and consumer product safety and quality control, as well as marine microbiology. Brukers robust MALDI Biotyper method requires minimal sample preparation efforts and offers low consumables cost per sample. The MALDI Biotyper is available in a research-use-only version, as well as in an IVD-CE version according to EU directive EC/98/79 in various European countries.

ABOUT BRUKER CORPORATION (BRKR)

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Düzen Selects Bruker´s MALDI Biotyper for Mass Spectrometry-based Molecular Microbial Identification

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New chief of medicine for PRHC

Public release date: 30-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Courtenay S. Brown csbrown@asmusa.org 202-942-9316 American Society for Microbiology

Inspired by a 2009 colloquium on microbial evolution convened at the Galapagos Islands, a new book from ASM Press, Microbes and Evolution: The World That Darwin Never Saw celebrates Charles Darwin and his landmark publication On the Origin of Species. The editors compiled 40 first-person essays, written by microbiologists with a passion for evolutionary biology, to illuminate how each scientist's thinking and career paths in science were influenced by Darwin's seminal work.

Intended for a general audience, Microbes and Evolution explores how the evidence of microbial evolution deeply and personally affected each scientist. Readers can expect to be surprised and delighted with these intimate viewpoints on the importance of evolutionary principles in the study of a variety of aspects of life science, from taxonomy, speciation, adaptation, social structure, and symbiosis to antibiotic resistance, genetics, and genomics.

"Despite the political rhetoric about evolution, microbes provide compelling examples of natural selectionexamples that affect all of our lives every day. We thought the best way to tell these stories was to ask scientists who work in this field to share their discoveries in a way that explains why they find microbial evolution exciting and important. And along the way, they provide interesting insights into how they think about science, revealing personalities that are as diverse as the microbes they study," say Roberto Kolter of Harvard Medical School who co-edited the book with Stanley Maloy of San Diego State University.

"To celebrate the anniversary of both Darwin's birth and the publication of On the Origin of Species, a select group of microbiologists met in the Galapagos Islands, bent on reconciling modern microbiology with classical evolutionary theory. Their essays, born of this historic gathering, appear here, each written in an erudite yet highly personal style. Consequently, this book is not only highly informative, but a great deal of fun to read. About half of them had something to say about Darwin; the other half, what Darwin would have said about them," says Moselio Schaechter, distinguished professor emeritus, Tufts University School of Medicine; adjunct professor emeritus, Department of Biology, San Diego State University; and, visiting scholar, University of California at San Diego.

Richard Losick, Maria Moors Cabot Professor, at Harvard University, describes Microbes and Evolution as "A breathtaking range of topics are woven together under a common theme that takes the reader from the origin of microbial life to its diversity, from mutualism and competition to efforts to recapitulate evolution, from the diversity of bacterial viruses to 'the smallest and most abundant microorganism in the ocean.'"

"This book is an excellent collection of articles and should be read by everyone working with bacteria (and others as well) or thinking of doing so," says Charles Yanofsky, professor emeritus, Department of Biology, Stanford University.

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Roberto Kolter did his academic training at Carnegie-Mellon University, UC San Diego, and Stanford. Since 1983 he has been a faculty member of Harvard Medical School. A fanatic of food and wine, he enjoys burning those calories off in early morning runs along the Charles River in Boston.

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Honoring the fundamental role of microbes in the natural history of our planet

Public release date: 29-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Anne Banner abanner@gwu.edu 202-994-2261 George Washington University Medical Center

WASHINGTON (May 29, 2012) GW Researchers, Jeffrey M. Bethony, Ph.D., associate professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine, and Paul Brindley, Ph.D., professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine at GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences, along with colleagues from Khon Kaen University in Thailand have determined that plasma Interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels are an sensitive and specific biomarker for the detection of the advanced bile duct fibrosis and bile duct cancer that comes from chronic infection with the Asian Liver Fluke (Opisthorchis viverrini). The research, titled, "Elevated Plasma IL-6 Associates with Increased Risk of Advanced Fibrosis and Cholangiocarcinoma in Individuals Infected by Opisthorchis viverrini," was recently published in the journal, PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

This discovery is a critical advance for the Northeastern (Isaan) region of Thailand and other areas of Southeast Asia, where an estimated 10 million people are currently infected with Asian Liver Fluke, which is the leading cause of cancer in the region. This food-borne parasite encysts in the fins, skin, and musculature of fish and infection occurs when people ingest this raw or uncooked fish. While the infection can be cured by chemotherapy, environmental and cultural factors of the region strongly favors rapid reinfection, with bile duct cancer as a common outcome. Northeastern Thailand has the highest levels bile duct cancer in the world. The determination that plasma IL-6 levels are associated with bile duct fibrosis (a precursor state to bile duct cancer) and early bile duct cancer were done by examining participants in the Khon Kaen Cholangiocarcinoma Cohort, the largest cancer cohort of its type in the world, and an NIH sponsored project in collaboration with George Washington University and Khon Kaen University. In this study, researchers visited nearly 4,000 individuals resident in rural areas of Thailand, where the parasite is endemic to conduct ultrasound studies to detect advanced bile duct fibrosis and early bile duct cancer and then link the ultrasound results with levels of plasma IL-6. This research was done in collaboration with Drs. Banchob Sripa, Bandit Thinkhamrop, Eimorn Mairiang, and Thewarach Laha from the Khon Kaen University School of Medicine and School of Public Health.

As a result of the identifying this biomarker, the Thai Ministry of Public Health has implemented testing for levels of plasma IL-6 for individuals between 20 and 60 in endemic regions of Isaan Thailand to identify individuals at risk for bile duct cancer. Through this test, it is hoped that bile duct cancer can be detected earlier and at a more treatable stage.

"Typically, bile duct cancer has a late presentation, and so a very high mortality rate. Now that we've identified the IL-6 biomarker, our hope is that earlier detection is possible and earlier treatment saves more lives," said Jeffrey M. Bethony, Ph.D., associate professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS).

In collaboration with Dr. Jason Mulvenna of the Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Brisbane Australia, the researchers are also using quantitative proteomics approaches to identify biomarkers that could be used in an even more sensitive and specific test for the early detection of this infection-associated bile duct cancer. The current discovery was possible through funding from an RO1 grant (R01CA155297-01) from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

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About the School of Medicine and Health Sciences

Founded in 1825, the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) was the first medical school in the nation's capital and is the 11th oldest in the country. Working together in our nation's capital, with integrity and resolve, the GW SMHS is committed to improving the health and well-being of our local, national and global communities. http://www.smhs.gwumc.edu

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GW researchers discover biomarker for advanced bile duct fibrosis and bile duct cancer

By: Ariana Diaz | adiaz@oanow.com Published: May 25, 2012 Updated: May 25, 2012 - 9:49 PM

Bess Ward said she had no idea she was nominated for a prestigious Procter & Gamble honor but was thrilled when she found out.

Ward, a 1972 Auburn High School graduate, was named the 2012 Procter & Gamble laureate in applied and environmental microbiology. She has been chair of the Department of Geosciences at Princeton University for six years. She has focused much of her research on the biogeochemistry of nitrogen in marine environments.

The award recognizes distinguished achievement in research and development in her field.

Shes made many important discoveries on how the nitrogen cycle of the ocean works and has made fundamental contributions, said Procter & Gamble nominator Douglas Capone, chair of the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Southern California.

Capone said he and Ward met more than 30 years ago at one of the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography meetings for research and discussion. He said he nominated Ward because he thinks highly of her research and believes she deserves it.

Ward received her undergraduate degree in zoology at Michigan State University and Ph.D. in oceanography at the University of Washington. She held postdoctoral and research scientist positions at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, Calif. Ward served as assistant professor for the department of ocean sciences at the University of California for six years before becoming department chair.

She really is a pioneer, Capone said Shes brought many new techniques.

As fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, Ward has also received the Fellowship in the American Geophysical Union and the American Academy of Arts and Science. In 1997, she was the first woman and youngest person to receive the G. Evelyn Hutchinson Medal from the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography.

Ward will be honored by Procter & Gamble on June 18 at the American Society for Microbiology general meeting in San Francisco. There, she will give the lecture: Biogeochemical Cycling: Past, Present and Future.

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AHS graduate wins science award

Public release date: 24-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Garth Hogan ghogan@asmusa.org American Society for Microbiology

The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) is proud to announce the 2012 award laureates. The awards will be presented during the 112th General Meeting of the ASM, June 16-19, 2012 in San Francisco, CA.

Abbott Award in Clinical and Diagnostic Immunology honors a distinguished scientist in the field of clinical or diagnostic immunology. Bruce S. Rabin, M.D., Ph.D., Medical Director, Clinical Immunopathology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, PA

Abbott-ASM Lifetime Achievement Award honors an individual whose made sustained contributions to the microbiological sciences. Stuart B. Levy, M.D., Director, Center for Adaptation Genetics and Drug Resistance, Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA

ASM Founders Distinguished Service Award recognizes a member of ASM for outstanding contributions to the Society in a volunteer capacity at the national level. Ellen Jo Baron, Ph.D., Director, Medical Affairs, Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA

ASM Graduate Microbiology Teaching Award honors an individual for exemplary teaching of microbiology and mentoring of students at the graduate and postgraduate levels and for encouraging students to subsequent achievement. Joanna B. Goldberg, Ph.D., Professor, University of Virginia, Charlottesville

BD Award for Research in Clinical Microbiology honors a distinguished clinical microbiologist for outstanding research accomplishments leading to or forming the foundation for important applications in clinical microbiology. Patrice Courvalin, M.D., Head of the Antibacterial Agents Unit, Insitut Pasteur, Paris, France

bioMrieux Sonnenwirth Award for Leadership in Clinical Microbiology recognizes a distinguished microbiologist for the promotion of innovation in clinical laboratory science, dedication to ASM, and the advancement of clinical microbiology as a profession. Susan E. Sharp, M.S., Ph.D., Director of Microbiology, Kaiser Permanente Northwest, Portland, OR

Carski Foundation Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award recognizes a mature individual for distinguished teaching of microbiology to undergraduate students and for encouraging them to subsequent achievement. Lilliam Casillas-Martinez, Ph.D., Full Professor, University of Puerto Rico, Humacao

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The American Society for Microbiology announces the 2012 Award Laureates

Public release date: 25-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: WHOI Media Relations Office media@whoi.edu 508-289-3340 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) has chosen Karen Lloyd, an assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, as the recipient of the Holger W. Jannasch Visiting Scholar Award.

The award recognizes Lloyd for her "outstanding contributions to the field of marine microbiology," as well as her demonstrated excellence in mentoring students and commitment to educational public outreach.

Lloyd is currently pushing the frontiers of the field by analyzing the diversity and function of yet-to-be cultivated bacteria and archaeaa group of single-celled microorganismsin deep subseafloor sediments using single-cell genomics and other cutting-edge techniques. Her research focuses on linking uncultivated microorganisms to their geochemical functions and exploring how these communities react to changing environmental conditions.

Lloyd will visit WHOI the week of July 9-13, 2012, and present two lectures to students and scientists in the Woods Hole community. The first talk, on a general scientific topic, will be Monday, July 9, 2012, at 3 p.m. in Redfield Auditorium. Lloyd will present a second talk, which will focus on her research, Wednesday, July 11, 2012, at noon in Clark 507.

"This is a wonderful opportunity to recognize a talented young microbiologist while celebrating the legacy of Holger Jannasch, who shaped the field of marine microbiology," said WHOI Biology Department Chair Mark Hahn.

The visiting scholar award is named in memory of Jannasch, a WHOI senior scientist in the Biology Department and world-renowned, deep-sea microbiologist, who died in 1998. During his illustrious career, he isolated and cultivated many microbes, studied their physiology and adaptations to the environment, and explored associations between microbes and animals. He also was involved in designing sophisticated instrumentation for collecting and culturing bacteria, as well as to measure rates of microbial activity in the deep-sea. Jannasch and his WHOI colleagues performed pioneering work investigating microbial decomposition rates in the deep sea.

Following the discovery of deep-sea hydrothermal vents in the late 1970s, Jannasch's lab again played an instrumental role in identifying chemosynthesis as the nutritional basis for life at deep-sea vents, which has had major implications for deep-sea microbial ecology and the way we think about the origin of life on Earth.

"My first exposure to oceanography was working as a lab technician at WHOI for Andreas TeskeHolger Jannasch's successora year after Dr. Jannasch's passing. His work influenced nearly every aspect of the field of deep sea microbiology, and I am honored to receive the award that bears his name," Lloyd said.

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Dr. Karen Lloyd receives WHOI's Holger W. Jannasch Visiting Scholar Award

Despite their ecologic similarity, soils from three geographically distinct areas of the American southwest harbor vastly different collections of small, biosynthetic genes, a finding that suggests the existence of a far greater diversity of potentially useful products than was previously supposed. The research is published in the May issue of Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

Natural compounds have been the sources of the majority of new drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, and bacteria have been the biggest single source of these therapeutically relevant compounds. Most bacterially-derived antibiotic and anticancer agents were discovered by culturing bacteria from environmental samples, and then examining the metabolites they produce in laboratory fermentation studies. But the vast majority of bacterial species cannot be cultured, which suggested that the world might be awash in potentially useful, but unknown bacterial metabolites.

In this study, Sean Brady of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Rockefeller University, New York, NY, and colleagues extracted DNA from soils from the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, the Anza Borrego section of the Sonoran Desert of California, and the Great Basin Desert of Utah. They used this DNA to construct very large metagenomic DNA libraries, and screened these libraries for three of the most common classes of small molecule biosynthesis systems, type I modular polyketides, type II iterative polyketides, and non-ribosomal peptides, says Brady.

The investigators used PCR to amplify collections of gene fragments from each of the three libraries and compared these to assess the similarities and differences between the collections of genes cloned from each environment, says Brady.

"Our work suggests that the genomes of environmental bacteria could encode many additional drug-like molecules, including compounds that might serve, among other things, as new antibiotics and anticancer agents," says Brady. "This is a small preliminary study that warrants additional investigations of more environments and more extensive sequence analysis, but it suggests that environmental bacteria have the potential to encode a large additional treasure trove of new medicines."

More information: B.V.B. Reddy, D. Kallifidas, J.H. Kim, Z. Charlop-powers, Z. Feng, and S.F. Brady, 2012. Natural product biosynthetic gene diversity in geographically distinct soil microbiomes. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 78:3744-3752.

Journal reference: Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Provided by American Society for Microbiology

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Genes culled from desert soils suggest potential medical resource

Public release date: 22-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jim Sliwa jsliwa@asmusa.org 202-942-9297 American Society for Microbiology

Researchers have uncovered what makes one particular strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) so proficient at picking up resistance genes, such as the one that makes it resistant to vancomycin, the last line of defense for hospital-acquired infections. They report their findings in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, on Tuesday May 22.

"MRSA strains are leading causes of hospital-acquired infections in the United States, and clonal cluster 5 (CC5) is the predominant lineage responsible for these infections. Since 2002, there have been 12 cases of vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA) infection in the United Statesall CC5 strains," write the researchers from Harvard, the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston and the Broad Institute in Cambridge and other institutions. "Vancomycin is a key last-line bactericidal drug for treating these infections."

The CC5 strain of MRSA has managed to acquire resistance to vancomycin on 12 separate occasions, and although it hasn't spread widely yet, the risk that MRSA could eventually overwhelm even our last-line drugs is a very serious one. In the study, the researchers sequenced the genomes of all available vancomycin-resistant MRSA strains to find what distinguishes them from other lineages and why CC5 is apparently more adept than other strains at picking up vancomycin resistance.

They report that vancomycin-resistant MRSA strains and other CC5 lineages have some important differences from other types of MRSA, including adaptations that allow them to co-exist with other types of bacteria and may help them take up foreign DNA. They all lack the operon called bsa, for instance, a set of genes that encode a lantibiotic bacteriocin, an antibiotic protein made by bacteria to kill other bacteria. This is important, say the authors, because it enables CC5 to get along well with other bacteria in mixed infections. Instead of killing off competing organisms, CC5 aims to co-exist. This enables it to pick up genes - like the one that encodes vancomycin resistance - from unexpected places. Mixed infections are breeding grounds for antibiotic resistance because they encourage the exchange of genes among very different kinds of organisms.

In roughly the place where these bacteriocin genes are missing is a unique cluster of genes that encode enterotoxins, proteins that attack the human host and, again, could make it easier for mixed populations of bacteria to grow at infection sites.

Finally, CC5 has a mutation in a gene called dprA, which is known to influence the ability to assimilate foreign DNA. The mutation could alter or eliminate the function of dprA in CC5 strains of MRSA, making it amenable to taking up DNA from outside sources.

The sum of all these traits, including the lack of bacteriocin production, the ability to produce enterotoxins, and mutations in the ability to assimilate foreign DNA, is a lineage of S. aureus that is optimized to grow in exactly the types of multi-species infections where gene transfer could occur.

This makes CC5 a dangerous organism in hospitals, say the authors. In hospitals, pathogens are under continuous pressure from antibiotics to survive and evolve, and CC5 isolates appear to be very well adapted to succeed by acquiring new resistances. Frequent use of antibiotics in hospital patients could select for strains like CC5 that have an enhanced ability to co-exist with bacteria that provide genes for antibiotic resistance.

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How one strain of MRSA becomes resistant to last-line antibiotic

Public release date: 21-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Garth Hogan ghogan@asmusa.org American Society for Microbiology

Ellen Jo Baron, Ph.D., D(ABMM), Professor Emerita, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, has been honored with the 2012 ASM Founders Distinguished Service Award for her years of volunteer service to ASM. "For as long as I can recall during my career in clinical microbiology, Baron has been the heart and soul of my profession," says Wm. Michael Dunne, Ph.D., Executive Director of Research and Development, North America, for bioMrieux, Inc., Durham, NC.

Baron holds a Ph.D. in Medical Microbiology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Clinical Microbiology and Laboratory Medicine at UCLA and the Wadsworth Veterans Affairs Medical Center. At Stanford, Baron served as Director of the Clinical Microbiology and Clinical Virology Laboratories and Associate Chair of Pathology for Faculty Development and Diversity in the School of Medicine. Baron is currently Director of Medical Affairs for Cepheid, a high-technology molecular diagnostics company in Sunnyvale, California, where she writes the On-Demand Newsletter and works on clinical trials, new test development, and publications involving Cepheid products. She serves as an internal and external educator about the technology and its impact on patient care.

Baron's numerous contributions to ASM encompass a vast variety of programs. "Baron is one of those unsung treasures of ASM; she has worked diligently for the society, both locally and nationally, for over 35 years," describes nominator Fred Tenover of Cepheid. Baron has served as Chair of ASM's largest scientific division, Division C (Clinical Microbiology), and is now the Divisional Representative for Group 1. In addition, she is a Diplomate of the American Board of Medical Microbiology and a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology. She has also been involved at the branch level, has served as a volume editor for four editions of the Manual of Clinical Microbiology, and has promoted the field of clinical microbiology to undergraduate and graduate students throughout the United States and the world. "I am in awe of her energy and her tireless efforts to not only promote ASM, but to promote the field of Medical Microbiology and to ensure a minimum standard of excellence in clinical laboratory practice throughout the world," says Karen Carroll, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

In addition to her extensive service to the ASM, Baron has also volunteered her time to many other entities. She is a past microbiology representative on the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services Clinical Laboratory Improvement Advisory Committee, and served for almost 10 years on the Council of Clinical Advisors for the NIH Clinical Laboratories. Baron has been on the editorial boards of several key clinical microbiology journals, has written or edited over 30 books and chapters, and is widely published in peer-reviewed journals in the area of diagnostic microbiology and infectious diseases (with over 100 publications). She is a past recipient of ASM's bioMrieux Sonnenwirth Award for Leadership in Clinical Microbiology and the Alice C. Evans Award for serving as a role model for women in the field. She won the Kenneth L. Vosti Teaching Award from the Infectious Diseases Division at Stanford, and is a Fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Baron currently serves as a representative on the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute's Microbiology Area Resource Committee.

Baron is also very active in the field of diagnostic microbiology as a symposium presenter and author. For the World Health Organization, she co-developed the program for antimicrobial resistance monitoring and basic microbiology, which she presented in a number of resource-poor countries from 1995-1998 and again in 2005. In 2007, Baron developed a new basic microbiology training program for developing world sites, which has been presented in Colombia, Laos, Cambodia, Botswana, Zambia, Mozambique, China, Panama, and El Salvador, as well as in the U.S. This program is supported by grants from the Mrieux Foundation, Pan-American Health Organization, and ASM's LabCap Committee. The program will eventually be used throughout the entire developing world. Baron is Secretary-Treasurer of Diagnostic Microbiology Development Program, a non-profit organization that she co-founded to support microbiology laboratory development in the resource-limited areas of the world.

"In short, I can think of no one more deserving of an award for outstanding volunteer service, and for dedication to the pursuit of the goals of the ASM, than Baron," summarized Carroll. "She truly embodies the spirit of our discipline."

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To view Dr. Baron's biosketch, please visit: http://www.asm.org/index.php/awards-grants/current-asm-founders-distinguished-service-award-laureate.html

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The American Society for Microbiology honors Ellen Jo Baron

U.K.-based artist Luke Jerram has created beautiful pieces that draw on everything from data visualization to microbiology to radiometers. Crave presents a selection.

Radiometer chandelier.

Yes, artist Luke Jerram's most widely known piece may perhaps be "Play Me, I'm Yours" -- an artwork that temporarily distributes actual full-size pianos on the streets of major cities for anyone to play. After all, it's been featured in hugely populated towns like New York City and Los Angeles. But his body of work displays a particular fascination with science and technology.

One sculpture, for instance, is based on the seismogram generated by the 2011 Japan earthquake. Others draw from data visualization as well: charts of the ups and downs of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the New York Stock Exchange. Microbiology, optics, and the history of sound recording have also inspired compelling pieces.

Jerram has even created chandeliers out of that geekiest of objects: the Crookes radiometer -- the little "lightbulb" with the spinning "windmill" inside that we all coveted in the science museum's gift shop when we kids.

Here's a look at some of Jerram's work, which has been featured in exhibitions associated with the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Venice Biennale in Italy.

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Science, tech fuel artist's varied and vivid ouevre

Public release date: 16-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Garth Hogan ghogan@asmusa.org American Society for Microbiology

Washington, DC May 14, 2012 The 2012 winners of the ASM Public Communications Award are Jon Cohen and Martin Enserink from Science. "False Positive" was published in Science on September 23, 2011. The article digs deep into the controversy surrounding the publication of a study that linked a mouse retrovirus, XMRV, to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

Cohen and Enserink spoke with scientists and CFS patients around the world for four months, attended meetings in the US and Europe to report on all sides of the controversy. Their work resulted in an 8-page story in which Cohen and Enserink carefully chronicled how the XMRV hypothesis arose, how it was embraced by patients and media, and eventually disproved by research.

The Award recognizes outstanding journalistic achievement in increasing public awareness, knowledge, and understanding of microbiology. The Public Communications Award, which includes a $2500 honorarium, will be presented during a ceremony at the ASM General Meeting, June 16-19 in San Francisco, CA.

'False Positive' contributed to the public understanding of microbiology by documenting, in meticulous detail, just how the field operates when confronted with a result that doesn't hold up.

Judges for the award were Debora MacKenzie of New Scientist; Maryn McKenna of Wired; and Terry Murray of The Medical Post. Judges described 'False Positive' as "extremely thorough and thoughtful" and a "thorough review of the XMRV/CFS hypothesis and attendant controversy".

Martin Enserink has been a reporter and editor for Science magazine since 1999, first at the magazine's Washington D.C. headquarters and later in Paris. He now is a contributing news editor based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He specializes in infectious diseases and global health.

A correspondent with Science since 1990, Cohen also has written for the New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, the New York Times Magazine, Smithsonian, Outside, Slate, Technology Review, and many other publications. His books include Shots in the Dark, Coming to Term and Almost Chimpanzee.

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Science reporters win ASM Public Communications Award

The Miami University Department of Microbiology has high hopes for samples of Antarctic lake water brought back for analysis by Assistant Professor of Microbiology Rachael Morgan-Kiss.

The primary reason for the trip was to investigate microbe-dominated bodies of water in hopes of shedding light on the activity and ecological role of single-celled organisms called protists.

Students in Morgan-Kiss laboratories have been given the opportunity to perform analysis on the samples of lake water from Antarctica over the past several weeks. Morgan-Kiss said the experience is, another outlet for students to get real research experience.

Morgan-Kiss is excited with the work and findings of students who have been working with the samples, according to senior microbiology major Austin Duprey, a student in Morgan-Kiss class.

Duprey said working with the samples has been a rewarding opportunity.

I think its pretty neat because were working with stuff thats relatively new, Duprey said.

According to Morgan-Kiss, using small and relatively isolated Antarctic lakes to study the function of these microbes could help researchers understand the role similar microbes play in larger, more complex bodies of water.

These organisms are really, really abundant in all aquatic systems all over the world, Morgan-Kiss said. In these other systems, they are a lot more complex than our lakes. Its been known that these organisms are abundant, but it has been very difficult to understand what theyre doing. When organisms are important on such a huge scale they have a big impact, even though theyre microbes.

The nature of protists and their role in both large and small ecosystems is complex due to the fact that they are able to play two very different roles within their food web. According to Morgan-Kiss, protists have the ability not only to carry out photosynthesis and fix carbon, like plants, but also to be predatory organisms despite the fact that they are single-celled.

Morgan-Kiss said Miami is specially suited to the kind of work necessary to determine the roles these organisms play in global ecosystems because of its use of a technology called chlorophyll fluorescence, which analyzes in real time the types of algae living in the Antarctic lakes. This can then be used to make hypothesis about the organisms role in the carbon cycle.

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Students participate in Antartica research

Vancouver, B.C. (PRWEB) May 08, 2012

The John Conly Innovation Academy Award was presented to Dr. Titus Wong of Vancouver General Hospital at the AMMI - CACMID Annual Conference held in Vancouver, BC. This inaugural award recognizes novel and creative strategies to improve patient safety and public health in Canada. Dr Wong presented the abstract titled Nasal Decolonization of Staphylococcus aureus with Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy (aPDT or photodisinfection) to two of Canada's leading expert groups, the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada (AMMI) and the Canadian Association of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (CACMID).

Dr. Titus Wong and his team at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) won the John Conly Innovation Academy Award at the AMMI - CACMID Annual Conference for their implementation of a universal nasal decolonization program using the non-antibiotic photodisinfection based technology, MRSAid(TM), from Vancouver based company Ondine Biomedical Inc. Under this innovative project, patients undergoing major elective surgeries at VGH, including cardiac, spinal, orthopedic, thoracic, vascular, breast reconstruction, and neurological, were treated with MRSAid nasal decolonization therapy prior to surgery. Photodisinfection therapy instantly destroyed the Methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Methicillin sensitive staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) from the patient's nose, the primary site of colonization.

The MRSAid photodisinfection project at VGH is the first deployment of a pre-surgical universal nasal decolonization protocol. To date, results have demonstrated patient safety, microbiological efficacy and high patient compliance rates of 99%. Traditional decolonization protocols involve the use of topical antibiotics which have demonstrated resistance formation(1) and patient compliance rates as low as 40%(2) Additionally, ease of workflow integration of the MRSAid photodisinfection system was demonstrated on this patient population of over 1,800. Photodisinfection rapidly destroys pathogens and associated virulence factors without the need for antibiotics, and without encouraging the formation and spread of antibiotic resistance.

Patients colonized with MRSA and MSSA are at risk of developing surgical site infections, which often lead to increased morbidity and mortality rates. Patients that develop infections after surgery are five times more likely to be readmitted to a hospital and twice as likely to die. On average, surgical site infections require an extended hospital stay of eight days in an acute care setting, and add hundreds of millions of dollars in additional costs to the Canadian healthcare system every year. The objective of this patient safety initiative is to significantly reduce surgical site infection rates.

Dr. Titus Wong and his team at VGH expect to complete this quality improvement project by the end of the year and will publish safety, microbiological efficacy, patient compliance and surgical site infection rates throughout 2013.

(1) Coates T, Bax R, Coates A (2009). Nasal decolonization of Staphylococcus aureus with mupirocin: strengths, weaknesses and future prospects. J Antimicrob Chemother. Jul;64(1):9-15. (2) Claxton, A. J., Cramer, J. & Pierce, C. (2001). A systematic review of the association between dose regimens and medication compliance. Clinical Therapeutics23, 1296310.

About Ondine Biomedical Inc. Ondine is developing non-antibiotic therapies for the treatment of a broad spectrum of bacterial, fungal and viral infections. The Company is focused on developing leading edge products utilizing its patented light-activated technology, primarily for the healthcare-associated infection (HAI) market. Photodisinfection provides broad-spectrum antimicrobial efficacy without encouraging the formation and spread of antibiotic resistance. The Company is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with a research and development laboratories in Bothell, Washington, USA and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Please visit the Company's website at: http://www.ondinebio.com and http://www.ondineblog.com. For further information please contact us at: Ondine Biomedical Inc. info(at)ondinebio(dot)com

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MRSAid Photodisinfection Project Wins Innovation Award at Leading Canadian Infectious Disease & Microbiology Conference