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Session View

Monday 09 April, Morning

Pre-Conference session: Teaching microbiology in higher education

This half-day symposium will present several interactive sessions which aim to bring delegates together to discuss and share innovative ways of teaching. Delegates will benefit from hearing about the successes of others and identify how best to tackle areas needing improvement. The impact of the Teaching Excellence Framework on teaching staff and the use of modern teaching methods will be explored during the afternoon. A key output of the symposium will be a network for delegates to continue to share current pedagogical approaches.

Organisers

Tadhg Ó’Cróinín (University College Dublin), Alison Graham (University of Newcastle), Sarah Maddocks (Cardiff Metropolitan University), David Whitworth (Aberystwyth University)

  • Arrival, poster viewing and networking lunch

Halls 8a & 8b

11:00 - 12:30

  • Welcome address

Tadhg O'Cróinín (University College Dublin, Ireland), Halls 8a & 8b

12:30 - 12:45

  • The changing face of teaching in higher education – the impact of external factors

Jeremy Pritchard (University of Birmingham, UK) & Rachel Lambert-Forsyth (Royal Society of Biology, UK), Halls 8a & 8b

12:45 - 13:30

Monday 09 April, Afternoon

Pre-Conference session: Teaching microbiology in higher education

This half-day symposium will present several interactive sessions which aim to bring delegates together to discuss and share innovative ways of teaching. Delegates will benefit from hearing about the successes of others and identify how best to tackle areas needing improvement. The impact of the Teaching Excellence Framework on teaching staff and the use of modern teaching methods will be explored during the afternoon. A key output of the symposium will be a network for delegates to continue to share current pedagogical approaches.

Organisers

Tadhg Ó’Cróinín (University College Dublin), Alison Graham (University of Newcastle), Sarah Maddocks (Cardiff Metropolitan University), David Whitworth (Aberystwyth University)

  • Using digital platforms for teaching in higher education: Virtual simulations as preparation for lab exercises

Helen Gadegaard (University of Glasgow, UK), Halls 8a & 8b

13:30 - 14:00

  • Using digital platforms for teaching in higher education: Teaching large groups using interactive programmes

Stephen McClean (Ulster University, UK), Halls 8a & 8b

14:00 - 14:30

  • Using digital platforms for teaching in higher education: Improving student engagement with the assessment process in undergraduate microbiology modules

Alison Graham (Newcastle University, UK), Halls 8a & 8b

14:30 - 15:00

  • Coffee break

Hall 3

15:00 - 15:30

  • Novel techniques in the lecture theatre: Lecture theatre pantomime

Ian Turner (University of Derby, UK), Halls 8a & 8b

15:30 - 16:00

  • Novel techniques in the lecture theatre: Offered paper - 'Disease of the returning traveller’ – a flipped classroom approach to tropical medicine teaching within a UK undergraduate medicine curriculum

James Edwards (University of Plymouth, UK), Halls 8a & 8b

16:00 - 16:15

  • Novel techniques in the lecture theatre: Offered paper - From Game Master to Teaching Fellow: applying role-playing game designing skills to the development of creative epidemiology workshops

Georgios Efthimiou (University of Strathclyde, UK), Halls 8a & 8b

16:15 - 16:30

  • Novel techniques in the lecture theatre: Offered paper - Beyond creation learning and creative teaching: enhancing students’ creative self-efficacy

David Whitworth (Aberystwyth University, UK), Halls 8a & 8b

16:30 - 16:45

  • Teaching challenges – successes and areas for improvement

Halls 8a & 8b

16:45 - 17:30

  • Next steps – what have we learned and what's the output?

Tadhg O'Cróinín (University College Dublin, Ireland), Halls 8a & 8b

17:30 - 18:00

  • Registration open

16:00 - 20:00

  • Pre-Conference networking workshop

Hall 11a

18:00 - 20:00

Tuesday 10 April, Morning

  • Registration open

07:00 - 09:15

  • Open address

Neil Gow (University of Aberdeen, UK), Hall 1

09:15 - 09:20

  • Hot Topic Lecture – Plastic waste is a global challenge. Are biodegradable plastics the answer?

Kevin O'Connor (University College Dublin, Ireland), Hall 1

09:20 - 09:50

Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

Recent technological advances have greatly improved our knowledge of the distribution and dynamics of the thousands of microbial species that are found associated with the human body. In many instances, we exist in apparent harmony with this resident microbiota, but when conditions allow, this relationship can break down rapidly, often with negative consequences for human health. There remains much to be learnt regarding the behaviour of these diverse microbial communities, but such understanding is essential for us to hope to modulate the host–microbiota interface for human benefit. This session aims to bring together world leaders across both prokaryotic and eukaryotic divisions to discuss the latest advances in the study of mechanisms by which hitherto beneficial or ‘commensal’ microorganisms present in or on humans can emerge as potential pathogens. Factors that will be considered include: (i) interactions with other microbes (e.g. how cross-kingdom dialogue might stabilise or disrupt ‘protective’ microbial populations); (ii) how the host immune response modulates microbial behaviour or vice versa; (iii) how the pathogenic potential of microbes can vary according to ecological niche or ‘healthy’ vs immunocompromised host; and (iv) how microbial adaptation (e.g. transmission dynamics; acquisition or variation in gene content) can affect pathogenicity.

Organisers

Ian Roberts (Quadram Institute, UK), Daniela Delneri (University of Manchester, UK), Angela Nobbs (University of Bristol, UK), Kim Hardie (University of Nottingham, UK)

  • Chair: Angela Nobbs (University of Bristol, UK) and Justine Rudkin (University College Cork, Ireland)

  • Metabolite perception regulates colonization and virulence during polymicrobial infection

Richard Lamont (University of Louisville, USA), Hall 10

10:00 - 10:30

  • Offered paper - Cutibacterium acnes (formerly Propionibacterium acnes) is able to tailor its biofilm formation to environmental cues and increase biofilm formation in Staphylococcus species

Helen Brown (Cardiff University, UK), Hall 10

10:30 - 10:45

  • Offered paper - Pseudomonas aeruginosa inhibits Rhizopus microsporus germination via the sequestration of iron

Courtney Kousser (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 10

10:45 - 11:00

  • Offered paper - How do bacteria affect Candida albicans cell wall structure in the gut?

Elisabeth Lowe (Newcastle University, UK), Hall 10

11:00 - 11:15

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

11:15 - 11:45

  • Modulation of Streptococcus pneumoniae pathogenesis by phage infection

Martha Clokie (University of Leicester, UK), Hall 10

11:45 - 12:15

  • Flash poster presentation - The impact of live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) on pneumococcal carriage

Jessica Jones (University of Southampton, UK), Hall 10

12:15 - 12:20

  • Flash poster presentation - Investigation of anti-bacterial strategies deployed by a clinical isolate of Serratia marcescens

Connor Bowen (University of Dundee, UK), Hall 10

12:20 - 12:25

  • Interactions between the resident microbiota and pathogens in the gut

Vanessa Sperandio (University of Texas, USA), Hall 10

12:25 - 12:55

Emerging model systems

Our understanding of eukaryotic cell biology is based on our ability to manipulate experimental systems. As a result, most of our knowledge is centred on a small number of model systems which do not represent the diversity of eukaryotes across the tree of life, nor do they capture all biological phenomena. Advances in genetic technologies and genome sequencing mean that we are now able to address many more fascinating questions on a broader scale, revealing new cell biology and with potential widespread importance. In this session, speakers will present the state-of-the-art in diverse emerging model systems, and discuss some of the challenges in establishing a new model, in which lineages new models are most required, approaches for sharing methodologies, and strengths and limitations of emerging systems.

Organisers

Catarina Gadelha (University of Nottingham, UK), Ed Louis (University of Leicester, UK)

  • Chair: Catarina Gadelha (University of Nottingham, UK)

  • Why new experimentally tractable organisms from key taxa will provide important insights into eukaryotic biology

Inaki Ruiz-Trillo (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain), Hall 8a

10:00 - 10:30

  • Offered paper - Developing the protist, Corallochytrium limacisporum as an experimentally tractable organism to address evolutionary and cell biological questions

Aleksandra Kozyczkowska (Institut de Biologia Evolutiva - CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain), Hall 8a

10:30 - 10:45

  • New genetic tools for studying the closest living relative of animals

David Booth (University of California, Berkeley, USA), Hall 8a

10:45 - 11:15

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

11:15 - 11:45

  • Cryptosporidium: a newly tractable model to understand intestinal infection

Boris Striepen (University of Pennsylvania, USA), Hall 8a

11:45 - 12:15

  • Genome-wide approaches to characterize apicomplexan parasites

Sebastian Lourido (Whitehead Institute, USA), Hall 8a

12:15 - 12:45

Escherichia coli: the model microbe

Escherichia coli is the best studied and well-characterised species in the world. E. coli has acted as a model in all areas of microbiology: from physiology to pathogenesis. Pathogenic E. coli isolates encompass diverse infections from bacteraemia and urinary tract infections to various diarrhoeal infections, and it has emerged as a major global antimicrobial resistance threat. Association of E. coli with animal gut microbiota has led to it being a faecal indicator organism, although it is widespread and can be persistent in the environment. Phylogenetic analyses are contributing to a new appreciation of the evolution and diversity of the species. This symposium will bring together researchers from across the full spectrum of microbiology to discuss the advances that E. coli has facilitated as both a model organism and a species worthy of research in its own right, since the last major UK conference focusing on E. coli (the Microbiology Society Spring Meeting of 2010). This meeting will be a timely opportunity to recap on our existing knowledge as well as identify future directions.

Organisers

Alan McNally (University of Birmingham, UK), Nicola Holden (James Hutton Institute, UK)

  • Chair: Alan McNally (University of Birmingham, UK)

  • UTI complexity results from diversity at the bacterial–host interface

Scott Hultgren (Washington University, USA), Hall 5

10:00 - 10:30

  • Offered paper - Conserved outer membrane proteins potentially involved in the modulation of intestinal colonisation as possible antigen candidates to prevent enterohaemorrhagic E. coli O157:H7 infections

Ricardo Monteiro (INRA, France), Hall 5

10:30 - 10:45

  • Offered paper - Exploitation of random transposon mutagenesis to reveal conditionally essential genes important for antibiotic resistance

Emily Goodall (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 5

10:45 - 11:00

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

11:00 - 11:30

  • Understanding toxic DNA: a model for all domains of life?

Dave Grainger (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 5

11:30 - 12:00

  • Offered paper - An RNA repair system in Escherichia coli responds to oxidative stress

Loly Koat-Louizo (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 5

12:00 - 12:15

  • Offered paper - One Health genomic surveillance of E. coli reveals separate populations and mobile genetic in humans and livestock

Catherine Ludden (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK), Hall 5

12:15 - 12:30

  • Population structure of Escherichia coli and Escherichia clade commensal srains

Erick Denamur (INSERM, France), Hall 5

12:30 - 13:00

Essential skills: Funders roundtable

A panel of representatives from funding bodies, including BBSRC, NERC, MRC and the Wellcome Trust, will provide essential insight into their expectations for grant applications. Delegates will learn about the skill and knowledge needed to write successful grant applications and have the opportunity to ask questions about what funding bodies want. This session will also give delegates the opportunity to explore how the grant-making process works. This session is aimed at those who are planning to make an application for research funding, and therefore would be useful for those at the postdoctoral researcher stage and onwards.

Organisers

Nigel Brown (University of Edinburgh, UK)

  • Chair: Nigel Brown (University of Edinburgh, UK)

  • Welcome

Nigel Brown (University of Edinburgh, UK), Hall 11b

10:00 - 10:10

  • Funding body presentation 1

Avril Allman (NERC, UK), Hall 11b

10:10 - 10:25

  • Funding body presentation 2

Kirsty Dougal (BBSRC, UK), Hall 11b

10:25 - 10:40

  • Funding body presentation 3

Jessica Boname (MRC, UK), Hall 11b

10:40 - 10:55

  • Funding body presentation 4

Philip Price (Wellcome Trust, UK), Hall 11b

10:55 - 11:10

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

11:10 - 11:40

  • Chaired Q&A session

Nigel Brown (University of Edinburgh, UK), Hall 11b

11:40 - 12:25

  • Closing remarks

Nigel Brown (University of Edinburgh, UK), Hall 11b

12:25 - 12:30

Microbial diversity and interactions in the environment

Session sponsored by MP Biomedicals

Our understanding of microbial diversity, both phylogenetic and functional, continues to expand, including the realisation that a key factor in understanding the importance of microbial diversity is the interaction between organisms. Microbial interactions are varied and complex, taking place between microbes (microbe–microbe), with other organisms (e.g. plant–microbe) and with the abiotic environment. As a result, a diverse range of biological and ecological relationships have developed, including syntrophy, parasitism and symbiosis, which underpin processes such as ecosystem functioning and microbiome development. Microbial interactions are essential in global biogeochemical cycling, host response, development of antibiotic resistance and biotechnology. An array of tools are available to study microbial interactions, including omics technologies, isotope-based approaches, single- cell techniques and model microbial systems.

This session will bring together microbiologists from different fields engaged in understanding microbial interaction and their impacts on a variety of processes. This will include microbial interaction in natural ecosystems (e.g. sediments, soils, marine ecosystems and deep biosphere), engineered systems (e.g. wastewater, bioreactors) and host associated (e.g. plants).

Organisers

Joanne Santini (University College London, UK), Geertje van Keulen (Swansea University, UK), Michael Cunliffe (University of Plymouth, UK)

  • Chair: Geertje van Keulen (Swansea University, UK)

  • Tracking the dynamics of antibiotic resistome in the environment: systems approaches

Yong-Guan Zhu (Institute of Urban Environment/Chinese Academy of Sciences, China), Hall 9

10:00 - 10:30

  • Offered paper - Discovery of a Paracaedibacter-like endosymbiont in a kinetoplastid (Bodo saltans) suggests an(other) ancient association between α-proteobacteria and eukaryotes

Samriti Midha (University of Liverpool, UK), Hall 9

10:30 - 10:45

  • Offered paper - From glaciers to genomes... and back again

Arwyn Edwards (Aberystwyth University, UK), Hall 9

10:45 - 11:00

  • Vitamins in the sea: the roles of vitamins in shaping phytoplankton interactions

Alison Smith (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 9

11:00 - 11:30

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

11:30 - 12:00

  • Functional understanding of (soil) microbiomes by integrating techniques

Janet Jansson (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA), Hall 9

12:00 - 12:30

  • Microbial systems ecology for unravelling key functions in situ

Paul Wilmes (University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg), Hall 9

12:30 - 13:00

Models for understanding host–pathogen interactions

The immune system is our main defence against microbial pathogens. A variety of model systems have been developed to allow an examination of the immune response and the factors affecting its efficacy. These systems extend from cell culture-based assays, to whole organism system utilising invertebrates (e.g. insects) or vertebrates (e.g. zebra fish). Insects such as Galleria mellonella and Bombyx mori have also been used to assess the virulence of fungal and bacterial pathogens and the results obtained show a strong correlation to those generated using mammalian models. In addition, insects have been exploited for measuring the toxicity of compounds and for assessing the in vivo efficacy of antimicrobial drugs. Recent investigations have extended the use of insect models to study disease processes such as Listeria-induced neural pathologies that show strong similarities to disease development processes in mammals. This session will highlight the use of model systems from in vitro infection assay through to in vivo models for adaptive immunity for studying the host–pathogen interactions and demonstrate how results obtained using these systems can be translated to understanding mammalian immune responses.

Organisers

Rebecca Hall (University of Birmingham, UK), Kevin Kavanagh (Maynooth University, Ireland)

  • Chair: Kevin Kavanagh (Maynooth University, Ireland) and Herbert Itabangi (University of Birmingham, UK)

  • Investigating host–pathogen interactions in the innate immune system

Robin May (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 11a

10:00 - 10:30

  • Offered paper - Development of a microaerobic mucin-producing human intestinal culture system to investigate the influence of commensal bacteria on enteropathogenic E. coli infection

Stephanie Schüller (University of East Anglia, Quadram Institiute, UK), Hall 11a

10:30 - 10:45

  • Building an ex vivo model of chronic lung infection

Freya Harrison (University of Warwick, UK), Hall 11a

10:45 - 11:15

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

11:15 - 11:45

  • Brain infection and activation of neuronal repair mechanisms by human pathogen Listeria monocytogenes in Galleria mellonella

Krishnendu Mukherjee (University Giessen, Germany), Hall 11a

11:45 - 12:15

  • Use of Drosophila for studying pathogen–insect interactions

Pavel Hyršl (Masaryk University, Czech Republic), Hall 11a

12:15 - 12:45

The global virome – the scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

Modern sequencing is revealing the existence of huge numbers of viruses, many of which are related to agents that we recognise and many of which are totally new. This is evident in all parts of the living world and particularly in samples from exotic or unusual environments. As a result, we are gaining a completely new appreciation of the amazing diversity of viruses , the many ways in which they have evolved and the important effects that they are having on the planet. Their overwhelming numbers are also making us consider how taxonomy can continue to provide a key context to virology. This one day symposium adds to the growing links between the Microbiology Society and the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). The speakers are international experts in viral metagenomics, bioinformatics, evolution, phylodynamics and taxonomy. together, they will explain tremendously dynamic subject that is at the forefront of theoretical and experimental virology.

Organisers

David Evans (University of St Andrews, UK), Stephen Griffin (University of Leeds, UK), Andrew Davison (University of Glasgow, UK)

  • Chair: David Evans (University of St Andrews, UK) and Andrew Davison (University of Glasgow, UK)

  • ICTV and opening address

Andrew Davison (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 1

10:00 - 10:15

  • Expansion of the virus world in the era of metagenomics

Eugene Koonin (National Center for Biotechnology Information, USA), Hall 1

10:15 - 10:45

  • Offered paper - Identification of novel viruses in Scottish midges

Sejal Modha (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 1

10:45 - 11:00

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

11:00 - 11:30

  • The genomic underpinnings of eukaryotic virus taxonomy: creating a sequence-based framework for family-level virus classification

Peter Simmonds (University of Oxford, UK), Hall 1

11:30 - 12:00

  • Offered paper - Evasion of a potent inhibitor by human cytomegalovirus is achieved by utilising an entry pathway independent of heparin sulfate proteoglycans but sensitises it to neutralising antibody responses

Matthew J Murray (UCL, UK), Hall 1

12:00 - 12:15

  • Offered paper - Investigations into the dynamics of paramyxovirus infections by high-throughput sequencing

Elizabeth Wignall-Fleming (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 1

12:15 - 12:30

  • A small glimpse into the genetic diversity of arthropod-associated viruses

Sandra Junglen (University of Bonn, Germany), Hall 1

12:30 - 13:00

Tuesday 10 April, Afternoon

  • Antibiotics Unearthed – Posters showcase

13:00 - 14:00

  • Lunch and exhibition

Hall 3

13:00 - 14:00

  • Meet the Editor – Tanya Parish, Editor-in-Chief of Microbiology

Tanya Parish, Hall 3 (Society stand)

13:00 - 14:00

Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

Recent technological advances have greatly improved our knowledge of the distribution and dynamics of the thousands of microbial species that are found associated with the human body. In many instances, we exist in apparent harmony with this resident microbiota, but when conditions allow, this relationship can break down rapidly, often with negative consequences for human health. There remains much to be learnt regarding the behaviour of these diverse microbial communities, but such understanding is essential for us to hope to modulate the host–microbiota interface for human benefit. This session aims to bring together world leaders across both prokaryotic and eukaryotic divisions to discuss the latest advances in the study of mechanisms by which hitherto beneficial or ‘commensal’ microorganisms present in or on humans can emerge as potential pathogens. Factors that will be considered include: (i) interactions with other microbes (e.g. how cross-kingdom dialogue might stabilise or disrupt ‘protective’ microbial populations); (ii) how the host immune response modulates microbial behaviour or vice versa; (iii) how the pathogenic potential of microbes can vary according to ecological niche or ‘healthy’ vs immunocompromised host; and (iv) how microbial adaptation (e.g. transmission dynamics; acquisition or variation in gene content) can affect pathogenicity.

Organisers

Ian Roberts (Quadram Institute, UK), Daniela Delneri (University of Manchester, UK), Angela Nobbs (University of Bristol, UK), Kim Hardie (University of Nottingham, UK)

  • Chair: Elinor Thompson (University of Greenwich, UK) and Linda Oyama (Queen's University Belfast, UK)

  • Host–gut microbiota interplay in health and disease

Lisa Osborne (University of British Columbia, Canada), Hall 10

14:00 - 14:30

  • Offered paper - Host-associated niche metabolism controls enteric infection through fine-tuning of type 3 secretion and a co-ordinated suite of effector proteins

James Connolly (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 10

14:30 - 14:45

  • Offered paper - Friend or foe: self-recognition via contact dependent growth inhibition can shape bacterial population structure

Michael Bottery (University of York, UK), Hall 10

14:45 - 15:00

  • Offered paper - Anti-CRISPR phages cooperate to overcome CRISPR-Cas immunity

Stineke van Houte (University of Exeter, UK), Hall 10

15:00 - 15:15

  • How mucosal tissues recognise commensal and pathogenic Candida albicans

Julian Naglik (King's College London, UK), Hall 10

15:15 - 15:45

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

15:45 - 16:15

  • Chair: Daniela Delneri (University of Manchester, UK) and Linda Oyama (Queen's University Belfast, UK)

  • Offered paper - Social interaction network studies of lung microbial communities identify cooperating and competing clusters of bacterial taxa

Kalai Mathee (Human and Molecular Genetics, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, USA), Hall 10

16:15 - 16:30

  • Offered paper - Bacterial quorum sensing selectively triggers Candida albicans apoptosis

Nihal Bandara (University of Bristol, UK), Hall 10

16:30 - 16:45

  • Flash poster presentation - Host-generated inhibitory antibodies to Pseudomonas aeruginosa in bronchiectasis patients’ AIDS infection

Anna Schager (Institute of Microbiology and Infection, University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 10

16:45 - 16:50

  • Flash poster presentation - Pneumococcus is smart enough to sense temperature shift

Ozcan Gazioglu (University of Leicester, UK), Hall 10

16:50 - 16:55

  • Flash poster presentation - Identification of a staphylococcal complement inhibitor with broad host specificity in equid S. aureus strains

Manouk Vrieling (The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, UK and University Medical Center Utrecht, Netherlands), Hall 10

16:55 - 17:00

  • Modulation of Staphylococcus epidermidis pathogenesis by the host response

Michael Otto (NIAID, USA), Hall 10

17:00 - 17:30

Emerging model systems

Our understanding of eukaryotic cell biology is based on our ability to manipulate experimental systems. As a result, most of our knowledge is centred on a small number of model systems which do not represent the diversity of eukaryotes across the tree of life, nor do they capture all biological phenomena. Advances in genetic technologies and genome sequencing mean that we are now able to address many more fascinating questions on a broader scale, revealing new cell biology and with potential widespread importance. In this session, speakers will present the state-of-the-art in diverse emerging model systems, and discuss some of the challenges in establishing a new model, in which lineages new models are most required, approaches for sharing methodologies, and strengths and limitations of emerging systems.

Organisers

Catarina Gadelha (University of Nottingham, UK), Ed Louis (University of Leicester, UK)

  • Chair: Catarina Gadelha (University of Nottingham, UK)

  • Functional profiling of a Plasmodium genome

Oliver Billker (Wellcome Genome Centre, UK), Hall 8a

14:00 - 14:30

  • Using CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screens to dissect flagellar functions in Leishmania

Eva Gluenz (University of Oxford, UK), Hall 8a

14:30 - 15:00

  • Drug target deconvolution in the trypanosomatids

Susan Wyllie (University of Dundee, UK), Hall 8a

15:00 - 15:30

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

15:30 - 16:00

  • Naegleria differentation: more than meets the eye

Lillian Fritz-Laylin (University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA), Hall 8a

16:00 - 16:30

  • Offered paper - A new model for investigating the evolution and cell biology of eukaryotes: the case of Naegleria gruberi

Anastasios Tsaousis (University of Kent, UK), Hall 8a

16:30 - 16:45

Escherichia coli: the model microbe

Escherichia coli is the best studied and well-characterised species in the world. E. coli has acted as a model in all areas of microbiology: from physiology to pathogenesis. Pathogenic E. coli isolates encompass diverse infections from bacteraemia and urinary tract infections to various diarrhoeal infections, and it has emerged as a major global antimicrobial resistance threat. Association of E. coli with animal gut microbiota has led to it being a faecal indicator organism, although it is widespread and can be persistent in the environment. Phylogenetic analyses are contributing to a new appreciation of the evolution and diversity of the species. This symposium will bring together researchers from across the full spectrum of microbiology to discuss the advances that E. coli has facilitated as both a model organism and a species worthy of research in its own right, since the last major UK conference focusing on E. coli (the Microbiology Society Spring Meeting of 2010). This meeting will be a timely opportunity to recap on our existing knowledge as well as identify future directions.

Organisers

Alan McNally (University of Birmingham, UK), Nicola Holden (James Hutton Institute, UK)

  • Chair: Dave Grainger (University of Birmingham, UK)

  • The role of plasmids in the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli

Alessandra Carattoli (Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Italy), Hall 5

14:00 - 14:30

  • Offered paper - Comparative genomics of commensal and invasive E.coli strains for the one year bacteraemia study

Elita Jauneikaite (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 5

14:30 - 14:45

  • Offered paper - Investigating factors influencing E. coli strains’ persistence in the primary production environment

Kaye Burgess (Teagasc, Ireland), Hall 5

14:45 - 15:00

  • Offered paper - The role of the nitrogen stress response in persistence of nitrogen starved non-pathogenic and uropathogenic Escherichia coli

Dan Brown (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 5

15:00 - 15:15

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

15:15 - 15:45

  • Persistent environmental E. coli isolates: phylogenetics and adaptation to the soil environment

Fiona Brennan (TEAGASC, Ireland), Hall 5

15:45 - 16:15

  • Offered paper - Genomic insights into the virulence capacity of soil-persistent E. coli

Nicholas Waters (Galway, Ireland), Hall 5

16:15 - 16:30

  • Offered paper - Application of high throughput approaches to study the laboratory-based evolution of E. coli for enhanced growth at low pH

Matthew Milner (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 5

16:30 - 16:45

  • The dynamics of molecular evolution over 60,000 generations

Benjamin Good (University of California, Berkeley, USA), Hall 5

16:45 - 17:15

Microbial diversity and interactions in the environment

Session sponsored by MP Biomedicals

Our understanding of microbial diversity, both phylogenetic and functional, continues to expand, including the realisation that a key factor in understanding the importance of microbial diversity is the interaction between organisms. Microbial interactions are varied and complex, taking place between microbes (microbe–microbe), with other organisms (e.g. plant–microbe) and with the abiotic environment. As a result, a diverse range of biological and ecological relationships have developed, including syntrophy, parasitism and symbiosis, which underpin processes such as ecosystem functioning and microbiome development. Microbial interactions are essential in global biogeochemical cycling, host response, development of antibiotic resistance and biotechnology. An array of tools are available to study microbial interactions, including omics technologies, isotope-based approaches, single- cell techniques and model microbial systems.

This session will bring together microbiologists from different fields engaged in understanding microbial interaction and their impacts on a variety of processes. This will include microbial interaction in natural ecosystems (e.g. sediments, soils, marine ecosystems and deep biosphere), engineered systems (e.g. wastewater, bioreactors) and host associated (e.g. plants).

Organisers

Joanne Santini (University College London, UK), Geertje van Keulen (Swansea University, UK), Michael Cunliffe (University of Plymouth, UK)

  • Chair: Michael Cunliffe (University of Plymouth, UK)

  • Diversity and ecology of aquatic fungi

Hans Peter Grossart (Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Germany), Hall 9

14:00 - 14:30

  • Offered paper - Multi-omic analysis of host-microbiota interactions and polymicrobial disease in Acute Oak Decline

James McDonald (Bangor University, UK), Hall 9

14:30 - 14:45

  • Role of lateral gene exchange in acidophilic ammonia-oxidising archaea adaptation

Cecile Gubry-Rangin (Institute of Biological & Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, UK), Hall 9

14:45 - 15:15

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

15:15 - 15:45

  • Chair: Geertje van Keulen (Swansea University, UK) and Joanne Santini (University College London, UK)

  • Soil microbial communities as modulators of ecosystem responses to climate change in drylands

Fernando T. Maestre Gil (Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain), Hall 9

15:45 - 16:15

  • Offered paper - Ant nests of Lasius flavus enhance microbial cycling of phosphorus

Achim Schmalenberger (University of Limerick, Ireland), Hall 9

16:15 - 16:30

  • A metabolic view of the microbial soil carbon cycle

Vanessa Bailey (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA), Hall 9

16:30 - 17:00

Models for understanding host–pathogen interactions

The immune system is our main defence against microbial pathogens. A variety of model systems have been developed to allow an examination of the immune response and the factors affecting its efficacy. These systems extend from cell culture-based assays, to whole organism system utilising invertebrates (e.g. insects) or vertebrates (e.g. zebra fish). Insects such as Galleria mellonella and Bombyx mori have also been used to assess the virulence of fungal and bacterial pathogens and the results obtained show a strong correlation to those generated using mammalian models. In addition, insects have been exploited for measuring the toxicity of compounds and for assessing the in vivo efficacy of antimicrobial drugs. Recent investigations have extended the use of insect models to study disease processes such as Listeria-induced neural pathologies that show strong similarities to disease development processes in mammals. This session will highlight the use of model systems from in vitro infection assay through to in vivo models for adaptive immunity for studying the host–pathogen interactions and demonstrate how results obtained using these systems can be translated to understanding mammalian immune responses.

Organisers

Rebecca Hall (University of Birmingham, UK), Kevin Kavanagh (Maynooth University, Ireland)

  • Chair: Rebecca Hall (University of Birmingham, UK) and Gerard Sheehan (National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Ireland)

  • Host–pathogen interaction made clear: zebrafish models of bacterial pathogens

Stephen Renshaw (University of Sheffield, UK), Hall 11a

14:00 - 14:30

  • Modelling Aspergillus infections in larval zebrafish reveals differences in the immune response, pathogen clearance, and infection outcome depending on the specific host–pathogen context

Emily Rosowski (University of Wisconsin, USA), Hall 11a

14:30 - 15:00

  • Offered paper - A novel ex vivo skin explant biofilm model for evaluating the effect of photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy and iberin treatment towards Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms

Amal Al-Bakri (The University of Jordan, Jordan), Hall 11a

15:00 - 15:15

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

15:15 - 15:45

  • The systems biology of host–fungi interaction

Luigina Romani (Università degli Studi di Perugia, Italy), Hall 11a

15:45 - 16:15

  • Offered paper - Bifidobacterium breve stimulates immune development in germ-free mice

Zoe Schofield (Quadram Institute, UK), Hall 11a

16:15 - 16:30

  • Adaptive immunity and Salmonella

Adam Cunningham (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 11a

16:30 - 17:00

  • Offered paper - Towards the identification of novel host or bacterial-associated biomarkers to predict sepsis

Heather M. Chick (Swansea University, UK), Hall 11a

17:00 - 17:15

  • Offered paper - Using primary intestinal organoids to study epithelial-AIEC interactions during IBD

Fernanda Schreiber (Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, UK), Hall 11a

17:15 - 17:30

The global virome – the scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

Modern sequencing is revealing the existence of huge numbers of viruses, many of which are related to agents that we recognise and many of which are totally new. This is evident in all parts of the living world and particularly in samples from exotic or unusual environments. As a result, we are gaining a completely new appreciation of the amazing diversity of viruses , the many ways in which they have evolved and the important effects that they are having on the planet. Their overwhelming numbers are also making us consider how taxonomy can continue to provide a key context to virology. This one day symposium adds to the growing links between the Microbiology Society and the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). The speakers are international experts in viral metagenomics, bioinformatics, evolution, phylodynamics and taxonomy. together, they will explain tremendously dynamic subject that is at the forefront of theoretical and experimental virology.

Organisers

David Evans (University of St Andrews, UK), Stephen Griffin (University of Leeds, UK), Andrew Davison (University of Glasgow, UK)

  • Chair: Stephen Griffin (University of Leeds, UK) and Andrew Davison (University of Glasgow, UK)

  • May virus taxonomy become a branch of evolutionary studies?

Alexander Gorbalenya (LUMC, The Netherlands), Hall 1

14:00 - 14:30

  • Offered paper - The genomic approach to the classification of bacteriophages

Pakorn Aiewsakun (University of Oxford, UK), Hall 1

14:30 - 14:45

  • Offered paper - The translational landscape of Zika virus infection reveals novel open reading frames

Nerea Irigoyen (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 1

14:45 - 15:00

  • Quasispecies suppression of drug resistance

Karla Kirkegaard (Stanford University, USA), Hall 1

15:00 - 15:30

  • Offered paper - Identifying molecular determinants of Ebolavirus pathogenicity

Mark Wass (University of Kent, UK), Hall 1

15:30 - 15:45

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

15:45 - 16:15

  • Bacteriophages in unlikely places: phage diversity in the hyperarid Namib Desert and Antarctic Dry Valleys

Evelien Adriaenssens (University of Liverpool, UK), Hall 1

16:15 - 16:45

  • Offered paper - Characterisation of novel recombinant Alphacoronaviruses and discovery of novel viruses in European rodents

Theocharis Tsoleridis (University of Nottingham, UK), Hall 1

16:45 - 17:00

  • The genomic ecology and epidemiology of avian influenza and other viruses in natural populations

Oliver Pybus (University of Oxford, UK), Hall 1

17:00 - 17:30

  • Peter Wildy Prize Lecture – Explorations in microbiology: inspiring the next generation

Tansy Hammarton (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 1

17:40 - 18:30

  • Drinks reception and poster presentation

Hall 3

18:30 - 20:00

  • Society promotion – ECM Forum Summer Conference

Hall 3

19:00 - 19:10

  • Society quiz and games night

Shooters

20:00 - 23:00

Wednesday 11 April, Morning

  • Registration open

Hall 1

07:30 - 09:00

  • Microbiology Society Prize Medal Lecture – Metagenomics provides a new view of the tree of life and the roles of candidate phyla bacteria and archaea in subsurface biogeochemistry

Jill Banfield (University of California, Berkeley, USA), Hall 1

09:00 - 09:50

Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

Recent technological advances have greatly improved our knowledge of the distribution and dynamics of the thousands of microbial species that are found associated with the human body. In many instances, we exist in apparent harmony with this resident microbiota, but when conditions allow, this relationship can break down rapidly, often with negative consequences for human health. There remains much to be learnt regarding the behaviour of these diverse microbial communities, but such understanding is essential for us to hope to modulate the host–microbiota interface for human benefit. This session aims to bring together world leaders across both prokaryotic and eukaryotic divisions to discuss the latest advances in the study of mechanisms by which hitherto beneficial or ‘commensal’ microorganisms present in or on humans can emerge as potential pathogens. Factors that will be considered include: (i) interactions with other microbes (e.g. how cross-kingdom dialogue might stabilise or disrupt ‘protective’ microbial populations); (ii) how the host immune response modulates microbial behaviour or vice versa; (iii) how the pathogenic potential of microbes can vary according to ecological niche or ‘healthy’ vs immunocompromised host; and (iv) how microbial adaptation (e.g. transmission dynamics; acquisition or variation in gene content) can affect pathogenicity.

Organisers

Ian Roberts (Quadram Institute, UK), Daniela Delneri (University of Manchester, UK), Angela Nobbs (University of Bristol, UK), Kim Hardie (University of Nottingham, UK)

  • Chair: Kim Hardie (University of Nottingham, UK) and Elita Jauneikaite (Imperial College London, UK)

  • Hsp90 enables phenotypic variation via Loss-of-Heterozygosity and aneuploidy in the ameiotic human fungal pathogen Candida albicans

Stephanie Diezmann (University of Bath, UK), Hall 10

10:00 - 10:30

  • Offered paper - Differences in plasmidome content of hospital and non-hospital isolates of Enterococcus faecium

Anita Schürch (University Medical Center, Netherlands), Hall 10

10:30 - 10:45

  • Offered paper - Could adhesins be the key to the difference in pathogenic capabilities between non typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) and H. haemolyticus?

Karen Osman (University of Southampton, UK), Hall 10

10:45 - 11:00

  • Offered paper - Fusobacterium nucleatum – friend or foe?

Sarah Kuehne (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 10

11:00 - 11:15

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

11:15 - 11:45

  • Up close and personal with whole genome sequencing: investigate the micro-epidemiology of infections

Matt Holden (University of St Andrews, UK), Hall 10

11:45 - 12:15

  • Offered paper - Linking Phenotype to Genotype : Inter-bacterial competition in Serratia marcescens

David Williams (University of Dundee, UK), Hall 10

12:15 - 12:30

  • Offered paper - The type VI secretion system of Klebsiella pneumoniae: a weapon for antibacterial warfare

Daniel Storey (Queen's University Belfast, UK), Hall 10

12:30 - 12:45

  • Flash poster presentation - Investigating epigenetic regulation by type I restriction modification in a historic collection of Staphylococcus aureus isolates

Rebecca Mekler (University of St Andrews, UK), Hall 10

12:45 - 12:50

  • Flash poster presentation - Functional characterisation of (p)ppGpp synthetases: enzymes required for bacterial stress adaptation and survival

Sophie Irving (University of Sheffield, UK), Hall 10

12:50 - 12:55

  • Flash poster presentation - The diversity and mobility of toxin antitoxin systems in a large dataset of Klebsiella spp.

Gal Horesh (Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, UK, and University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 10

12:55 - 13:00

Escherichia coli: the model microbe

Escherichia coli is the best studied and well-characterised species in the world. E. coli has acted as a model in all areas of microbiology: from physiology to pathogenesis. Pathogenic E. coli isolates encompass diverse infections from bacteraemia and urinary tract infections to various diarrhoeal infections, and it has emerged as a major global antimicrobial resistance threat. Association of E. coli with animal gut microbiota has led to it being a faecal indicator organism, although it is widespread and can be persistent in the environment. Phylogenetic analyses are contributing to a new appreciation of the evolution and diversity of the species. This symposium will bring together researchers from across the full spectrum of microbiology to discuss the advances that E. coli has facilitated as both a model organism and a species worthy of research in its own right, since the last major UK conference focusing on E. coli (the Microbiology Society Spring Meeting of 2010). This meeting will be a timely opportunity to recap on our existing knowledge as well as identify future directions.

Organisers

Alan McNally (University of Birmingham, UK), Nicola Holden (James Hutton Institute, UK)

  • Chair: Nicola Holden (James Hutton Institute, UK)

  • The different scales of microevolution in enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157 and relationship with zoonotic threat

David Gally (University of Edinburgh, UK), Hall 5

10:00 - 10:30

  • Offered paper - A phage factor required for efficient infection of stationary phase Escherichia coli

Aline Tabib-Salazar (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 5

10:30 - 10:45

  • Offered paper - The mechanism of cotranslational recognition of nascent substrate proteins by the translocation ATPase SecA

Damon Huber (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 5

10:45 - 11:00

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

11:00 - 11:30

  • Chair: Geertje van Keulen (Swansea University, UK)

  • Metabolism meets virulence: critical roles for host and bacteria metabolites during E. coli infection

Andrew Roe (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 5

11:30 - 12:00

  • Offered paper - High resolution mutagenesis analysis of the genetic requirements for anaerobic growth of Escherichia coli in the presence of nitrate

Finbar Buttimer (University College Cork, Ireland), Hall 5

12:00 - 12:15

  • Offered paper - Ethanolamine metabolism in E. coli urinary tract infection

Michael Prentice (University College Cork, Ireland), Hall 5

12:15 - 12:30

Essential skills: Exploring data tools and resources at EMBL-EBI

This hands-on workshop will introduce you to the range of publicly accessible data resources and tools developed and maintained by EMBL-EBI. You will be shown how to explore the services available and how to quickly search for data of interest, focusing on those services which contain microbiologically relevant data. Additionally you will gain some tips and best practice for managing your data and preparing it for submission to a public resource. Bring along a laptop or tablet to join in the hands-on practical – no previous experience of bioinformatics or any specific software (except for a web browser) is required for you to join this workshop.

Organisers

Melissa Burke (The European Bioinformatics Institute, UK)

  • Introduction to EMBL-EBI resources

Melissa Burke and Andrew Cowley (The European Bioinformatics Institute, UK), Hall 11b

10:00 - 11:00

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

11:00 - 11:30

  • Interactive workshop

Melissa Burke and Andrew Cowley (The European Bioinformatics Institute, UK), Hall 11b

11:30 - 12:20

  • Conclusion and wrap-up

Hall 11b

12:20 - 12:30

Microbial metal homeostasis: impacts on pathogenicity

The capacity of pathogenic micro-organisms to adapt to changes in environmental metal availability is critical for pathogenicity. Certain inorganic trace elements, including iron, zinc and copper, are essential for life, but can also be toxic. The mammalian immune system has harnessed both the essentiality and toxicity of these micronutrients to combat microbial infections: processes known as “nutritional immunity”. For example, the vast majority of iron and zinc in the human body is tightly bound and compartmentalised, and nutritional restriction increases further during inflammation. Microbial pathogens require micronutrients not only for basic physiology and proliferation, but for counteracting other arms of immunity. For example, both catalases and superoxide dismutases require metal cofactors for function. In contrast, certain immune phagocytes flood their phagosomes with potentially lethal levels of copper. Therefore, in order to survive and proliferate within a mammalian host, microbial pathogens must possess highly efficient metal homeostatic mechanisms. Recently, significant advances have been made in our understanding of how microbial pathogens fine-tune cellular metal homeostasis in order to deal with the challenging environments faced during infection. This session will cover the molecular mechanisms of microbial metal homeostasis and how these processes contribute to pathogenicity and virulence. “Microbial metal homeostasis: impacts on pathogenicity” covers a variety of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic pathogenic species and will therefore be of interest to bacteriologists and mycologists, as well as immunologists interested in the pathogenesis of microbial infections.

Organisers

Duncan Wilson (University of Aberdeen, UK), Kevin Waldron (University of Newcastle, UK)

  • Chair: Duncan Wilson (University of Aberdeen, UK)

  • Iron homeostasis strategies in the virulence of Candida species

Sascha Brunke (Hans Knöll Institute, Germany), Hall 6

10:00 - 10:30

  • Offered paper - Interplay between tolerance mechanisms to copper and acid stress in Escherichia coli

Karrera Djoko (University of Queensland, Australia and Durham University, UK), Hall 6

10:30 - 10:45

  • Offered paper - NRAMP1 (Slc11a1) impact on Salmonella metal homeostasis

Olivier Cunrath (Biozentrum, Switzerland), Hall 6

10:45 - 11:00

  • Copper alloy surfaces collapse bacterial copper homeostasis and reduce infection rates

Bill Keevil (University of Southampton, UK), Hall 6

11:00 - 11:30

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

11:30 - 12:00

  • Chair: Kevin Waldron (Newcastle University, UK)

  • A new and emerging HGT locus in Staphylococcus aureus outbreak strains confers hyper resistance to antibacterial copper and promotes macrophage survival

Julie Morrissey (University of Leicester, UK), Hall 6

12:00 - 12:30

  • Flash poster - A potential novel iron uptake system reserved to Bifidobacterium longum subsp. Longum

Cho Zin Soe (Quadram Institute, UK), Hall 6

12:30 - 12:35

  • Flash poster - Role of Csp3 in the copper homeostasis of Salmonella typhi

Emma Tarrant (Newcastle University, UK), Hall 6

12:35 - 12:40

  • Flash poster - Mobile genetic element-encoded hypertolerance to copper protects Staphylococcus aureus from killing by host phagocytes

Dr. Joan Geoghegan (Trinity College Dublin), Hall 6

12:40 - 12:45

  • Zinc at the host–pathogen interface: strategies for overcoming zinc-stress in foodborne disease

Jennifer Cavet (University of Manchester, UK), Hall 6

12:45 - 13:15

Synthetic ecology: from understanding ecological interactions to

designing functional microbial communities

Synthetic ecology involves the design and engineering of microbial consortia, either to gain a better understanding of microbial community function or to build new functioning communities. It is a rapidly emerging research topic that brings the tools of synthetic biology into microbial ecology. There are many examples where important ecological functions or biotechnological processes are carried out by microbial consortia rather than individual species: for example, biogeochemical cycles, human gut function, wastewater treatment, among many others. Engineering microbial communities can involve manipulating existing communities or designing entirely new interactions to carry out a particular function. This is an exciting research topic that spans basic and applied disciplines, includes concepts like mathematical modelling and touches on important biological themes like signalling, symbiosis and nutrient exchange. Using synthetic ecology to develop new microbial consortia, as opposed to single-species cell factories, might be the next big development in microbial biotechnology.

Organisers

John Morrissey (University College Cork, Ireland), Geertje van Keulen (Swansea University, USA), Mat Goddard (University of Lincoln, UK)

  • Chair: John Morrissey (University College Cork, Ireland) and Michael Macey (The Open University, University of East Anglia, UK)

  • From its origins to the modern metabolic network of a yeast

Markus Ralser (The Francis Crick Institute, UK), Hall 11a

10:00 - 10:30

  • The evolutionary and ecological consequences of microbial range expansion

David Johnson (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Switzerland), Hall 11a

10:30 - 11:00

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

11:00 - 11:30

  • Chair: Geertje van Keulen (Swansea University, UK) and Michael Macey (The Open University, University of East Anglia, UK)

  • Volatile affairs in the belowground interactions

Paolina Garbeva (Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Netherlands), Hall 11a

11:30 - 12:00

  • Synthetic quorum sensing in model microcapsule colonies

Anna Balazs (University of Pittsburgh, USA), Hall 11a

12:00 - 12:30

  • Offered paper - Who's for TE? – Trace elements supplement fermenting bacteria rather than methanogens in biogas mono-digestion of grass silage

Jamie A. FitzGerald (University College Cork, Ireland), Hall 11a

12:30 - 12:45

  • Offered paper - Anaerobic digestion and the development of phytohormone activity

Iain Michie (University of South Wales, UK), Hall 11a

12:45 - 13:00

The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

The successful replication of all viruses, regardless of whether they have an RNA or DNA genome, relies on the translation of their proteins by the cellular translation machinery. In response to virus infection, the host aims to stop translation and shut down virus production, resulting in a dynamic battle between host and virus to gain control of the ribosome. Viruses have developed a range of strategies to win this battle, such as bypassing normal initiation processes, hijacking translation factors, shutting off host protein synthesis in favour of their own, and inhibiting the signalling pathways that control translation. This two-day symposium will incorporate an overview of virus manipulation of the translation process, from a range of international experts on plant, insect and mammalian systems, providing a broad and up-to-date account of the field.

Organisers

Gill Elliott (University of Surrey, UK), Chris McCormick (University of Southampton, UK), Martina Scallan (University College Cork, Ireland), Andrew MacDonald (University of Leeds, UK)

  • Chair: Gill Elliott (University of Surrey, UK) and Chris McCormick (University of Southampton, UK)

  • Understanding the multifaceted regulation of mRNA translation by norovirus

Nicolas Locker (University of Surrey, UK), Hall 1

10:00 - 10:30

  • Spatial translation control of cellular and viral RNA translation

Juana Díez (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain), Hall 1

10:30 - 11:00

  • Offered paper - Distinct modes of RNA binding modulate RNA-RNA interactions mediated by Reovirus non-structural proteins

Jack Bravo (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 1

11:00 - 11:15

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

11:15 - 11:45

  • Flavivirus infection uncouples translation suppression from cellular stress responses

Alessia Ruggieri (Universitäts Klinikum Heidelberg, Germany), Hall 1

11:45 - 12:15

  • Translational control in plant antiviral immunity

Elizabeth Fontes (Universidade Federal Viçosa, Brazil), Hall 1

12:15 - 12:45

  • Offered paper - IFIT3 promotes IFIT1-mediated translation inhibition by enhancing binding to non-self RNAs

Harriet V Mears (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 1

12:45 - 13:00

Wednesday 11 April, Afternoon

  • Lunch and exhibition

Hall 3

13:00 - 14:00

  • Meet the Editor – Nick Thomson, Co-Editor-in-Chief of Microbial Genomics

Nick Thomson, Hall 3 (Society stand)

13:00 - 14:00

Bacterial zoonoses: ecology, epidemiology and evolution

Bacterial transitions between host species, including humans and wild and domesticated animals, is typically accompanied by evolutionary changes that promote survival in the novel niche. Understanding the dynamics of zoonotic infection and the nature of host adaptation is key for describing human and animal disease emergence and epidemiology. Recent technical advances, for example high-throughput sequencing, are providing new opportunities for investigating bacteria–host ecology, epidemiology and evolution. These include identification of emergent zoonoses, determining the direction and timescale of host jumps, identifying genomic elements associated with host adaptation – and their encoded functions – and investigating the evolutionary landscape that promotes host transition. This session provides an opportunity for zoonosis researchers to come together and present the latest research in this area. Drawing on the recent studies, we describe the current understanding of host-association patterns in structured bacterial populations, mechanisms of evolution, and the genetic and functional basis of bacterial pathogen host- adaptation. The session will be an opportunity to (i) assess new emerging diseases; (ii) present new insights using modern techniques; (iii) update epidemiological studies of important zoonotic pathogens; and (iv) discuss novel approaches for controlling the emergence of new pathogenic clones.

Organisers

Samuel K. Sheppard (University of Bath, UK), Nicola Holden (James Hutton Institute, UK), Jonathan G. Shaw (University of Sheffield, UK), Luigi Marongiu (University of Edinburgh, UK)

  • Chair: Samuel K. Sheppard (Bath University, UK) and Grazieli Maboni (University of Nottingham, UK)

  • Introduction

Samuel K. Sheppard (University of Bath, UK), Hall 10

14:00 - 14:10

  • Predictable paths to pathogenicity in the zoonotic pig pathogen Streptococcus suis

Lucy Weinert (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 10

14:10 - 14:40

  • Offered paper - Genetic bottlenecks in the evolution of an agriculture-associated disease causing clade of Streptococcus suis in SE Asia

Ben Pascoe (University of Bath, UK and MRC CLIMB, UK), Hall 10

14:40 - 14:55

  • Offered paper: Lineage-specific associations of autotransporters in C. jejuni and C. coli

Arnoud van Vliet (University of Surrey, UK), Hall 10

14:55 - 15:10

  • Gene exchange drives the ecological success of a multi-host bacterial pathogen

Ross Fitzgerald (University of Edinburgh, UK), Hall 10

15:10 - 15:40

  • Offered paper - Comparative pan-genome analysis of Coxiella burnetii reveals limited evolution within genomic groups

Claudia Hemsley (University of Exeter, UK), Hall 10

15:40 - 15:55

  • Offered paper - A microevolutionary approach using whole genome sequences to estimate the molecular clock in Campylobacter: a rapidly evolving zoonotic pathogen under purifying selection

Jessica Calland (University of Bath, UK and MRC CLIMB, UK), Hall 10

15:55 - 16:10

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

16:10 - 16:40

  • Chair: Jonathan G. Shaw (Sheffield University, UK)

  • Antimicrobial resistance in animal reservoirs

Dorina Timofte (University of Liverpool, UK), Hall 10

16:40 - 17:10

  • Offered paper - Antibiotic resistance genes abundance in two Italian swine farms

Sara Petrin (Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Italy), Hall 10

17:10 - 17:25

  • Offered paper (Antimicrobial resistance) - Antimicrobial resistance of Campylobacter spp. in wild game pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) in Scotland

Cosmin Chintoan-Uta (The Roslin Institute and the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, UK), Hall 10

17:25 - 17:40

Clinical Virology Network (CVN)

This session will involve a range of clinical virology cases which relate to studies relevant to the Clinical Virology Network. Different aspects of clinical virology that will be covered include: differential diagnosis of encephalitis, management of hepatitis, diversity of rotavirus sequences, and diagnosis of respiratory infections.

Organisers

Stephen Winchester (Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UK) and Tamyo Mbisa (Public Health England, UK)

  • Chair: Stephen Winchester (Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, UK) and Kevin Brown (Public Health England, UK)

  • PreP in England. Are we making an impact?

David White (University Hospitals Birmingham, UK), Hall 4

14:00 - 14:30

  • Monitoring, risk assessing and acting on infectious diseases threats to the safety and quality of the UK blood supply

Ines Ushiro-Lumb (NHS Blood and Transplant, UK), Hall 4

14:30 - 15:00

  • CVN Business

Hall 4

15:00 - 15:30

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

15:30 - 15:50

  • Chair: Stephen Winchester (Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UK), Tamyo Mbisa (Public Health England, UK) and Kevin Brown (Public Health England, UK)

  • Sponsor

Hall 4

15:50 - 16:30

  • Hepatitis B – novel therapies and the challenges to diagnostic laboratories

William Irving (University of Nottingham, UK), Hall 4

16:30 - 17:00

  • JC virus and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML)

William Tong (NHS England, UK), Hall 4

17:00 - 17:30

Microbial infection forum

Offered papers will be presented in areas related to infections caused by prokaryote and eukaryote pathogens of human, veterinary or botanical significance including epidemiology, diagnosis, identification, typing, pathogenesis, treatment, antimicrobial agents and resistance, prevention, virulence factors, host responses and immunity, transmission, and models of infection at the cell, tissue or whole organism level.

Organisers

Sabine Tötemeyer, Sarah Maddocks, Steve Michell, Daniela Delneri

  • Chair: Sabine Tötemeyer (University of Nottingham, UK) and Helen Brown (Cardiff University, UK)

  • Offered paper - Probing host–pathogen interactions in an innovative gut cellular model

Blessing Anonye (University of Warwick, UK), Hall 5

14:00 - 14:15

  • Offered paper - Infection with Burkholderia pseudomallei induces cancer-like cellular and molecular changes in trigeminal Schwann cells

Seyed Ali Delbaz (Griffith University, Australia), Hall 5

14:15 - 14:30

  • Offered paper - Lineage and strain specific differences in the in vitro and in vivo pathogenicity of bovine adapted Staphylococcus aureus

Dagmara Niedziela (Teagasc, Ireland and University College Dublin, Ireland), Hall 5

14:30 - 14:45

  • Offered paper - Modelling the interactions of pathogenic and commensal strains of Mannheimia haemolytica with bovine airway epithelial cells

Daniel Cozens (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 5

14:45 - 15:00

  • Offered paper - Epigenetic phase variation of the pneumococcus in the human nasopharynx

Megan De Ste Croix (University of Leicester, UK), Hall 5

15:00 - 15:15

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

15:15 - 15:45

  • Chair: Sabine Tötemeyer (University of Nottingham, UK) and Dagmara Niedziela (Teagasc, Ireland)

  • Offered paper - Real-time optical imaging of bacteria for point-of-care diagnosis of infection in the clinic

Beth Mills (University of Edinburgh, UK), Hall 5

15:45 - 16:00

  • Offered paper - High levels of Stx2a toxin production are a phenotype of enterhaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) phage type (PT) 21/28 strains

Stephen Fitzgerald (The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, UK), Hall 5

16:00 - 16:15

  • Offered paper - Investigating Campylobacter jejuni interactions with endoplasmic reticulum in intestinal epithelial cells resulting in induction of the unfolded protein response

Abdi Elmi (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK), Hall 5

16:15 - 16:30

  • Offered paper - T lymphocyte inhibition by Escherichia coli lymphostatin is dependent on a cysteine protease motif

Andrew Bease (The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, UK), Hall 5

16:30 - 16:45

  • Offered paper - Metallophilic macrophage receptor blockade: a novel approach to treating pneumococcal bacteraemia

Joe Wanford (University of Leicester, UK), Hall 5

16:45 - 17:00

Synthetic ecology: from understanding ecological interactions to

designing functional microbial communities

Synthetic ecology involves the design and engineering of microbial consortia, either to gain a better understanding of microbial community function or to build new functioning communities. It is a rapidly emerging research topic that brings the tools of synthetic biology into microbial ecology. There are many examples where important ecological functions or biotechnological processes are carried out by microbial consortia rather than individual species: for example, biogeochemical cycles, human gut function, wastewater treatment, among many others. Engineering microbial communities can involve manipulating existing communities or designing entirely new interactions to carry out a particular function. This is an exciting research topic that spans basic and applied disciplines, includes concepts like mathematical modelling and touches on important biological themes like signalling, symbiosis and nutrient exchange. Using synthetic ecology to develop new microbial consortia, as opposed to single-species cell factories, might be the next big development in microbial biotechnology.

Organisers

John Morrissey (University College Cork, Ireland), Geertje van Keulen (Swansea University, USA), Mat Goddard (University of Lincoln, UK)

  • Chair: Mat Goddard (University of Lincoln, UK) and Michael Macey (The Open University, University of East Anglia, UK)

  • Yeast-dominated ecosystems: from the molecular mechanisms of interactions between yeast species to the application of synthetic energy

Florian Bauer (Stellenbosch University, South Africa), Hall 11a

14:00 - 14:30

  • Dynamics of methane-consuming communities, from simple to complex

Ludmila Chistoserdova (University of Washington, USA), Hall 11a

14:30 - 15:00

  • Offered paper - Characterising emerging mutations in a stressed population of a biotechnologically-relevant E. coli via high-resolution next generation sequencing

Jillian M. Couto (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 11a

15:00 - 15:15

  • Flash poster presentation - Associative bacteria of Medicago lupulina L. and their biotechnological application

Shahjahon Begmatov (Russian State Agrarian University - Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy, Russia), Hall 11a

15:15 - 15:20

  • Flash poster presentation - Rapid loss of CRISPR-mediated herd immunity from bacterial populations

Sean Meaden (University of Exeter, UK), Hall 11a

15:20 - 15:25

  • Flash poster presentation - Dissecting biomethane production in anaerobic digestion plants through DNA sequencing

Anna Alessi (University of York, UK), Hall 11a

15:25 - 15:30

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

15:30 - 16:00

  • Chair: Geertje van Keulen (Swansea University, UK) and Michael Macey (The Open University, University of East Anglia, UK)

  • Multi-trait cooperative interactions for anti-virulence strategies

Ivana Gudelj (University of Exeter, UK), Hall 11a

16:00 - 16:30

  • Application of the engineering paradigm to microbial communities

Jags Pandhal (University of Sheffield,UK), Hall 11a

16:30 - 17:00

  • Flash poster presentation - Novel mechanisms for overcoming phosphate limitation in rhizosphere-dwelling Flavobacteria spp. implications for sustainable agriculture

Ian Lidbury (University of Warwick, UK), Hall 11a

17:00 - 17:05

  • Flash poster presentation - The BLAST and the spurious - Exploring microbial communities to find novel antibiotics with the AMPLY metagenomic analysis pipeline

Ben Thomas (TiKa Diagnostics St George's Hospital, UK), Hall 11a

17:05 - 17:10

  • Flash poster presentation - Incorporation of Vibrio vulnificus into phytoplankton-based marine aggregates for oyster uptake

Cam Hubert (University of Exeter, UK), Hall 11a

17:10 - 17:15

  • Flash poster presentation - Assessment of the long-term performance of plant microbial fuel cells using Irish peat and Calluna vulgaris

Carena Bell (Manchester Metropolitan University, UK), Hall 11a

17:15 - 17:20

  • Flash poster presentation - Feature selection from microbial profiles via a genetic algorithm

Nisha Puthiyedth (University of Saskatchewan, Canada), Hall 11a

17:20 - 17:25

The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

The successful replication of all viruses, regardless of whether they have an RNA or DNA genome, relies on the translation of their proteins by the cellular translation machinery. In response to virus infection, the host aims to stop translation and shut down virus production, resulting in a dynamic battle between host and virus to gain control of the ribosome. Viruses have developed a range of strategies to win this battle, such as bypassing normal initiation processes, hijacking translation factors, shutting off host protein synthesis in favour of their own, and inhibiting the signalling pathways that control translation. This two-day symposium will incorporate an overview of virus manipulation of the translation process, from a range of international experts on plant, insect and mammalian systems, providing a broad and up-to-date account of the field.

Organisers

Gill Elliott (University of Surrey, UK), Chris McCormick (University of Southampton, UK), Martina Scallan (University College Cork, Ireland), Andrew MacDonald (University of Leeds, UK)

  • Chair: Martina Scallan (University College Cork, Ireland) and Andrew MacDonald (University of Leeds, UK)

  • Investigating how ribosome biogenesis impacts human cytomegalovirus replication

Ian Mohr (NYU School of Medicine, USA), Hall 1

14:00 - 14:30

  • Non-optimised codons in HAV

Rosa Pintó (Universitat de Barcelona, Spain), Hall 1

14:30 - 15:00

  • Offered paper - Bimodal switch and reprogramming of global protein synthesis at single cell resolution during HSV cell–cell transmission

Peter O'Hare (Imperial College, UK), Hall 1

15:00 - 15:15

  • Offered paper - Mechanistic insights into the inhibition of the NF-κB signalling pathway by HIV-1 Vpu

Suzanne Pickering (KCL, UK), Hall 1

15:15 - 15:30

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

15:30 - 16:00

  • Stimulation of programme ribosomal frameshifting by virus proteins

Ian Brierley (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 1

16:00 - 16:30

  • The transcription and translation landscapes during human cytomegalovirus infection

Noam Stern-Ginossar (Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel), Hall 1

16:30 - 17:00

  • Offered paper - Virulent poxviruses inhibit DNA sensing by preventing STING activation

Iliana Georgana (University of Surrey, UK), Hall 1

17:00 - 17:15

  • Offered paper - The mechanism and structural diversity of exoribonuclease-resistant structures in pathogenically relevant flaviviral RNAs

Zoe O'Donoghue (University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, USA), Hall 1

17:15 - 17:30

  • Fleming Prize Lecture – How to kill your rivals: type VI secretion system-mediated bacterial warfare

Sarah Coulthurst (University of Dundee, UK), Hall 1

17:40 - 18:30

  • Drinks reception and poster presentation

Hall 3

18:30 - 20:00

  • Society promotion – Journal digests: genomics, open data and antimicrobial resistance

Hall 3 (Society stand)

19:00 - 19:10

Thursday 12 April, Morning

  • Registration open

07:30 - 09:00

  • Marjory Stephenson Prize Lecture – Vaccinia virus: a portrait of a poxvirus

Geoffrey L. Smith (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 1

09:00 - 09:50

Bacterial zoonoses: ecology, epidemiology and evolution

Bacterial transitions between host species, including humans and wild and domesticated animals, is typically accompanied by evolutionary changes that promote survival in the novel niche. Understanding the dynamics of zoonotic infection and the nature of host adaptation is key for describing human and animal disease emergence and epidemiology. Recent technical advances, for example high-throughput sequencing, are providing new opportunities for investigating bacteria–host ecology, epidemiology and evolution. These include identification of emergent zoonoses, determining the direction and timescale of host jumps, identifying genomic elements associated with host adaptation – and their encoded functions – and investigating the evolutionary landscape that promotes host transition. This session provides an opportunity for zoonosis researchers to come together and present the latest research in this area. Drawing on the recent studies, we describe the current understanding of host-association patterns in structured bacterial populations, mechanisms of evolution, and the genetic and functional basis of bacterial pathogen host- adaptation. The session will be an opportunity to (i) assess new emerging diseases; (ii) present new insights using modern techniques; (iii) update epidemiological studies of important zoonotic pathogens; and (iv) discuss novel approaches for controlling the emergence of new pathogenic clones.

Organisers

Samuel K. Sheppard (University of Bath, UK), Nicola Holden (James Hutton Institute, UK), Jonathan G. Shaw (University of Sheffield, UK), Luigi Marongiu (University of Edinburgh, UK)

  • Chair: Luigi Marongiu (University of Edinburgh, UK)

  • The epidemiology of Leptospirosis in Italy: strain genotyping

Natale Alda (Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Italy), Hall 10

10:00 - 10:30

  • Offered paper - Host adaptation of Campylobacter jejuni in cattle

Evangelos Mourkas (University of Bath, UK), Hall 10

10:30 - 10:45

  • Offered paper - Using whole genome sequencing to understand the epidemiology of Mycobacterium bovis among badgers in England

Colman O'Cathail (University of Nottingham, UK), Hall 10

10:45 - 11:00

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

11:00 - 11:30

  • Chair: Samuel K. Sheppard (Bath University, UK)

  • Genetic analysis of Salmonella colonisation and zoonotic risk in farm animals

Mark Stevens (University of Edinburgh, UK), Hall 10

11:30 - 12:00

  • Antimicrobial resistance in staphylococci of animal origin

Stefan Schwarz (Freie Universität, Germany), Hall 10

12:00 - 12:30

DNA repair

Like all other living organisms, microbial DNA suffers continual physical and chemical assault. Indeed, some bacteria (such as the radiation-resistant species Deinococcus radiodurans) even thrive in environments that are hostile to DNA integrity. However, if not repaired, the resulting lesions become fixed during DNA replication, leading to heritable alterations in the genome. We now know that a plethora of elegant mechanisms are used to identify and repair the different types of DNA damage that can accrue, and the last decade has seen step changes in our understanding of these mechanisms at the molecular and cellular level. In this session, we explore these advances in detail, and also take a look at what happens when the repair machinery fails. For example, one consequence of defective DNA repair is an increase in the mutation rate, effectively "pumping the gas-pedal of the evolutionary accelerator" and catalysing the appearance of adaptive traits such as antibiotic resistance. A better understanding of the mechanisms that constrain this evolutionary playground therefore has very direct relevance to basic scientists, clinicians, and evolutionary biologists alike.

Organisers

Martin Welch (University of Cambridge, UK), Lori Snyder (Kingston University, UK)

  • Chair: Martin Welch (University of Cambridge, UK)

  • Evolution of genome architecture in Archaea

Thorsten Allers (University of Nottingham, UK), Hall 9

10:00 - 10:30

  • DNA double-strand break repair at the single molecule level in bacteria

Meriem El-Karoui (University of Edinburgh, UK), Hall 9

10:30 - 11:00

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

11:00 - 11:30

  • Chair: Lori Snyder (Kingston University, UK)

  • How bacteria regulate mutagenesis and their ability to evolve

Susan Rosenberg (Baylor College of Medicine, USA), Hall 9

11:30 - 12:00

  • Bacterial DNA repair complexes RedBCD and AddAB as targets for antibiotics

Dale Wigley (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 9

12:00 - 12:30

Environmental and applied microbiology forum

This forum focuses on any area in environmental, ecological, applied and industrial microbiology, including (non-human) host–microbe communities and interactions, marine and freshwater microbiology, soil and geomicrobiology, air-, cryo- and extremophile microbiology, climate change, biotechnology, bio- processing and bio-engineering, food microbiology, and other applied and industrial microbial processes, including microbe-mediated biodegradation and bioremediation.

Organisers

Jon Shaw, Jennifer Mitchell, Ryan Seipke, Tasos Tsaousis

  • Chair: Ryan Seipke (University of Leeds, UK) and Jon Shaw (University of Sheffield, UK)

  • Offered paper - Rapid detection and discrimination of chromosome- and MCR-plasmid-mediated resistance to polymyxins by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry: The MALDIxin test

Laurent Dortet (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 5

10:00 - 10:15

  • Offered paper - Overcoming antimicrobial resistance in the built environment

Claire Bankier (University College London, UK), Hall 5

10:15 - 10:30

  • Offered paper - The impact of plant growth on methylotrophic bacteria

Michael Christopher Macey (The Open University, University of East Anglia, UK), Hall 5

10:30 - 10:45

  • Offered paper - DNA stable-isotope probing implicates active naphthalene-degrading bacterial community in PAH-contaminated urban soil

Ibrahim I. Hussein (Queen's University Belfast, UK), Hall 5

10:45 - 11:00

  • Offered paper - A flocs’ life: adventures in the alkaline

Simon Rout (University of Huddersfield, UK), Hall 5

11:00 - 11:15

  • Offered paper - Bioprospection of an oleaginous endophytic fungus, Phomopsis sp. prevalent in biodiesel plants

Susmita Paul (North-Eastern Hill University, UK), Hall 5

11:15 - 11:30

  • Offered paper - Landfill sites: one man’s trash is another man’s treasure

Emma Ransom-Jones (University of Huddersfield, Bangor University, UK), Hall 5

11:30 - 11:45

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

11:45 - 12:15

  • Chair: Jennifer Mitchell (University College Dublin) and Tasos Tsaousis (University of Kent, UK)

  • The experimental investigation of the relationship between bacterial adhesion upon a range of surfaces under different shear stresses within a microfluidic device.

** PROGRAMME UPDATE ** Alexander Lai Man Chun (University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK), Hall 5

12:15 - 12:30

  • Offered paper - Occurrence of Naegleria fowleri in surface waters from Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, USA

Samendra Sherchan (Tulane University, USA), Hall 5

12:30 - 12:45

  • Offered paper - Comparison of biofilm and bulk water bacterial community throughout the drinking water treatment process

Cara Wray (Newcastle University, UK), Hall 5

12:45 - 13:00

Essential skills: Engaging in science policy

Scientists can play an important role informing policy-making, whether providing scientific evidence and solutions to policy-makers to help address grand challenges such as antimicrobial resistance or climate change, or informing science policy on research skills, funding, and infrastructure. This workshop will feature talks from Dr Sarah Bunn (Scientific Adviser, Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology), James Tooze (Policy Officer, Campaign for Science and Engineering) and Dr Paul Richards (Policy Manager, Microbiology Society) about the role of research in parliament and government, and how microbiologists can engage with policy-making. Interactive sessions will enable participants to develop knowledge and skills to effectively communicate their science to policy-makers.

Organisers

Sarah Bunn (Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology [POST], UK), James Tooze (Campaign for Science and Engineering, UK), Paul Richards (Microbiology Society, UK), Roya Ziaie (Microbiology Society, UK)

  • Chair: Peter Cotgreave (Microbiology Society, UK)

  • Welcome

Peter Cotgreave (Microbiology Society, UK), Hall 11b

10:00 - 10:15

  • Science, research and parliament

Sarah Bunn (Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, UK), Hall 11b

10:15 - 10:35

  • Influencing government science policy

James Tooze (Campaign for Science and Engineering), Hall 11b

10:35 - 10:50

  • Engaging in policy with the Microbiology Society

Paul Richards (Microbiology Society, UK), Hall 11b

10:50 - 11:00

  • Member case study: Giving evidence to a Select Committee

Paul Kellam (Microbiology Society Policy Committee, UK), Hall 11b

11:00 - 11:10

  • Q&A

Hall 11b

11:10 - 11:20

  • Refreshments and networking

Hall 11b

11:20 - 11:50

  • Workshop: Communicating your research to policy-makers

Sarah Foxen (Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, UK), Hall 11b

11:50 - 12:55

  • Closing remarks

Peter Cotgreave (Microbiology Society, UK), Hall 11b

12:55 - 13:00

Microbial infection forum

Offered papers will be presented in areas related to infections caused by prokaryote and eukaryote pathogens of human, veterinary or botanical significance including epidemiology, diagnosis, identification, typing, pathogenesis, treatment, antimicrobial agents and resistance, prevention, virulence factors, host responses and immunity, transmission, and models of infection at the cell, tissue or whole organism level.

Organisers

Sabine Tötemeyer, Sarah Maddocks, Steve Michell, Daniela Delneri

  • Chair: Sarah Maddocks (Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK) and Steve Michell (University of Exeter, UK)

  • Offered paper - Disentangling bacterial virulence mechanisms: Klebsiella pneumoniae targets post-translational modifications (PTMs) to manipulate autonomous immunity

Ciara Ross (Queen's University Belfast, UK), Hall 1

10:00 - 10:15

  • Offered paper - Sequencing approaches to study the pathogenesis of Salmonella enterica in vivo

Prerna Vohra (The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, UK), Hall 1

10:15 - 10:30

  • Offered paper - Lipid A structural plasticity and its significance to the virulence of Acinetobacter baumannii

Toby Bartholomew (Queen's University Belfast, UK), Hall 1

10:30 - 10:45

  • Offered paper - The type III secretion system uses the translocon as a “pore-forming toxin” to manipulate the host epigenome

Laurent Dortet (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 1

10:45 - 11:00

  • Offered paper - Investigating non-toxigenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolates for novel virulence genes

Sariqa Wagley (University of Exeter, UK), Hall 1

11:00 - 11:15

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

11:15 - 11:45

  • Offered paper - Knowing the Enemy: How does Pseudomonas aeruginosa regulate carbon flux through its glyoxylate shunt?

Stephen Dolan (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 1

11:45 - 12:00

  • Offered paper - The DSB system is a novel target for the treatment of β-lactamase-producing Gram-negative pathogens

Despoina Mavridou (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 1

12:00 - 12:15

  • Offered paper - Biocide exposure induces changes in susceptibility, pathogenicity, and biofilm formation in uropathogenic Escherichia coli

Emma Henly (Sheffield Hallam University, UK), Hall 1

12:15 - 12:30

  • Offered paper - Impact of polymicrobial competition during urinary tract colonisation and antibiotic treatment

Christopher Boyles (Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Newcastle University, UK), Hall 1

12:30 - 12:45

  • Offered paper - Antibiotics Unearthed: Citizen science and antimicrobial discovery

Ethan Drury (University of East Anglia, UK), Hall 1

12:45 - 13:00

The games microbes play: competition, conflict and cooperation in

microbiology

The Games Microbes Play symposium will address a broad set of questions from the angle of Evolutionary Game Theory, conceptualising issues of cooperation and conflict that can arise between individuals of the same species, commensals of different species, as well as hosts and parasites. Topics of relevance to medical microbiologists and also sociobiologists, theoreticians as well as experimentalists, will be encouraged, from bacterial infection to conflict between social amoebae, to cooperation between insects and their microbial symbionts. Invited speakers represent experimentalists and theorists and the session should interest microbiologists across all Divisions of the Society, since small genomes are especially tractable to analysis of the strategies encoded within them. Several groups within the UK work on aspects of social evolution in microbes, and we will encourage them to submit abstracts, and we also hope to welcome submissions from a wide range of microbiologists working on related issues.

Organisers

Gareth Bloomfield (MRC-LMB Cambridge, UK), Elinor Thompson (University of Greenwich, UK)

  • Chair: Gareth Bloomfield (MRC-LMB Cambridge, UK) and Kimberley Summers (University of Birmingham, UK)

  • Symbiont-provided defence and nutrition in herbivorous beetles

Martin Kaltenpoth (Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany), Hall 8a

10:00 - 10:30

  • Mathematics of cooperative and competitive bacterial interaction

Jamie Wood (University of York, UK), Hall 8a

10:30 - 11:00

  • Offered paper - How does paper beat rock in rock-paper-scissors? – The fitness costs of anti-CRISPR proteins

Mariann Landsberger (University of Exeter, UK), Hall 8a

11:00 - 11:15

  • Offered paper - The economic logic of cooperation in a microbe

Balint Stewart (Univeristy College London, UK), Hall 8a

11:15 - 11:30

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

11:30 - 12:00

  • Loners can confer adaptive advantages to the rest of the population and insure against cheating

Ricardo Martinez-Garcia (Princeton University, USA), Hall 8a

12:00 - 12:30

  • Quantifying interactions in a small, evolving microbial community

Sara Mitri (University of Lausanne, Switzerland), Hall 8a

12:30 - 13:00

Virology workshop: Clinical virology

This workshop will involve a range of clinical virology cases or short papers which relate to studies relevant to clinical virology network. Different aspects of clinical virology that will be covered include: differential diagnosis of encephalitis, management of hepatitis, diversity of rotavirus sequences, and diagnosis of respiratory infections.

Organisers

Stephen Winchester (Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UK), Tamyo Mbisa (Public Health England, UK)

  • Chair: Matthew Donati (Public Health England, UK)

  • Offered paper: Anti-rubella IgG testing

Sarah Kempster (NIBSC, UK), Hall 4

10:00 - 10:12

  • Offered paper: Utilisation of chimeric haemagglutinin bearing lentiviral pseudotypes to dissect head and stalk directed antibody responses

George Carnell (University of Kent, UK), Hall 4

10:12 - 10:24

  • Offered paper: A multidisciplinary approach to a human parainfluenza 3 (HPIV3) outbreak on a paediatric oncology ward in a major teaching hospital

Anna Smielewska (University of Cambridge, UK, and Public Health England, UK), Hall 4

10:24 - 10:36

  • Offered paper: Production and application of reference materials in outbreak scenarios: lessons learnt from the Ebola and Zika epidemics

Giada Mattiuzzo (NIBSC, UK), Hall 4

10:36 - 10:48

  • Offered paper: An overview of hepatitis A in Scotland

Amanda Bradley-Stewart (West of Scotland Specialist Virology Centre, UK), Hall 4

10:48 - 11:00

  • Offered paper: Schmallenberg virus antibody responses in adult ewes following natural re-exposure

Scott Jones (University of Nottingham, UK), Hall 4

11:00 - 11:12

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

11:12 - 11:48

  • Chair: Tamyo Mbisa (Public Health England, UK)

  • Offered paper: Prevalence and sequence diversity of hepatitis B virus in Bombali province, Sierra Leone assessed using nanopore sequencing

Luke Meredith (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 4

11:42 - 11:54

  • Offered paper: Surveillance of resistance to NS5A inhibitors in HCV genotype 1a in the UK

Daniel Bradshaw (Public Health England, UK), Hall 4

11:54 - 12:06

  • Offered paper: Bacterial co-infections in patients with a range of viral respiratory tract infections – an under recognised clinical problem

Temi Lampejo (King's College Hospital, UK), Hall 4

12:06 - 12:18

  • Offered paper: Fatal disseminated adenovirus infection in an immunocompetent patient

Judith Timms (Coventry and Warwickshire Pathology Services, UK), Hall 4

12:18 - 12:30

  • Offered paper: Development and implementation of an ORF immunoassay to investigate hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection transmission

Becky Haywood (Public Health England, UK), Hall 4

12:30 - 12:42

  • Offered paper: Varicella zoster virus immunoglobulin post exposure prophylaxis in pregnancy

Claire Williams (Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, UK), Hall 3

12:42 - 12:54

  • Offered paper: Outbreak of measles in a highly vaccinated population of healthcare workers

Lisa Berry (Coventry and Warwickshire Pathology Services, UK), Hall 4

12:54 - 13:00

Virology workshop: DNA viruses

We invite abstracts on any aspect of DNA viruses. Depending on the abstracts received, the workshop will be structured around a typical life-cycle of DNA viruses and will cover virus entry and uncoating, genome replication, particle structure, assembly and egress. Pathogenesis will be covered to demonstrate the diversity of diseases that these viruses cause, together with the host response to infection, and vaccine or antiviral-based treatments or therapies that can be used to combat infection. Both human and animal pathogens will be covered, including the opportunity for clinicians to present studies on ongoing outbreaks or epidemiological studies.

Organisers

Colin Crump (University of Cambridge, UK), Joanna Parish (University of Birmingham, UK)

  • Chair: Colin Crump (University of Cambridge, UK) and Pip Beard (The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, UK)

  • Offered paper - Bioorthogonal chemical analysis of herpesvirus early genome transport and progression of infection

Eiki Sekine (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 11a

10:00 - 10:12

  • Offered paper - The CFTR chloride channel is essential for BK polyomavirus infection of primary renal proximal tubular epithelial cells and can be targeted using the clinically available drug glibenclamide

Eleni-Anna Loundras (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 11a

10:12 - 10:24

  • Offered paper - Role of host cell fusion and fission factors in HSV-1 infection

Tiffany Russell (University of Surrey, UK), Hall 11a

10:24 - 10:36

  • Offered paper - Elucidating early events in the lifecycle of Merkel cell polyomavirus

Samuel Dobson (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 11a

10:36 - 10:48

  • Offered paper - Identification of an NK inhibitory function by an HCMV protein of the RL11 family

Virginia-Maria Vlachava (Cardiff University, UK), Hall 11a

10:48 - 11:00

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

11:00 - 11:30

  • Chair: Colin Crump (University of Cambridge, UK) and Claire Shannon-Lowe (University of Birmingham, UK)

  • Offered paper - Merkel cell polyomavirus miRNA targeting of the host-cell immune response during virus replication results in the attenuation of neutrophil chemotaxis

Pouria Akhbari (University of Exeter, UK), Hall 11a

11:30 - 11:42

  • Offered paper - Abolishment of surface ADAM17 expression by human cytomegalovirus

Mihil Patel (Cardiff University, UK), Hall 11a

11:42 - 11:54

  • Offered paper - Human cytomegalovirus latency suppresses S100A8/A9 expression via CTCF to evade neutrophil killing

Emma Poole (Cambridge University, UK), Hall 11a

11:54 - 12:06

  • Offered paper - Vaccinia virus protein C2 inhibits activation of NF-κB signalling pathway

Rui-Yao Zhang (Department of Pathology, UK), Hall 11a

12:06 - 12:18

  • Offered paper - Identification of host immune factors implicated in the BK polyomavirus lifecycle

Michelle Antoni (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 11a

12:18 - 12:30

  • Offered paper - Evasion of host innate immunity by a lateral bodies protein of a highly attenuated fowlpox virus (FWPV) vaccine strain

Efstathios Giotis (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 11a

12:30 - 12:42

  • Offered paper - Vaccinia virus protein C4 is an inhibitor of DNA-PK-mediated DNA sensing

Simon R. Scutts (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 11a

12:42 - 12:54

  • Offered paper - E6 mediated STAT3 activation occurs via an NFκB/IL-6 signalling axis in HPV positive cervical cancer

Ethan Morgan (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 11a

12:54 - 13:06

Virology workshop: Negative strand RNA viruses

We invite abstracts on any aspect of the biology of negative strand RNA viruses. Depending on the abstracts received, the workshop will be structured around a typical life-cycle of these viruses and will cover virus entry and uncoating, genome replication, particle structure, assembly and egress. Pathogenesis will be covered to demonstrate the diversity of diseases that these viruses cause, together with the host response to infection, and vaccine or antiviral-based treatments or therapies that can be used to combat infection. Both human and animal pathogens will be covered, including the opportunity for clinicians to present studies on ongoing outbreaks or epidemiological studies.

Organisers

Silke Schepelmann (NIBSC, UK), Martina Scallan (University College Cork, Ireland)

  • Chair: Silke Schelpemann (NIBSC, UK) and Martina Scallan (University College Cork, Ireland)

  • Offered paper - Characterisation of novel determinants of filovirus entry and restriction

Franka Debeljak (King’s College London, UK), Hall 7

10:00 - 10:12

  • Offered paper - A role for cholesterol during Bunyamwera virus entry and infection

Frank Charlton (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 7

10:12 - 10:24

  • Offered paper - Terminal depth single-molecule sequencing of capped transcripts reveals host-pathogen dynamics in human macrophages

Sara Clohisey (The Roslin Institute, UK), Hall 7

10:24 - 10:36

  • Offered paper - A potential novel mechanism for translation initiation used by influenza A virus

Elizabeth Sloan (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 7

10:36 - 10:48

  • Offered paper - Intra-genomic CpG dinucleotide frequency fluctuations in influenza A virus

Eleanor Gaunt (The Roslin Institute, UK), Hall 7

10:48 - 11:00

  • Offered paper - Thwarting influenza virus replication by altering the nuclear environment

Ecco Staller (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 7

11:00 - 11:12

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

11:12 - 11:42

  • Offered paper - Identification and characterisation of a small molecule inhibitor of Ebolavirus genome replication

Victoria Easton (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 7

11:42 - 11:54

  • Offered paper - Identification of polymorphisms within PA gene of H9N2 avian influenza viruses which lead to an enhanced replication and pathogenicity within poultry

Anabel Clements (The Pirbright Institute, UK), Hall 7

11:54 - 12:06

  • Offered paper - Elucidation of novel interactions between respiratory syncytial virus (Rsv) and human airway epithelium predictive of severe Rsv disease

Dean Coey (Queen's University Belfast, UK), Hall 7

12:06 - 12:18

  • Offered paper - Unexpected functional divergence of bat influenza virus NS1 proteins

Hannah L. Turkington (University of Zurich, Switzerland), Hall 7

12:18 - 12:30

  • Offered paper - Absent to active: Unravelling the detail behind chIFITM-mediated viral restriction

Thomas Whitehead (The Pirbright Institute, UK), Hall 7

12:30 - 12:42

  • Offered paper - Characterising an unexpected role for the ubiquitin-like protein ISG15: regulating the magnitude of the antiviral response

Jelena Andrejeva (University of St Andrews, UK), Hall 7

12:42 - 12:54

Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

We invite abstracts on any aspect of the biology of positive strand and double strand RNA viruses. Depending on the abstracts received, the workshop will be structured around a typical life-cycle of these viruses and will cover virus entry and uncoating, genome replication, particle structure, assembly and egress. Pathogenesis will be covered to demonstrate the diversity of diseases that these viruses cause, together with the host response to infection, and vaccine or antiviral-based treatments or therapies that can be used to combat infection. Both human and animal pathogens will be covered, including the opportunity for clinicians to present studies on ongoing outbreaks or epidemiological studies.

Organisers

Chris McCormick (University of Southampton, UK), Erica Bickerton (The Pirbright Institute, UK)

  • Chair: Chris McCormick (University of Southampton, UK) and Erica Bickerton (The Pirbright Institute, UK)

  • Offered paper - Structural and biochemical analysis of protein/RNA interactions during initiation of dengue virus genome replication

Lauren Branfield (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 8b

10:00 - 10:12

  • Offered paper - Mapping the interacting sites of Bluetongue virus capsid protein VP6 and RNA: identification of residues critical to genome packaging and virus replication

Po-Yu Sung (London school of hygiene and tropical medicine, UK), Hall 8b

10:12 - 10:24

  • Offered paper - A role for higher order polymerase structures in poliovirus recombination

Kirsten Bentley (University of St Andrews, UK), Hall 8b

10:24 - 10:36

  • Offered paper - Ribosome profiling reveals active translation of two novel ORFs located within the equine torovirus 5’ leader

Hazel Stewart (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 8b

10:36 - 10:48

  • Offered paper - Targeting functional RNA structures in emerging arboviruses

Oliver Prosser (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 8b

10:48 - 11:00

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

11:00 - 11:30

  • Offered paper - Reverse genetic analysis of strain variation and virulence in deformed wing virus of honey bees

Olesya Gusachenko (University of St Andrews, UK), Hall 8b

11:30 - 11:42

  • Offered paper - Handing out freebies: How the superfluous nature of the FMDV 3B proteins help us understand the nature of FMDV polyprotein processing

Joseph C Ward (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 8b

11:42 - 11:54

  • Offered paper - In vitro reconstitution of translation initiation on Zika virus

Thomas Sanford (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 8b

11:54 - 12:06

  • Offered paper - The role of RNA structure in Chikungunya virus genome replication

Catherine Kendall (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 8b

12:06 - 12:18

  • Offered paper - Reprogramming of host RNA translation during acute murine norovirus infection

Michele Brocard (University of Surrey, UK), Hall 8b

12:18 - 12:30

  • Offered paper - Modulation of host cell chloride channels inhibits Chikungunya virus genome replication

Marietta Müller (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 8b

12:30 - 12:42

  • Offered paper - Intracellular neutralisation of rotavirus by antibodies

Sarah Caddy (MRC-Laboratory of Molecular Biology, UK), Hall 8b

12:42 - 12:54

  • Offered paper - Aedes aegypti SUMOylation pathway suppresses arbovirus replication

Sam Stokes (University of Glasgow, UK and The Pirbright Institute, UK), Hall 8b

12:54 - 13:06

Virology workshop: Retroviruses

We invite abstracts on any aspect of retrovirus biology. Depending on the abstracts received, the workshop will be structured around a typical life- cycle of a retrovirus and will cover virus entry and uncoating, genome replication, particle structure, assembly and egress. Pathogenesis will be covered to demonstrate the diversity of diseases that these viruses cause, together with the host response to infection, and vaccine or antiviral-based treatments or therapies that can be used to combat infection. Both human and animal pathogens will be covered, including the opportunity for clinicians to present studies on ongoing outbreaks or epidemiological studies.

Organisers

Kate Bishop (The Francis Crick Institute, UK), Stuart Neil (King's College London, UK)

  • Chair: Stuart Neil (Kings College London, UK)

  • Offered paper - Could HIV-1 integrase strand transfer inhibitors be used for htlv-1 therapy?

Michal Barski (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 6

10:00 - 10:12

  • Offered paper - The Gag cleavage product p12 tethers the murine leukemia virus (MLV) PIC to chromatin by binding directly to host nucleosomes in mitosis

Madushi Wanaguru (The Francis Crick Institute, UK), Hall 6

10:12 - 10:24

  • Offered paper - HIV-1 protease inhibition induces DNA sensing on infection

Rebecca Sumner (University College London, UK), Hall 6

10:24 - 10:36

  • Offered paper - Determining the influence of HIV-1 gag sequence on reverse transcriptase inhibitor sensitivity

Claire Kerridge (University College London UK and Public Health England, UK), Hall 6

10:36 - 10:48

  • Offered paper - HIV-1 overcomes antiviral factor REAF

Joseph Gibbons (Blizard Institute, UK), Hall 6

10:48 - 11:00

  • Offered paper - Influence of antiretroviral protein SAMHD1 on mitochondria

Harriet Groom (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 6

11:00 - 11:12

  • Offered paper - Cyclosporine A rescues a type I interferon-induced IFITM3-mediated block to infection

Lucy Thorne (University College London, UK), Hall 6

11:12 - 11:24

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

11:24 - 11:54

  • Chair: Kate Bishop (The Crick Institute, UK)

  • Offered paper - HIV-1 Vpr inhibits pattern recognition signaling in myeloid cells

Pedro Matos (King's College London, UK), Hall 6

11:54 - 12:06

  • Offered paper - Vpr promotes HIV-1 replication by suppressing innate immune activation

Hataf Khan (University College London, UK), Hall 6

12:06 - 12:18

  • Offered paper - Papio cynocephalus endogenous retrovirus (PcEV) expression is strongly correlated with expression of interferon-stimulated gene (STAT-1) in tissues from acutely SIV-infected macaques

Neil Berry (NIBSC, UK), Hall 6

12:18 - 12:30

  • Offered paper - Associated risk factors of Toxoplasma gondii and seroprevalence of HIV-1 and Toxoplasma gondii co-infection among pregnant women in Northwest Cameroon

Lem Edith (University of Bamenda, Cameroon), Hall 6

12:30 - 12:42

  • Offered paper - Differing positions of live attenuated SIV vaccine infected cells and their role in generating protective responses

Joanna Hall (NIBSC, UK), Hall 6

12:42 - 12:54

Thursday 12 April, Afternoon

  • Lunch and exhibition

Hall 3

13:00 - 14:00

  • Meet the Editor – Kalai Mathee, Co-Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Medical Microbiology

Kalai Mathee, Hall 3 (Society stand)

13:00 - 14:00

Bacterial zoonoses: ecology, epidemiology and evolution

Bacterial transitions between host species, including humans and wild and domesticated animals, is typically accompanied by evolutionary changes that promote survival in the novel niche. Understanding the dynamics of zoonotic infection and the nature of host adaptation is key for describing human and animal disease emergence and epidemiology. Recent technical advances, for example high-throughput sequencing, are providing new opportunities for investigating bacteria–host ecology, epidemiology and evolution. These include identification of emergent zoonoses, determining the direction and timescale of host jumps, identifying genomic elements associated with host adaptation – and their encoded functions – and investigating the evolutionary landscape that promotes host transition. This session provides an opportunity for zoonosis researchers to come together and present the latest research in this area. Drawing on the recent studies, we describe the current understanding of host-association patterns in structured bacterial populations, mechanisms of evolution, and the genetic and functional basis of bacterial pathogen host- adaptation. The session will be an opportunity to (i) assess new emerging diseases; (ii) present new insights using modern techniques; (iii) update epidemiological studies of important zoonotic pathogens; and (iv) discuss novel approaches for controlling the emergence of new pathogenic clones.

Organisers

Samuel K. Sheppard (University of Bath, UK), Nicola Holden (James Hutton Institute, UK), Jonathan G. Shaw (University of Sheffield, UK), Luigi Marongiu (University of Edinburgh, UK)

  • Chair: Nicola Holden (James Hutton Institute, UK) and Prerna Vohra (Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, UK)

  • A zoonotic pathogen and biodefence: the challenge of developing a vaccine against tularaemia

Petra Oyston (Porton Down, UK), Hall 10

14:00 - 14:30

  • Offered paper - Development of a metabolic model for avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) to aid pragmatic vaccine design

Huijun Long (University of Surrey, UK), Hall 10

14:30 - 14:45

  • Host–pathogen interactions in the development of Lyme disease: lessons learned using intravital microscopy

Mark Wooten (University of Toledo, USA), Hall 10

14:45 - 15:15

  • Flash poster presentation - Investigation of transcriptional response of related Salmonella Typhimurium strains to ciprofloxacin treatment

Sushmita Sridhar (Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, UK and University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 10

15:15 - 15:20

  • Offered paper - Human-to-dog transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: a case study in Italy

Michela Corrò (Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Italy), Hall 10

15:20 - 15:35

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

15:35 - 16:05

  • Chair: Luigi Marongiu (University of Edinburgh, UK)

  • Offered paper - Dissemination of K. pneumoniae and mobile elements revealed by whole genome sequencing: A One Health Approach

Catherine Ludden (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 10

16:05 - 16:20

  • Offered paper - Antimicrobial resistance threats by Acinetobacter – emergency of an underestimated pathogen in veterinary medicine?

Grazieli Maboni (University of Georgia, USA), Hall 10

16:20 - 16:35

  • Conclusions

Samuel K. Sheppard (University of Bath, UK), Hall 10

16:35 - 16:45

Clinical Virology Network (CVN)

This session will involve a range of clinical virology cases which relate to studies relevant to the Clinical Virology Network. Different aspects of clinical virology that will be covered include: differential diagnosis of encephalitis, management of hepatitis, diversity of rotavirus sequences, and diagnosis of respiratory infections.

Organisers

Stephen Winchester (Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UK) and Tamyo Mbisa (Public Health England, UK)

  • Chair: Stephen Winchester (Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UK)

  • How do point of care and next generation sequencing fit into routine clinical diagnosis?

Kate Templeton (University of Edinburgh, UK), Hall 4

14:00 - 14:30

  • Potential public health threats from emerging arboviral disease in the UK

Jolyon Medlock (Public Health England, UK), Hall 4

14:30 - 15:00

  • Future management of high consequence infectious diseases in England

Jake Dunning (Public Health England, UK), Hall 4

15:00 - 15:30

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

15:30 - 16:00

  • Measles: a global update

Kevin Brown (Public Health England, UK), Hall 4

16:00 - 16:30

Community interactions and the living host

Session sponsored by eLIFE

The living host provides complex ecological niches for thriving microbial communities. Metagenomic and metataxonomic analyses of these microbiotas, along with fluorescence microscopy, reveal which microbes are present within these communities and provide an indication of their relative abundance. These data are now informing our understanding of microbial interactions and the living host. This symposium will address aspects of prokaryote, eukaryote and bacteriophage component interactions of the microbiota in relation to health, disease and the immune system. The major sites of microbial colonisation (the skin, the gastrointestinal tract and the female genital tract) will be included. Offered papers relating to microbiota interactions in both humans and other animals will be considered for presentation within the symposium.

Organisers

Sheila Patrick (Queen's University Belfast, UK), Sarah Kuehne (University of Birmingham, UK), Sabine Tötemeyer (University of Nottingham, UK), Susan Crosthwaite (University of Manchester, UK), Julian Marchesi (Cardiff University, UK)

  • Chair: Sheila Patrick (Queen's University Belfast, UK) and Julian Marchesi (Cardiff University, UK)

  • GI tract microbiota: myths and truths

Alan Walker (University of Aberdeen, UK), Hall 5

14:00 - 14:30

  • Offered paper - The importance of method standardisation for human microbiota studies

Anna Maria Pulawska-Czub (Institute of Infection and Global Health, UK), Hall 5

14:30 - 14:45

  • Offered paper - Elucidating microbial community dynamics in response to infant diet

Melissa Lawson (Quadram Institute, UK), Hall 5

14:45 - 15:00

  • The skin microbiota in health and disease

Oleg Alexeyev (University of Umeå, Sweden), Hall 5

15:00 - 15:30

  • Offered paper - The potential role of the anaerobic bacterium Propionibacterium acnes in the aetiology of prostate cancer

Andrew McDowell (Ulster University, UK), Hall 5

15:30 - 15:45

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

15:45 - 16:15

  • Chair: Sheila Patrick (Queen's University Belfast, UK) and Anna Pulawskaczub (Institute of Infection and Global Health, UK)

  • Offered paper - The inhibitory effect of honeybee specific lactic acid bacteria on honeybee pathogen, Paenibacillus larvae

Sepideh Lamei (Swedish University of Agricultural Science and Lund University, Sweden), Hall 5

16:15 - 16:30

  • Flash poster presentation - Characterisation of sand fly (Phlebotomus argentipes) microbiota linked to Leishmania infection status across Bihar, India

Poppy Stevens (University of Salford, UK), Hall 5

16:30 - 16:35

  • Flash poster presentation - Phenotypic implications of strain diversity of the gut microbiome

Ana Zhu (Sanger Institute, UK), Hall 5

16:35 - 16:40

  • Flash poster presentation - Using multi-omic approaches to compare temporal bacterial colonisation of Lolium perenne, Lotus corniculatus and Trifolium pratense in the rumen

Christopher Elliott (Queen's University Belfast, UK and Aberystwyth University, UK), Hall 5

16:40 - 16:45

  • Analysis of the role of Demodex mites and associated bacteria in inducing skin disease in humans

Kevin Kavanagh (Maynooth University, Ireland), Hall 5

16:45 - 17:15

  • Offered paper - Identifying the bacterial community and host response of a natural mixed infection using metatranscriptomics

Sabine Tötemeyer (University of Nottingham, UK), Hall 5

17:15 - 17:30

DNA repair

Like all other living organisms, microbial DNA suffers continual physical and chemical assault. Indeed, some bacteria (such as the radiation-resistant species Deinococcus radiodurans) even thrive in environments that are hostile to DNA integrity. However, if not repaired, the resulting lesions become fixed during DNA replication, leading to heritable alterations in the genome. We now know that a plethora of elegant mechanisms are used to identify and repair the different types of DNA damage that can accrue, and the last decade has seen step changes in our understanding of these mechanisms at the molecular and cellular level. In this session, we explore these advances in detail, and also take a look at what happens when the repair machinery fails. For example, one consequence of defective DNA repair is an increase in the mutation rate, effectively "pumping the gas-pedal of the evolutionary accelerator" and catalysing the appearance of adaptive traits such as antibiotic resistance. A better understanding of the mechanisms that constrain this evolutionary playground therefore has very direct relevance to basic scientists, clinicians, and evolutionary biologists alike.

Organisers

Martin Welch (University of Cambridge, UK), Lori Snyder (Kingston University, UK)

  • Chair: Martin Welch (University of Cambridge, UK)

  • Visualising the regulation of bacterial DNA repair and mutagenesis using single-molecule and single-cell microscopy

Stephan Uphoff (University of Oxford, UK), Hall 9

14:00 - 14:30

  • Determinants of spontaneous mutation in Escherichia coli

Patricia Foster (Indiana University Bloomington, USA), Hall 9

14:30 - 15:00

  • Exploring the role of protein oxidation in bacterial ionizing radiation resistance

John Battista (Louisiana State University, USA), Hall 9

15:00 - 15:30

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

15:30 - 16:00

  • Chair: Lori Snyder (Kingston University, UK)

  • Offered paper - The multiple antibiotic resistance (mar) operon of enteric bacteria controls DNA repair and outer membrane integrity

Prateek Sharma (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 9

16:00 - 16:15

  • Offered paper - Inhibition of a conserved DNA repair complex promotes susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus to host defences

Kam Pou Ha (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 9

16:15 - 16:30

  • Offered paper - Isolation and characterisation of a novel DNA polymerase from the thermoacidophilic Crenarchaeote, Acidianus brierleyi

Christopher Cooper (University of Huddersfield, UK), Hall 9

16:30 - 16:45

  • Structural and biochemical studies of the DNA repair machinery of Deinococcus radiodurans

Joanna Timmins (IBS, France), Hall 9

16:45 - 17:15

Microbial physiology, metabolism and molecular biology forum

This forum will consider offered papers on all aspects of microbial (prokaryotic and eukaryotic) metabolism and physiology, including fundamental research on the biochemistry and structure of cells, cell growth and division, cell architecture and differentiation, synthesis and transport of macromolecules, ions and small molecules and the cell cycle; but also on the role of physiology in microbial engineering, signalling and communication, sensing and cellular responses, the molecular mechanisms behind these phenomena and their potential applications.

Organisers

Nick Waterfield, Gillian Fraser

  • Chair: Nick Waterfield (University of Warwick, UK) and Gillian Fraser (University of Cambridge, UK)

  • Offered paper - Attractants and antagonists control the function of the dicarboxylic acid chemoreceptor of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Miguel A. Matilla (EEZ-CSIC, Spain ), Hall 1

14:00 - 14:15

  • Offered paper

Emily Stoakes (Warwick University Medical School, UK), Hall 1

14:15 - 14:30

  • Offered paper - The cyclic AMP receptor protein orchestrates the increase in intracellular levels of cAMP in response to osmotic stress in pathogenic mycobacteria

Sonia Rebollo-Ramirez (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 1

14:30 - 14:45

  • Offered paper - Characterisation of novel PQS binding proteins in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, including the quorum sensing transcriptional regulator RhlR

Larson Grimm (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 1

14:45 - 15:00

  • Offered paper - Protein secretion and surface colonisation by Listeria monocytogenes: Involvement of the Sec pathway in bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation.

Mickaël Desvaux-Lenôtre (INRA, France ), Hall 1

15:00 - 15:15

  • Offered paper - The function and biogenesis of the Clostridium difficile S-layer

Joseph Kirk (University of Sheffield, UK), Hall 1

15:15 - 15:30

  • Offered paper - Characterisation of a chromosome segregation machine in thermophilic archaea

Azhar Kabli (University of York, UK), Hall 1

15:30 - 15:45

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

15:45 - 16:15

  • Offered paper - Characterisation of sterol biosynthesis and validation of 14α-demethylase as a drug target in Acanthamoeba

Scott Thomson (University of the West of Scotland, UK), Hall 1

16:15 - 16:30

  • Offered paper - Differential Escherichia coli pathotype responses to the host metabolite D-serine

Nicky O'Boyle (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 1

16:30 - 16:45

  • Offered paper - Potential syntrophy alters the generation of E. coli persisters to antibiotics: folate metabolism involved response to antibiotics driven by phenotypic variability

Jesus Enrique Salcedo-Sora (Liverpool Hope University, UK), Hall 1

16:45 - 17:00

  • Offered paper - A novel regulator of methionine biosynthesis in starved Escherichia coli

Amy Switzer (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 1

17:00 - 17:15

  • Offered paper - Environmental selection of avirulence in the food-borne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes

Justine Rudkin (University College Cork, Ireland), Hall 1

17:15 - 17:30

The games microbes play: competition, conflict and cooperation in

microbiology

The Games Microbes Play symposium will address a broad set of questions from the angle of Evolutionary Game Theory, conceptualising issues of cooperation and conflict that can arise between individuals of the same species, commensals of different species, as well as hosts and parasites. Topics of relevance to medical microbiologists and also sociobiologists, theoreticians as well as experimentalists, will be encouraged, from bacterial infection to conflict between social amoebae, to cooperation between insects and their microbial symbionts. Invited speakers represent experimentalists and theorists and the session should interest microbiologists across all Divisions of the Society, since small genomes are especially tractable to analysis of the strategies encoded within them. Several groups within the UK work on aspects of social evolution in microbes, and we will encourage them to submit abstracts, and we also hope to welcome submissions from a wide range of microbiologists working on related issues.

Organisers

Gareth Bloomfield (MRC-LMB Cambridge, UK), Elinor Thompson (University of Greenwich, UK)

  • Chair: Elinor Thompson (University of Greenwich, UK) and Balint Stewart (University College London, UK)

  • Establishment and evolution of nucleus–chloroplast communication

Mitsumasa Hanaoka (Chiba University, Japan), Hall 8a

14:00 - 14:30

  • Social evolution of antibiotic resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates

Melanie Ghoul (University of Oxford, UK), Hall 8a

14:30 - 15:00

  • Offered paper - Network-based approaches to analyze multi-omic data sets from lung microbiomes

Giri Narasimhan (Florida International University, USA), Hall 8a

15:00 - 15:15

  • Offered paper - How do myxobacteria kill their prey? A multi-'omics holistic approach

David Whitworth (Aberystwyth University, UK), Hall 8a

15:15 - 15:30

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

15:30 - 16:00

  • Microbiomes of the blue planet: the games that microbes play with algae

Claire Gachon (Scottish Marine Institute, UK), Hall 8a

16:00 - 16:30

  • The rise and fall of a transformational bacterial symbiont in an invasive insect herbivore

Molly Hunter (University of Arizona, USA), Hall 8a

16:30 - 17:00

  • Flash presentation - Evolutionary strategies of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus predators and prey

Kimberley Summers (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 8a

17:00 - 17:05

  • Flash presentation - Cooperation and conflict in solvent producing Clostridia populations

Jonathan Humphreys (University of Nottingham, UK), Hall 8a

17:05 - 17:10

  • Flash presentation - Using 'insider information' to identify novel antibacterial targets

Laura Nolan (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 8a

17:10 - 17:15

  • Flash presentation - RsmA and AmrZ orchestrate the assembly of all three type VI secretion systems in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Luke Allsopp (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 8a

17:15 - 17:20

Virology workshop: DNA viruses

We invite abstracts on any aspect of DNA viruses. Depending on the abstracts received, the workshop will be structured around a typical life-cycle of DNA viruses and will cover virus entry and uncoating, genome replication, particle structure, assembly and egress. Pathogenesis will be covered to demonstrate the diversity of diseases that these viruses cause, together with the host response to infection, and vaccine or antiviral-based treatments or therapies that can be used to combat infection. Both human and animal pathogens will be covered, including the opportunity for clinicians to present studies on ongoing outbreaks or epidemiological studies.

Organisers

Colin Crump (University of Cambridge, UK), Joanna Parish (University of Birmingham, UK)

  • Chair: Joanna Parish (University of Birmingham, UK) and Pip Beard (The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, UK)

  • Offered paper - Characterisation of the human cytomegalovirus US12 gene family

Hester Nichols (Cardiff University, UK), Hall 11a

14:00 - 14:12

  • Offered paper - Tandem Mass Tagging (TMT) – mass spectrometry and cell cycle inhibition reveal BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) replication is dependent upon not only cell cycle status, but also CDK activity

Laura Caller (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 11a

14:12 - 14:24

  • Offered paper - Effects of altering CpG dinucleotide composition in small DNA viruses

Lisa Loew (University of Oxford, UK), Hall 11a

14:24 - 14:36

  • Offered paper - Human papillomavirus type 18 E6 oncoprotein interacts with the protein kinase A-anchoring protein AKAP95

Paul McCormack (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 11a

14:36 - 14:48

  • Offered paper - Quantitative analysis of protein degradation during HCMV infection identifies helicase-like transcription factor as a novel antiviral restriction factor

Kai-Min Lin (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 11a

14:48 - 15:00

  • Offered paper - Novel aspects into preventing malignant catarrhal fever in susceptible hosts

Mohammed Al-Saadi (University of Liverpool, UK and University of Al-Qadisiya, Iraq), Hall 11a

15:00 - 15:12

  • Offered paper - Poxvirus targeting of host cullin-2 ubiquitin E3 ligase via ankyrin-repeat proteins

Carlos Maluquer de Motes (University of Surrey, UK), Hall 11a

15:12 - 15:24

  • Offered paper - CTCF regulates the epigenetic landscape of the human papillomavirus enhancer to control differentiation-dependent early viral gene expression

Karen Campos-León (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 11a

15:24 - 15:36

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

15:36 - 16:06

  • Chair: Joanna Parish (University of Birmingham, UK) and Claire Shannon-Lowe (University of Birmingham, UK)

  • Offered paper - MinION sequencing of full length HBV genomes

Stuart Astbury (University of Nottingham, UK), Hall 11a

16:06 - 16:18

  • Offered paper - The herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) pUL56 mediates degradation of GOPC to alter protein presentation at the plasma membrane

Timothy Soh (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 11a

16:18 - 16:30

  • Offered paper - Characterisation of a HCMV gene that inhibits HCMV growth in vitro

Carmen Bedford (Cardiff University, UK), Hall 11a

16:30 - 16:42

  • Offered paper - Translational activation of the cell-cycle regulator RGC-32 is required for the survival of Epstein-Barr virus infected cells

Michelle West (University of Sussex, UK), Hall 11a

16:42 - 16:54

  • Offered paper - Identification of a KSHV-induced protein which manipulates ribosome biogenesis

Sophie Schumann (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 11a

16:54 - 17:06

  • Offered paper - Human cytomegalovirus lncRNA2.7 upregulates the virus assembly compartment-associated E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF149

Betty Lau (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 11a

17:06 - 17:18

  • Offered paper - Towards an understanding of the role of agnoprotein in BK polyomavirus release

Gemma Swinscoe (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 11a

17:18 - 17:30

Virology workshop: Negative strand RNA viruses

We invite abstracts on any aspect of the biology of negative strand RNA viruses. Depending on the abstracts received, the workshop will be structured around a typical life-cycle of these viruses and will cover virus entry and uncoating, genome replication, particle structure, assembly and egress. Pathogenesis will be covered to demonstrate the diversity of diseases that these viruses cause, together with the host response to infection, and vaccine or antiviral-based treatments or therapies that can be used to combat infection. Both human and animal pathogens will be covered, including the opportunity for clinicians to present studies on ongoing outbreaks or epidemiological studies.

Organisers

Silke Schepelmann (NIBSC, UK), Martina Scallan (University College Cork, Ireland)

  • Chair: Silke Schelpemann (NIBSC, UK) and Martina Scallan (University College Cork, Ireland)

  • Offered paper - E3-ubiquitin ligase TRIM25 inhibits Ebolavirus replication

Harry Wilson (King's College London, UK), Hall 7

14:00 - 14:12

  • Offered paper - Pathogens and pregancy loss in ruminants

Rachael Tarlinton (University of Nottingham, UK), Hall 7

14:12 - 14:24

  • Offered paper - Virion morphology of chicken and duck influenza A viruses is related to position 234 of M1

Carina Conceicao (The Roslin Institute, UK), Hall 7

14:24 - 14:36

  • Offered paper - An immunofluorescence-based technique for quantifying viral particle morphology

Daniel Goldfarb (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 7

14:36 - 14:48

  • Offered paper - The effect of host species on influenza virion composition

Pippa Harvey (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 7

14:48 - 15:00

  • Offered paper - Assessing the risk that gamebirds infected with Newcastle disease virus (NDV) pose to outdoor reared poultry

Jo Mayers (Animal & Plant Health Agency, UK), Hall 7

15:00 - 15:12

  • Offered paper - Vector competence of British mosquitoes for Rift Valley fever virus

Sarah Lumley (Public Health England, UK, University of Surrey, UK, Animal and Plant Health Agency, UK), Hall 7

15:12 - 15:24

  • Offered paper - Solid matrix-antibody-antigen (SMAA) complexes comprising the immunogenic surface glycoprotein (G protein) of bovine ephemeral fever virus (BEFV)

Fiona Tulloch (University of St Andrews, UK), Hall 7

15:24 - 15:36

  • Offered paper - Evaluation of the protective efficacy of an influenza DNA vaccine concept in the ferret model

Kate Guilfoyle (NIBSC, UK), Hall 7

15:36 - 15:48

  • Offered paper - Generation and lyophilisation of high titre Ebolavirus and Marburgvirus pseudotyped lentiviruses for use in antibody neutralisation assays

Martin Mayora Neto (University of Kent, UK), Hall 7

15:48 - 16:00

Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

We invite abstracts on any aspect of the biology of positive strand and double strand RNA viruses. Depending on the abstracts received, the workshop will be structured around a typical life-cycle of these viruses and will cover virus entry and uncoating, genome replication, particle structure, assembly and egress. Pathogenesis will be covered to demonstrate the diversity of diseases that these viruses cause, together with the host response to infection, and vaccine or antiviral-based treatments or therapies that can be used to combat infection. Both human and animal pathogens will be covered, including the opportunity for clinicians to present studies on ongoing outbreaks or epidemiological studies.

Organisers

Chris McCormick (University of Southampton, UK), Erica Bickerton (The Pirbright Institute, UK)

  • Chair: Erica Bickerton (The Pirbright Institute, UK) and Thomas Sanford (University of Cambridge, UK)

  • Offered paper - The importance of protein phosphorylation dynamics for Bluetongue virus replication and egress

Bjorn-Patrick Mohl (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK), Hall 8b

14:00 - 14:12

  • Offered paper - Analysis of the role of NS5A serine 225 phosphorylation in the HCV life cycle

Niluka Goonawardane (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 8b

14:12 - 14:24

  • Offered paper - Semliki Forest virus suppresses autophagy during early stages of neuronal infection

Robert Stott (Leeds Beckett University, UK and University of East Anglia, UK), Hall 8b

14:24 - 14:36

  • Offered paper - Divergent host responses to hepatitis C virus infection in primates driven by differences in interferon lambda 4 activity

Connor Bamford (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 8b

14:36 - 14:48

  • Offered paper - Aberrant hepatic differentiation elicited by hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection as a new pathway to malignancy

Abigail Bloy (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 8b

14:48 - 15:00

  • Offered paper - Development of central and peripheral neuropathology in models of adult Zika infection

Debbie Ferguson (NIBSC, Potters Bar, UK), Hall 8b

15:00 - 15:12

  • Offered paper - Characterisation of norovirus entry and antibody neutralisation using a novel pseudovirus-based entry assay

Luke Meredith (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 8b

15:12 - 15:24

  • Offered paper - Elucidating the role of the S protein in infectious bronchitis virus pathogenicity

Phoebe Stevenson-Leggett (The Pirbright Institute, UK), Hall 8b

15:24 - 15:36

  • Offered paper - Interactions between enterovirus A71 VP1-98, VP1-145 and VP2-149 control neurovirulence in mice

Yoke Fun Chan (University of Malaya, Malaysia), Hall 8b

15:36 - 15:48

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

15:48 - 16:18

  • Offered paper - Virus–membrane interactions in picornaviruses which lack VP4

James Kelly (The Pirbright Institute UK), Hall 8b

16:18 - 16:30

  • Offered paper - Thermally stable norovirus particles suggest alternative viral capsid conformations

Mogan Herod (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 8b

16:30 - 16:42

  • Offered paper - Characterisation of neutralising antibody responses to norovirus in Vietnamese birth cohort using a luciferase-based HBGA blocking assay

Jessica van Loben Sels (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 8b

16:42 - 16:54

  • Offered paper - Flavivirus membrane (M) proteins as potential ion channel antiviral targets

Emma Brown (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 8b

16:54 - 17:06

  • Offered paper - A novel potent inhibitor of human N-myristoyltransferases blocks rhinovirus replication by preventing capsid assembly

Aurelie Mousnier (Queen's University Belfast, UK and Imperial College London, UK), Hall 8b

17:06 - 17:18

  • Offered paper - Uncoating of non-enveloped RNA viruses: which RNA end comes out first and what are the implications for viral RNA translation?

Elisabetta Groppelli (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 8b

17:18 - 17:30

Virology workshop: The scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

This workshop is linked to the symposium on ‘The global virome’. It is intended to provide a platform for both wet- and dry-lab virologists working in this fast-moving and data-intensive area. Abstracts are invited on any aspect of the scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity, including those relating to the inter- and intra-host evolution, metagenomics, discovery, bioinformatics, phylogenetics, taxonomy and pathogenesis of viruses. This wide spectrum of topics also includes developments in the methodologies used to study viral diversity.

Organisers

Steve Griffin (University of Leeds, UK), Andrew Davison (University of Glasgow, UK)

  • Chair: Steve Griffin (University of Leeds, UK) and Andrew Davison (University of Glasgow, UK)

  • Genomics-based taxonomy of RNA viruses – will we still have Flaviviridae, Togaviridae, Reoviridae and Picornaviridae in 3 years’ time?

Peter Simmonds (University of Oxford, UK), Hall 6

14:00 - 14:12

  • Offered paper - Poliovirus capsid evolution is modulated by a non-structural protein, 2Apro

Oluwapelumi Adeyemi (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 6

14:12 - 14:24

  • Offered paper - Identification of the core rumen virome

Thomas Hitch (UniKlinic RWTH Aachen, Germany), Hall 6

14:24 - 14:36

  • Offered paper - Structural-assisted design of mutant influenza virus libraries altered in HA gene to study sequence plasticity and antigenic escape in the highly-conserved influenza hemagglutinin stalk region

Alfred Ho (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 6

14:36 - 14:48

  • Offered paper - Bacteriophages of the emerging phytopathogen, Dickeya solani: genomics and potential applications

Andrew Day (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 6

14:48 - 15:00

  • Offered paper - Using next-generation sequencing to investigate the mechanism of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) attenuation

Michael Oade (The Pirbright Institute, UK), Hall 6

15:00 - 15:12

  • Offered paper - Pushing the limits of high throughput sequencing: Optimisation of a deep-sequencing protocol to identify immune escape variants of foot-and-mouth disease virus

David King (The Pirbright Institute, UK), Hall 6

15:12 - 15:24

  • Offered paper - Drivers of diversity in human cytomegalovirus

Dr Nicolás Suárez (MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, UK), Hall 6

15:24 - 15:36

  • Offered paper - Strain-specific differences in the interaction between Epstein-Barr virus EBNA2 and the transcriptional repressor BS69

Rajesh Ponnusamy (University of Sussex, UK), Hall 6

15:36 - 15:48

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

15:48 - 16:18

  • Offered paper - Diversity of CRESS-DNA viruses circulating in bats, swine and humans in Vietnam

Jordan Ashworth (University of Edinburgh, UK), Hall 6

16:18 - 16:30

  • Offered paper - A systematic analysis of codon pair and dinucleotides biases in host genes and viral genomes

Richard Orton (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 6

16:30 - 16:42

  • Offered paper - High degree of genetic variability in respiratory syncytial virus strains circulating in Ireland

Allison Waters (National Virus Reference Laboratory, Ireland), Hall 6

16:42 - 16:54

  • Offered paper - Exploring intra-host viral populations of avian influenza with DiversiTools

Joseph Hughes (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 6

16:54 - 17:06

  • Offered paper - Understanding the genetic diversity and variance of a virulent honey bee virus using NGS and reverse genetic approaches

Eugene Ryabov (USDA-ARS Bee Research Laboratory, USA), Hall 6

17:06 - 17:18

  • Unilever Colworth Prize Lecture – Translating findings from bacterial whole genome sequencing into clinical practice and public health policy

Sharon Peacock (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK), Hall 1

17:40 - 18:30

  • Drinks reception and poster presentation

Hall 3

18:30 - 20:00

  • Passport to Prizes – prize draw

Hall 3

19:00 - 19:10

  • Conference Party – Bavarian night

The Bierkeller Bavarian Bar

20:00 - 00:00

Friday 13 April, Morning

  • Registration open

08:30 - 09:00

  • Hot Topic Lecture – Déjà Flu: can science help the NHS cope with the annual burden of respiratory infections?

Derek Smith (University of Cambridge, UK) and Richard Pebody (Public Health England, UK), Hall 1

09:00 - 09:35

Community interactions and the living host

Session sponsored by eLIFE

The living host provides complex ecological niches for thriving microbial communities. Metagenomic and metataxonomic analyses of these microbiotas, along with fluorescence microscopy, reveal which microbes are present within these communities and provide an indication of their relative abundance. These data are now informing our understanding of microbial interactions and the living host. This symposium will address aspects of prokaryote, eukaryote and bacteriophage component interactions of the microbiota in relation to health, disease and the immune system. The major sites of microbial colonisation (the skin, the gastrointestinal tract and the female genital tract) will be included. Offered papers relating to microbiota interactions in both humans and other animals will be considered for presentation within the symposium.

Organisers

Sheila Patrick (Queen's University Belfast, UK), Sarah Kuehne (University of Birmingham, UK), Sabine Tötemeyer (University of Nottingham, UK), Susan Crosthwaite (University of Manchester, UK), Julian Marchesi (Cardiff University, UK)

  • Chair: Susan Crosthwaite (University of Manchester, UK) and Sabine Tötemeyer (University of Nottingham, UK)

  • Dissecting the human skin microbiome in health and disease – from strain-level composition to transcriptional and metabolic activities in the host environment

Huying Li (University of California, USA), Hall 5

09:30 - 10:00

  • Offered paper - Viral and bacterial gut metagenomics associated with runting-stunting syndrome in broiler chickens

Sara Louise Cosby (Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, UK and Queen's University Belfast, UK), Hall 5

10:00 - 10:15

  • Offered paper - Deciphering the molecular and genetic components of Bifidobacterium that interact with macrophages

Ian O'Neill (Quadram Institute, UK), Hall 5

10:15 - 10:30

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

10:30 - 11:00

  • Offered paper - Host adaptation of commensal bacteria through loss of sporulation and genome reduction

Hilary Browne (Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, UK), Hall 5

11:00 - 11:15

  • Functional anatomy of the colonic bioreactor in health and disease

Alexander Swidsinski (Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany), Hall 5

11:15 - 11:45

  • Offered paper - Host-niche specialisation in the gut: clues from bacterial genomes and transcriptomes

Lisa Crossman (University of East Anglia, UK), Hall 5

11:45 - 12:00

The magic of mushrooms in nature and industry

Mushrooms are magical in a way no other microbe is – their amazing macro- structure means they are instantly visible and recognisable, often brightly coloured and decorating autumn forests. Yet fungi (other than yeast and pathogenic strains) do not feature in the conference line up of any major microbiology meeting. It is our intention to redress that balance by dedicating this session to a variety of research interests that focus on fungi that form fruiting bodies (colloquially known as mushrooms). These include some ascomycetes but are primarily represented by basidiomycetes. We want to look at the ecology of these wonderful organisms, at how endangered they are and the steps being taken to protect them, but also at how they can be used in industry and medicine. The session will highlight links between fundamental research and its applications in medicine and other industrial purposes – thereby giving the programme broader appeal. It is anticipated that a good number of offered oral presentations combined with diverse invited speakers will enable a varied programme looking at fundamental research into fungal ecology and how ‘omics are being used to understand fungal behaviour and conservation, how fungi can be used in bioremediation, and how they may be mined for antimicrobial compounds.

Organisers

Rebecca Hall (University of Birmingham, UK), Suzy Moody (Swansea University, UK)

  • Chair: Rebecca Hall (University of Birmingham, UK)

  • Ecology of saprotrophic basidiomycetes

Lynne Boddy (Cardiff University, UK), Hall 8a

09:30 - 10:00

  • Potential and diversity of basidiomycete fungi for plant biomass conversion

Ronald de Vries (Universiteit Utrecht, The Netherlands), Hall 8a

10:00 - 10:30

  • Offered paper - Competitive networks: Cord-forming fungi and decomposition on the forest floor

Daniel Eastwood (Swansea University, UK), Hall 8a

10:30 - 10:45

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

10:45 - 11:15

  • Ecology and conservation of grassland fungi: eDNA meets citizen science

Gareth Griffith (Aberystwyth University, UK), Hall 8a

11:15 - 11:45

  • Eavesdropping on inter-kingdom chatter: the metabolomics of fungal/bacterial interactions

Suzy Moody (Swansea University, UK), Hall 8a

11:45 - 12:15

Cool tools for microbial imaging

Recent years have seen extraordinary advances in the technologies available to study microbial biology. The development of new techniques to probe individual cells and molecules is a major driver of scientific advance. This session aims to cover and showcase a number of new advanced techniques that have been successfully applied to microbiology, including mass spectrometry imaging, light and electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. These have diverse applications which we anticipate will attract a broad audience across all the divisions.

Organisers

Jason King (University of Sheffield, UK), Ryan Seipke (University of Leeds, UK), Katherine Duncan (University of Strathclyde, UK), Kim Hardie (University of Nottingham, UK)

  • Chair: Katherine Duncan (University of Strathclyde, UK) and Liam Rooney (University of Strathclyde, UK)

  • Bacterial communication in situ

Laura Sanchez (University of Chicago, USA), Hall 10

09:45 - 10:15

  • Spatial metabolomics in tissues and single cells

Theodore Alexandrov (EMBL Heidelberg, Germany), Hall 10

10:15 - 10:45

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

10:45 - 11:15

  • Chair: Katherine Duncan (University of Strathclyde, UK), Liam Rooney (University of Strathclyde, UK) and Jason King (University of Sheffield, UK)

  • Measurement of antimicrobial uptake into bacteria and biofilms using mass spectrometry imaging

Ian Gilmore (National Physical Laboratory, UK), Hall 10

11:15 - 11:45

  • Chemical ecological applications of MSI

Aleš Svatoš (Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Germany), Hall 10

11:45 - 12:15

Genetics and genomics forum

Offered papers on all aspects of the genes and genomes of microbes (prokaryotes and eukaryotes) and their mobile elements will be considered, including their sequencing, transcription, translation, regulation, chromosome dynamics, gene transfer, population genetics and evolution, taxonomy and systematics, comparative genomics, metagenomics, bioinformatics, and synthetic biology.

Organisers

Ryan Seipke, Lori Synder, Ed Louis

  • Chair: Ryan Seipke (University of Leeds, UK), Lori Snyder (Kingston University, UK) and Alison MacFadyen (University of Strathclyde, UK)

  • Offered paper - To distinguish between adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC) and non-AIEC strains

Carla Camprubí-Font (Universitat de Girona, Spain), Hall 9

09:45 - 10:00

  • Offered paper - Evolutionary dynamics of insertion sequences in three Shigella species

Jane Hawkey (University of Melbourne, Australia), Hall 9

10:00 - 10:15

  • Offered paper - Large scale and significant expression from pseudogenes in Sodalis glossinidius – a facultative bacterial endosymbiont

Ian Goodhead (University of Salford, UK), Hall 9

10:15 - 10:30

  • Offered paper - Gene sharing and creation in the microbial world

Andrew Keith Watson (UPMC, France), Hall 9

10:30 - 10:45

  • Offered paper - Transcriptional mechanisms of MarA, the activator of multiple antibiotic resistance

Rachel Kettles (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 9

10:45 - 11:00

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

11:00 - 11:30

  • Chair: Lori Snyder (Kingston University, UK), Ed Louis (University of Leicester, UK) and Bryan Wee (Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, UK)

  • Offered paper - Resolving the complex Bordetella pertussis genome using barcoded nanopore sequencing

Natalie Ring (University of Bath, UK), Hall 9

11:30 - 11:45

  • Offered paper - Comparative genomic analysis of the oomycete effector arsenal

Jamie McGowan (Maynooth University, Ireland), Hall 9

11:45 - 12:00

  • Offered paper - Examining pan-genomic structure in exemplar fungal species

Charley McCarthy (Maynooth University, Ireland), Hall 9

12:00 - 12:15

The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

The successful replication of all viruses, regardless of whether they have an RNA or DNA genome, relies on the translation of their proteins by the cellular translation machinery. In response to virus infection, the host aims to stop translation and shut down virus production, resulting in a dynamic battle between host and virus to gain control of the ribosome. Viruses have developed a range of strategies to win this battle, such as bypassing normal initiation processes, hijacking translation factors, shutting off host protein synthesis in favour of their own, and inhibiting the signalling pathways that control translation. This two-day symposium will incorporate an overview of virus manipulation of the translation process, from a range of international experts on plant, insect and mammalian systems, providing a broad and up-to-date account of the field.

Organisers

Gill Elliott (University of Surrey, UK), Chris McCormick (University of Southampton, UK), Martina Scallan (University College Cork, Ireland), Andrew MacDonald (University of Leeds, UK)

  • Chair: Gill Elliott (University of Surrey, UK) and Andrew MacDonald (University of Leeds, UK)

  • Picornaviruses abrogate active cellular nucleocytoplasmic transport to achieve efficient viral translation and replication

Ann Palmenberg (University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA), Hall 1

09:45 - 10:15

  • How structured viral RNAs lure, trick and manipulate ribosomes

Jeff Kieft (University of Colorado at Denver, USA), Hall 1

10:15 - 10:45

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

10:45 - 11:15

  • Protein synthesis in vesicular stomatitis virus-infected cells

Sean Whelan (Harvard Medical School, USA), Hall 1

11:15 - 11:45

  • Offered paper - Does KSHV induce virus specific specialised ribosomes during infection?

James Murphy (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 1

11:45 - 12:00

  • Offered paper - Protein-assisted RNA folding mediates specific RNA-RNA genome segment interactions in rotaviruses

Alexander Borodavka (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 1

12:00 - 12:15

  • Lunch, exhibition and poster presentations

Hall 3

12:15 - 13:15

Friday 13 April, Afternoon

Community interactions and the living host

Session sponsored by eLIFE

The living host provides complex ecological niches for thriving microbial communities. Metagenomic and metataxonomic analyses of these microbiotas, along with fluorescence microscopy, reveal which microbes are present within these communities and provide an indication of their relative abundance. These data are now informing our understanding of microbial interactions and the living host. This symposium will address aspects of prokaryote, eukaryote and bacteriophage component interactions of the microbiota in relation to health, disease and the immune system. The major sites of microbial colonisation (the skin, the gastrointestinal tract and the female genital tract) will be included. Offered papers relating to microbiota interactions in both humans and other animals will be considered for presentation within the symposium.

Organisers

Sheila Patrick (Queen's University Belfast, UK), Sarah Kuehne (University of Birmingham, UK), Sabine Tötemeyer (University of Nottingham, UK), Susan Crosthwaite (University of Manchester, UK), Julian Marchesi (Cardiff University, UK)

  • Chair: Susan Crosthwaite (University of Manchester, UK) and Julian Marchesi (Cardiff University, UK)

  • Ecological interactions within the rumen microbiome play an important role in animal phenotype

Sharon Huws (Queen’s University Belfast, UK), Hall 5

13:00 - 13:30

  • Offered paper - A meta ‘omic approach to understanding microbial signalling and communication, in the rumen microbiome and its role in animal health and nutrition

Miyoung Won (Aberystwyth University, UK), Hall 5

13:30 - 13:45

  • Offered paper - The vaginal microbiota differs between women who deliver preterm relative to those who deliver full-term

Conor Feehily (Moorepark Food Research Centre - Teagasc, Ireland and University College Cork, Ireland), Hall 5

13:45 - 14:00

  • The vaginal microbiota and pregnancy outcomes

David Macintyre (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 5

14:00 - 14:30

  • Offered paper - Vaginal microbial profile of women with asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis in US

Daniel Ruiz-Perez (Florida International University, USA), Hall 5

14:30 - 14:45

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

14:45 - 15:15

  • Offered paper - Impact of antibiotic treatments on the preterm gut microbiome and ‘resistome’

Cristina Alcon Giner (Quadram Insitute, UK), Hall 5

15:15 - 15:30

  • Clostridia-mediated protection from Entamoeba histolytica infection

Stacey Burgess (University of Virginia, USA), Hall 5

15:30 - 16:00

The magic of mushrooms in nature and industry

Mushrooms are magical in a way no other microbe is – their amazing macro- structure means they are instantly visible and recognisable, often brightly coloured and decorating autumn forests. Yet fungi (other than yeast and pathogenic strains) do not feature in the conference line up of any major microbiology meeting. It is our intention to redress that balance by dedicating this session to a variety of research interests that focus on fungi that form fruiting bodies (colloquially known as mushrooms). These include some ascomycetes but are primarily represented by basidiomycetes. We want to look at the ecology of these wonderful organisms, at how endangered they are and the steps being taken to protect them, but also at how they can be used in industry and medicine. The session will highlight links between fundamental research and its applications in medicine and other industrial purposes – thereby giving the programme broader appeal. It is anticipated that a good number of offered oral presentations combined with diverse invited speakers will enable a varied programme looking at fundamental research into fungal ecology and how ‘omics are being used to understand fungal behaviour and conservation, how fungi can be used in bioremediation, and how they may be mined for antimicrobial compounds.

Organisers

Rebecca Hall (University of Birmingham, UK), Suzy Moody (Swansea University, UK)

  • Chair: Suzy Moody (Swansea University, UK)

  • Interactions of multiple viral infection in Agaricus biporus

Kerry Burton (NIAB EMR, UK), Hall 8a

13:00 - 13:30

  • Offered paper - Visualisation of MVX RNA in the mycelium of Agaricus bisporus by fluorescence in situ hybridisation

Eoin O'Connor (Maynooth University, Ireland), Hall 8a

13:30 - 13:45

  • Offered paper - Comparative transcriptome analysis identified candidate genes involved in browning of fruit body in Lentinula edodes

Seung il Yoo (Theragenetex, Republic of Korea), Hall 8a

13:45 - 14:00

  • Offered paper - Genomic analysis of bacteriophages against Pseudomonas tolaasii – potential biological control of a mushroom-pathogenic bacterium

Jessica Bergman (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 8a

14:00 - 14:15

  • Offered paper - Diversity, community structure and enzyme activity of pioneer lignicolous fungi over a decay gradient in the canopy of European beech trees

Anna Rawlings (Swansea University, UK), Hall 8a

14:15 - 14:30

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 8a

14:30 - 15:00

  • Evolutionary necessities for invading buildings, comparative and population genomic analyses in the dry rot fungus

Inger Skrede (University of Oslo, Norway), Hall 3

15:00 - 15:30

  • Offered paper - Pleuromutilin antibiotics: uncovering biosynthesis and expanding diversity

Fabrizio Alberti (University of Bristol, University of Warwick, UK), Hall 8a

15:30 - 15:45

CLIMB Workshop – Genome Bioinformatics

This workshop will provide hands-on training on the use of the MRC-funded Cloud Infrastructure for Microbial Bioinformatics (CLIMB) infrastructure. CLIMB is a cloud-based computing system dedicated to the analysis of microbial bioinformatics data that provides free access to large-scale computing infrastructure for microbial bioinformatics to any UK-based, non-commercial microbial genomics researcher. Attendees are asked to bring their own laptops to the workshop.

This half-day workshop will provide an introduction to CLIMB for any new users, including how to set up and manage accounts and instances, as well as run through the various pipelines that are pre-installed with a CLIMB instance. The workshop will take new users through how to perform work on CLIMB via hands-on guided sessions.

In parallel, experienced CLIMB users will also have the opportunity to learn how to launch and configure more bespoke instances and to learn about new functionality being implemented to support very large data analysis and Docker containers. Finally, we will host a structured discussion for users to report their experiences with CLIMB and to help shape the future development of the platform.

Organisers

Alan McNally (University of Birmingham, UK), Nicholas Loman (University of Birmingham, UK), Andrew Millard (University of Leicester, UK)

  • Chair: Alan McNally (University of Birmingham, UK) and Nicholas Loman (University of Birmingham, UK)

  • Introduction to CLIMB

Andrew Millard (University of Leicester, UK), Hall 8b

13:15 - 13:45

  • Live CLIMB Demo: Signup, Administering and Configuring Virtual Machines and Best Practices

Matt Bull (Cardiff University, UK), Hall 8b

13:45 - 14:30

  • CLIMB Developments: Big Data and Containers

Nick Loman (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 8b

14:30 - 15:00

  • Exhibition and Refreshments

15:00 - 15:15

  • Live CLIMB demo: Microbiology Pipelines and the Genomics Virtual Laboratory

Sion Bayliss (University of Bath, UK), Hall 8b

15:15 - 16:00

  • Q&A, Feedback and Structured Discussion

All, Hall 8b

16:00 - 17:15

Cool tools for microbial imaging

Recent years have seen extraordinary advances in the technologies available to study microbial biology. The development of new techniques to probe individual cells and molecules is a major driver of scientific advance. This session aims to cover and showcase a number of new advanced techniques that have been successfully applied to microbiology, including mass spectrometry imaging, light and electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. These have diverse applications which we anticipate will attract a broad audience across all the divisions.

Organisers

Jason King (University of Sheffield, UK), Ryan Seipke (University of Leeds, UK), Katherine Duncan (University of Strathclyde, UK), Kim Hardie (University of Nottingham, UK)

  • Chair: Jason King (University of Sheffield, UK), Beth Mills (University of Edinburgh, UK) and Luke Allsopp (Imperial College London, UK)

  • Offered paper - Liquid extraction surface analysis mass spectrometry: a novel tool for in situ analysis of intact bacterial proteins

Klaudia I. Kocurek (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 10

13:15 - 13:30

  • Offered paper - Direct imaging of bacterial nano-fluctuations

Charlotte Bermingham (University of Bristol, UK), Hall 10

13:30 - 13:45

  • Microbiology in super resolution

Jie Xiao (Johns Hopkins University, USA), Hall 10

13:45 - 14:15

  • From microfluidic devices to native soil studies: the role of plant secondary metabolites production and secretion in below ground interaction

Asaph Aharoni (Weizmann Institute, Israel), Hall 10

14:15 - 14:45

  • Application of Raman micro-spectroscopy to single cell biology

Wei Huang (University of Oxford, UK), Hall 10

14:45 - 15:15

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

15:15 - 15:30

  • Chair: Kim Hardie (University of Nottingham, UK), Beth Mills (University of Edinburgh, UK) and Luke Allsopp (Imperial College London, UK)

  • Offered paper - Infection risks in washing machines − Biofilm analysis using nanosensor technology

Birte Hollmann (University of Nottingham, UK), Hall 10

15:30 - 15:45

  • Offered paper - Applying the Mesolens to microbiology: visualising biofilm architecture and substructure

Liam Rooney (University of Strathclyde, UK), Hall 10

15:45 - 16:00

  • New insights into bacterial behavior from electron cryotomography

Ariane Briegel (University of Leiden, The Netherlands), Hall 10

16:00 - 16:30

The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

The successful replication of all viruses, regardless of whether they have an RNA or DNA genome, relies on the translation of their proteins by the cellular translation machinery. In response to virus infection, the host aims to stop translation and shut down virus production, resulting in a dynamic battle between host and virus to gain control of the ribosome. Viruses have developed a range of strategies to win this battle, such as bypassing normal initiation processes, hijacking translation factors, shutting off host protein synthesis in favour of their own, and inhibiting the signalling pathways that control translation. This two-day symposium will incorporate an overview of virus manipulation of the translation process, from a range of international experts on plant, insect and mammalian systems, providing a broad and up-to-date account of the field.

Organisers

Gill Elliott (University of Surrey, UK), Chris McCormick (University of Southampton, UK), Martina Scallan (University College Cork, Ireland), Andrew MacDonald (University of Leeds, UK)

  • Chair: Martina Scallan (University College Cork, Ireland) and Chris McCormick (University of Southampton, UK)

  • Recoding illustrates diverse features of viral host interplay

John Atkins (University College Cork, Ireland), Hall 1

13:15 - 13:45

  • The HIV genomic RNA is translated by different mechanisms to produce viral proteins

Théophile Ohlmann (French Institute of Health and Medical Research, France), Hall 1

13:45 - 14:15

  • Offered paper - A role for domain I of the hepatitis C virus NS5A protein in virus assembly

Chunhong Yin (University of Leeds, UK)

14:15 - 14:30

  • Offered paper - Identification of two new polypeptides in segment 2 of IAV that modulate the type I interferon response

Rute Maria Pinto (The Roslin Institute, UK), Hall 1

14:30 - 14:45

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3

14:45 - 15:15

  • Translational control during poxvirus infection

Derek Walsh (Northwestern University, USA), Hall 1

15:15 - 15:45

  • HIV RNA – what decides translation or packaging

Alice Telesnitsky (University of Michigan, USA), Hall 1

15:45 - 16:15

Lecture View

Monday 09 April, Morning

  • Arrival, poster viewing and networking lunch

Halls 8a & 8b Pre-Conference session: Teaching microbiology in higher education

11:00 - 12:30

  • Welcome address

Tadhg O'Cróinín (University College Dublin, Ireland), Halls 8a & 8b Pre- Conference session: Teaching microbiology in higher education

12:30 - 12:45

  • The changing face of teaching in higher education – the impact of external factors

Jeremy Pritchard (University of Birmingham, UK) & Rachel Lambert-Forsyth (Royal Society of Biology, UK), Halls 8a & 8b Pre-Conference session: Teaching microbiology in higher education

12:45 - 13:30

Monday 09 April, Afternoon

  • The changing face of teaching in higher education – the impact of external factors

Jeremy Pritchard (University of Birmingham, UK) & Rachel Lambert-Forsyth (Royal Society of Biology, UK), Halls 8a & 8b Pre-Conference session: Teaching microbiology in higher education

12:45 - 13:30

  • Using digital platforms for teaching in higher education: Virtual simulations as preparation for lab exercises

Helen Gadegaard (University of Glasgow, UK), Halls 8a & 8b Pre-Conference session: Teaching microbiology in higher education

13:30 - 14:00

  • Using digital platforms for teaching in higher education: Teaching large groups using interactive programmes

Stephen McClean (Ulster University, UK), Halls 8a & 8b Pre-Conference session: Teaching microbiology in higher education

14:00 - 14:30

  • Using digital platforms for teaching in higher education: Improving student engagement with the assessment process in undergraduate microbiology modules

Alison Graham (Newcastle University, UK), Halls 8a & 8b Pre-Conference session: Teaching microbiology in higher education

14:30 - 15:00

  • Coffee break

Hall 3 Pre-Conference session: Teaching microbiology in higher education

15:00 - 15:30

  • Novel techniques in the lecture theatre: Lecture theatre pantomime

Ian Turner (University of Derby, UK), Halls 8a & 8b Pre-Conference session: Teaching microbiology in higher education

15:30 - 16:00

  • Registration open

Registration open

16:00 - 20:00

  • Novel techniques in the lecture theatre: Offered paper - 'Disease of the returning traveller’ – a flipped classroom approach to tropical medicine teaching within a UK undergraduate medicine curriculum

James Edwards (University of Plymouth, UK), Halls 8a & 8b Pre-Conference session: Teaching microbiology in higher education

16:00 - 16:15

  • Novel techniques in the lecture theatre: Offered paper - From Game Master to Teaching Fellow: applying role-playing game designing skills to the development of creative epidemiology workshops

Georgios Efthimiou (University of Strathclyde, UK), Halls 8a & 8b Pre- Conference session: Teaching microbiology in higher education

16:15 - 16:30

  • Novel techniques in the lecture theatre: Offered paper - Beyond creation learning and creative teaching: enhancing students’ creative self-efficacy

David Whitworth (Aberystwyth University, UK), Halls 8a & 8b Pre-Conference session: Teaching microbiology in higher education

16:30 - 16:45

  • Teaching challenges – successes and areas for improvement

Halls 8a & 8b Pre-Conference session: Teaching microbiology in higher education

16:45 - 17:30

  • Next steps – what have we learned and what's the output?

Tadhg O'Cróinín (University College Dublin, Ireland), Halls 8a & 8b Pre- Conference session: Teaching microbiology in higher education

17:30 - 18:00

  • Pre-Conference networking workshop

Hall 11a Pre-Conference networking workshop

18:00 - 20:00

Tuesday 10 April, Morning

  • Registration open

Registration open

07:00 - 09:15

  • Open address

Neil Gow (University of Aberdeen, UK), Hall 1 Open address

09:15 - 09:20

  • Hot Topic Lecture – Plastic waste is a global challenge. Are biodegradable plastics the answer?

Kevin O'Connor (University College Dublin, Ireland), Hall 1 Hot Topic Lecture – Plastic waste is a global challenge. Are biodegradable plastics the answer?

09:20 - 09:50

  • Metabolite perception regulates colonization and virulence during polymicrobial infection

Richard Lamont (University of Louisville, USA), Hall 10 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

10:00 - 10:30

  • Why new experimentally tractable organisms from key taxa will provide important insights into eukaryotic biology

Inaki Ruiz-Trillo (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain), Hall 8a Emerging model systems

10:00 - 10:30

  • UTI complexity results from diversity at the bacterial–host interface

Scott Hultgren (Washington University, USA), Hall 5 Escherichia coli: the model microbe

10:00 - 10:30

  • Welcome

Nigel Brown (University of Edinburgh, UK), Hall 11b Essential skills: Funders roundtable

10:00 - 10:10

  • Tracking the dynamics of antibiotic resistome in the environment: systems approaches

Yong-Guan Zhu (Institute of Urban Environment/Chinese Academy of Sciences, China), Hall 9 Microbial diversity and interactions in the environment

10:00 - 10:30

  • Investigating host–pathogen interactions in the innate immune system

Robin May (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 11a Models for understanding host–pathogen interactions

10:00 - 10:30

  • ICTV and opening address

Andrew Davison (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 1 The global virome – the scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

10:00 - 10:15

  • Funding body presentation 1

Avril Allman (NERC, UK), Hall 11b Essential skills: Funders roundtable

10:10 - 10:25

  • Expansion of the virus world in the era of metagenomics

Eugene Koonin (National Center for Biotechnology Information, USA), Hall 1 The global virome – the scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

10:15 - 10:45

  • Funding body presentation 2

Kirsty Dougal (BBSRC, UK), Hall 11b Essential skills: Funders roundtable

10:25 - 10:40

  • Offered paper - Cutibacterium acnes (formerly Propionibacterium acnes) is able to tailor its biofilm formation to environmental cues and increase biofilm formation in Staphylococcus species

Helen Brown (Cardiff University, UK), Hall 10 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

10:30 - 10:45

  • Offered paper - Developing the protist, Corallochytrium limacisporum as an experimentally tractable organism to address evolutionary and cell biological questions

Aleksandra Kozyczkowska (Institut de Biologia Evolutiva - CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain), Hall 8a Emerging model systems

10:30 - 10:45

  • Offered paper - Conserved outer membrane proteins potentially involved in the modulation of intestinal colonisation as possible antigen candidates to prevent enterohaemorrhagic E. coli O157:H7 infections

Ricardo Monteiro (INRA, France), Hall 5 Escherichia coli: the model microbe

10:30 - 10:45

  • Offered paper - Discovery of a Paracaedibacter-like endosymbiont in a kinetoplastid (Bodo saltans) suggests an(other) ancient association between α-proteobacteria and eukaryotes

Samriti Midha (University of Liverpool, UK), Hall 9 Microbial diversity and interactions in the environment

10:30 - 10:45

  • Offered paper - Development of a microaerobic mucin-producing human intestinal culture system to investigate the influence of commensal bacteria on enteropathogenic E. coli infection

Stephanie Schüller (University of East Anglia, Quadram Institiute, UK), Hall 11a Models for understanding host–pathogen interactions

10:30 - 10:45

  • Funding body presentation 3

Jessica Boname (MRC, UK), Hall 11b Essential skills: Funders roundtable

10:40 - 10:55

  • Offered paper - Pseudomonas aeruginosa inhibits Rhizopus microsporus germination via the sequestration of iron

Courtney Kousser (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 10 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

10:45 - 11:00

  • New genetic tools for studying the closest living relative of animals

David Booth (University of California, Berkeley, USA), Hall 8a Emerging model systems

10:45 - 11:15

  • Offered paper - Exploitation of random transposon mutagenesis to reveal conditionally essential genes important for antibiotic resistance

Emily Goodall (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 5 Escherichia coli: the model microbe

10:45 - 11:00

  • Offered paper - From glaciers to genomes... and back again

Arwyn Edwards (Aberystwyth University, UK), Hall 9 Microbial diversity and interactions in the environment

10:45 - 11:00

  • Building an ex vivo model of chronic lung infection

Freya Harrison (University of Warwick, UK), Hall 11a Models for understanding host–pathogen interactions

10:45 - 11:15

  • Offered paper - Identification of novel viruses in Scottish midges

Sejal Modha (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 1 The global virome – the scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

10:45 - 11:00

  • Funding body presentation 4

Philip Price (Wellcome Trust, UK), Hall 11b Essential skills: Funders roundtable

10:55 - 11:10

  • Offered paper - How do bacteria affect Candida albicans cell wall structure in the gut?

Elisabeth Lowe (Newcastle University, UK), Hall 10 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

11:00 - 11:15

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Escherichia coli: the model microbe

11:00 - 11:30

  • Vitamins in the sea: the roles of vitamins in shaping phytoplankton interactions

Alison Smith (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 9 Microbial diversity and interactions in the environment

11:00 - 11:30

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 The global virome – the scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

11:00 - 11:30

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Essential skills: Funders roundtable

11:10 - 11:40

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

11:15 - 11:45

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Emerging model systems

11:15 - 11:45

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Models for understanding host–pathogen interactions

11:15 - 11:45

  • Understanding toxic DNA: a model for all domains of life?

Dave Grainger (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 5 Escherichia coli: the model microbe

11:30 - 12:00

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Microbial diversity and interactions in the environment

11:30 - 12:00

  • The genomic underpinnings of eukaryotic virus taxonomy: creating a sequence-based framework for family-level virus classification

Peter Simmonds (University of Oxford, UK), Hall 1 The global virome – the scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

11:30 - 12:00

  • Chaired Q&A session

Nigel Brown (University of Edinburgh, UK), Hall 11b Essential skills: Funders roundtable

11:40 - 12:25

  • Modulation of Streptococcus pneumoniae pathogenesis by phage infection

Martha Clokie (University of Leicester, UK), Hall 10 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

11:45 - 12:15

  • Cryptosporidium: a newly tractable model to understand intestinal infection

Boris Striepen (University of Pennsylvania, USA), Hall 8a Emerging model systems

11:45 - 12:15

  • Brain infection and activation of neuronal repair mechanisms by human pathogen Listeria monocytogenes in Galleria mellonella

Krishnendu Mukherjee (University Giessen, Germany), Hall 11a Models for understanding host–pathogen interactions

11:45 - 12:15

  • Offered paper - An RNA repair system in Escherichia coli responds to oxidative stress

Loly Koat-Louizo (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 5 Escherichia coli: the model microbe

12:00 - 12:15

  • Functional understanding of (soil) microbiomes by integrating techniques

Janet Jansson (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA), Hall 9 Microbial diversity and interactions in the environment

12:00 - 12:30

  • Offered paper - Evasion of a potent inhibitor by human cytomegalovirus is achieved by utilising an entry pathway independent of heparin sulfate proteoglycans but sensitises it to neutralising antibody responses

Matthew J Murray (UCL, UK), Hall 1 The global virome – the scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

12:00 - 12:15

  • Flash poster presentation - The impact of live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) on pneumococcal carriage

Jessica Jones (University of Southampton, UK), Hall 10 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

12:15 - 12:20

  • Genome-wide approaches to characterize apicomplexan parasites

Sebastian Lourido (Whitehead Institute, USA), Hall 8a Emerging model systems

12:15 - 12:45

  • Offered paper - One Health genomic surveillance of E. coli reveals separate populations and mobile genetic in humans and livestock

Catherine Ludden (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK), Hall 5 Escherichia coli: the model microbe

12:15 - 12:30

  • Use of Drosophila for studying pathogen–insect interactions

Pavel Hyršl (Masaryk University, Czech Republic), Hall 11a Models for understanding host–pathogen interactions

12:15 - 12:45

  • Offered paper - Investigations into the dynamics of paramyxovirus infections by high-throughput sequencing

Elizabeth Wignall-Fleming (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 1 The global virome – the scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

12:15 - 12:30

  • Flash poster presentation - Investigation of anti-bacterial strategies deployed by a clinical isolate of Serratia marcescens

Connor Bowen (University of Dundee, UK), Hall 10 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

12:20 - 12:25

  • Interactions between the resident microbiota and pathogens in the gut

Vanessa Sperandio (University of Texas, USA), Hall 10 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

12:25 - 12:55

  • Closing remarks

Nigel Brown (University of Edinburgh, UK), Hall 11b Essential skills: Funders roundtable

12:25 - 12:30

  • Population structure of Escherichia coli and Escherichia clade commensal srains

Erick Denamur (INSERM, France), Hall 5 Escherichia coli: the model microbe

12:30 - 13:00

  • Microbial systems ecology for unravelling key functions in situ

Paul Wilmes (University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg), Hall 9 Microbial diversity and interactions in the environment

12:30 - 13:00

  • A small glimpse into the genetic diversity of arthropod-associated viruses

Sandra Junglen (University of Bonn, Germany), Hall 1 The global virome – the scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

12:30 - 13:00

Tuesday 10 April, Afternoon

  • Antibiotics Unearthed – Posters showcase

Antibiotics Unearthed – Posters showcase

13:00 - 14:00

  • Lunch and exhibition

Hall 3 Lunch and exhibition

13:00 - 14:00

  • Meet the Editor – Tanya Parish, Editor-in-Chief of Microbiology

Tanya Parish, Hall 3 (Society stand) Meet the Editor – Tanya Parish, Editor- in-Chief of Microbiology

13:00 - 14:00

  • Host–gut microbiota interplay in health and disease

Lisa Osborne (University of British Columbia, Canada), Hall 10 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

14:00 - 14:30

  • Functional profiling of a Plasmodium genome

Oliver Billker (Wellcome Genome Centre, UK), Hall 8a Emerging model systems

14:00 - 14:30

  • The role of plasmids in the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli

Alessandra Carattoli (Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Italy), Hall 5 Escherichia coli: the model microbe

14:00 - 14:30

  • Diversity and ecology of aquatic fungi

Hans Peter Grossart (Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Germany), Hall 9 Microbial diversity and interactions in the environment

14:00 - 14:30

  • Host–pathogen interaction made clear: zebrafish models of bacterial pathogens

Stephen Renshaw (University of Sheffield, UK), Hall 11a Models for understanding host–pathogen interactions

14:00 - 14:30

  • May virus taxonomy become a branch of evolutionary studies?

Alexander Gorbalenya (LUMC, The Netherlands), Hall 1 The global virome – the scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

14:00 - 14:30

  • Offered paper - Host-associated niche metabolism controls enteric infection through fine-tuning of type 3 secretion and a co-ordinated suite of effector proteins

James Connolly (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 10 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

14:30 - 14:45

  • Using CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screens to dissect flagellar functions in Leishmania

Eva Gluenz (University of Oxford, UK), Hall 8a Emerging model systems

14:30 - 15:00

  • Offered paper - Comparative genomics of commensal and invasive E.coli strains for the one year bacteraemia study

Elita Jauneikaite (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 5 Escherichia coli: the model microbe

14:30 - 14:45

  • Offered paper - Multi-omic analysis of host-microbiota interactions and polymicrobial disease in Acute Oak Decline

James McDonald (Bangor University, UK), Hall 9 Microbial diversity and interactions in the environment

14:30 - 14:45

  • Modelling Aspergillus infections in larval zebrafish reveals differences in the immune response, pathogen clearance, and infection outcome depending on the specific host–pathogen context

Emily Rosowski (University of Wisconsin, USA), Hall 11a Models for understanding host–pathogen interactions

14:30 - 15:00

  • Offered paper - The genomic approach to the classification of bacteriophages

Pakorn Aiewsakun (University of Oxford, UK), Hall 1 The global virome – the scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

14:30 - 14:45

  • Offered paper - Friend or foe: self-recognition via contact dependent growth inhibition can shape bacterial population structure

Michael Bottery (University of York, UK), Hall 10 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

14:45 - 15:00

  • Offered paper - Investigating factors influencing E. coli strains’ persistence in the primary production environment

Kaye Burgess (Teagasc, Ireland), Hall 5 Escherichia coli: the model microbe

14:45 - 15:00

  • Role of lateral gene exchange in acidophilic ammonia-oxidising archaea adaptation

Cecile Gubry-Rangin (Institute of Biological & Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, UK), Hall 9 Microbial diversity and interactions in the environment

14:45 - 15:15

  • Offered paper - The translational landscape of Zika virus infection reveals novel open reading frames

Nerea Irigoyen (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 1 The global virome – the scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

14:45 - 15:00

  • Offered paper - Anti-CRISPR phages cooperate to overcome CRISPR-Cas immunity

Stineke van Houte (University of Exeter, UK), Hall 10 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

15:00 - 15:15

  • Drug target deconvolution in the trypanosomatids

Susan Wyllie (University of Dundee, UK), Hall 8a Emerging model systems

15:00 - 15:30

  • Offered paper - The role of the nitrogen stress response in persistence of nitrogen starved non-pathogenic and uropathogenic Escherichia coli

Dan Brown (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 5 Escherichia coli: the model microbe

15:00 - 15:15

  • Offered paper - A novel ex vivo skin explant biofilm model for evaluating the effect of photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy and iberin treatment towards Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms

Amal Al-Bakri (The University of Jordan, Jordan), Hall 11a Models for understanding host–pathogen interactions

15:00 - 15:15

  • Quasispecies suppression of drug resistance

Karla Kirkegaard (Stanford University, USA), Hall 1 The global virome – the scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

15:00 - 15:30

  • How mucosal tissues recognise commensal and pathogenic Candida albicans

Julian Naglik (King's College London, UK), Hall 10 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

15:15 - 15:45

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Escherichia coli: the model microbe

15:15 - 15:45

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Microbial diversity and interactions in the environment

15:15 - 15:45

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Models for understanding host–pathogen interactions

15:15 - 15:45

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Emerging model systems

15:30 - 16:00

  • Offered paper - Identifying molecular determinants of Ebolavirus pathogenicity

Mark Wass (University of Kent, UK), Hall 1 The global virome – the scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

15:30 - 15:45

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

15:45 - 16:15

  • Persistent environmental E. coli isolates: phylogenetics and adaptation to the soil environment

Fiona Brennan (TEAGASC, Ireland), Hall 5 Escherichia coli: the model microbe

15:45 - 16:15

  • Soil microbial communities as modulators of ecosystem responses to climate change in drylands

Fernando T. Maestre Gil (Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain), Hall 9 Microbial diversity and interactions in the environment

15:45 - 16:15

  • The systems biology of host–fungi interaction

Luigina Romani (Università degli Studi di Perugia, Italy), Hall 11a Models for understanding host–pathogen interactions

15:45 - 16:15

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 The global virome – the scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

15:45 - 16:15

  • Naegleria differentation: more than meets the eye

Lillian Fritz-Laylin (University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA), Hall 8a Emerging model systems

16:00 - 16:30

  • Offered paper - Social interaction network studies of lung microbial communities identify cooperating and competing clusters of bacterial taxa

Kalai Mathee (Human and Molecular Genetics, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, USA), Hall 10 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

16:15 - 16:30

  • Offered paper - Genomic insights into the virulence capacity of soil-persistent E. coli

Nicholas Waters (Galway, Ireland), Hall 5 Escherichia coli: the model microbe

16:15 - 16:30

  • Offered paper - Ant nests of Lasius flavus enhance microbial cycling of phosphorus

Achim Schmalenberger (University of Limerick, Ireland), Hall 9 Microbial diversity and interactions in the environment

16:15 - 16:30

  • Offered paper - Bifidobacterium breve stimulates immune development in germ-free mice

Zoe Schofield (Quadram Institute, UK), Hall 11a Models for understanding host–pathogen interactions

16:15 - 16:30

  • Bacteriophages in unlikely places: phage diversity in the hyperarid Namib Desert and Antarctic Dry Valleys

Evelien Adriaenssens (University of Liverpool, UK), Hall 1 The global virome – the scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

16:15 - 16:45

  • Offered paper - Bacterial quorum sensing selectively triggers Candida albicans apoptosis

Nihal Bandara (University of Bristol, UK), Hall 10 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

16:30 - 16:45

  • Offered paper - A new model for investigating the evolution and cell biology of eukaryotes: the case of Naegleria gruberi

Anastasios Tsaousis (University of Kent, UK), Hall 8a Emerging model systems

16:30 - 16:45

  • Offered paper - Application of high throughput approaches to study the laboratory-based evolution of E. coli for enhanced growth at low pH

Matthew Milner (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 5 Escherichia coli: the model microbe

16:30 - 16:45

  • A metabolic view of the microbial soil carbon cycle

Vanessa Bailey (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA), Hall 9 Microbial diversity and interactions in the environment

16:30 - 17:00

  • Adaptive immunity and Salmonella

Adam Cunningham (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 11a Models for understanding host–pathogen interactions

16:30 - 17:00

  • Flash poster presentation - Host-generated inhibitory antibodies to Pseudomonas aeruginosa in bronchiectasis patients’ AIDS infection

Anna Schager (Institute of Microbiology and Infection, University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 10 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

16:45 - 16:50

  • The dynamics of molecular evolution over 60,000 generations

Benjamin Good (University of California, Berkeley, USA), Hall 5 Escherichia coli: the model microbe

16:45 - 17:15

  • Offered paper - Characterisation of novel recombinant Alphacoronaviruses and discovery of novel viruses in European rodents

Theocharis Tsoleridis (University of Nottingham, UK), Hall 1 The global virome – the scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

16:45 - 17:00

  • Flash poster presentation - Pneumococcus is smart enough to sense temperature shift

Ozcan Gazioglu (University of Leicester, UK), Hall 10 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

16:50 - 16:55

  • Flash poster presentation - Identification of a staphylococcal complement inhibitor with broad host specificity in equid S. aureus strains

Manouk Vrieling (The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, UK and University Medical Center Utrecht, Netherlands), Hall 10 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

16:55 - 17:00

  • Modulation of Staphylococcus epidermidis pathogenesis by the host response

Michael Otto (NIAID, USA), Hall 10 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

17:00 - 17:30

  • Offered paper - Towards the identification of novel host or bacterial-associated biomarkers to predict sepsis

Heather M. Chick (Swansea University, UK), Hall 11a Models for understanding host–pathogen interactions

17:00 - 17:15

  • The genomic ecology and epidemiology of avian influenza and other viruses in natural populations

Oliver Pybus (University of Oxford, UK), Hall 1 The global virome – the scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

17:00 - 17:30

  • Offered paper - Using primary intestinal organoids to study epithelial-AIEC interactions during IBD

Fernanda Schreiber (Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, UK), Hall 11a Models for understanding host–pathogen interactions

17:15 - 17:30

  • Peter Wildy Prize Lecture – Explorations in microbiology: inspiring the next generation

Tansy Hammarton (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 1 Peter Wildy Prize Lecture – Explorations in microbiology: inspiring the next generation

17:40 - 18:30

  • Drinks reception and poster presentation

Hall 3 Drinks reception and poster presentation

18:30 - 20:00

  • Society promotion – ECM Forum Summer Conference

Hall 3 Society promotion – ECM Forum Summer Conference

19:00 - 19:10

  • Society quiz and games night

Shooters Society quiz and games night

20:00 - 23:00

Wednesday 11 April, Morning

  • Registration open

Hall 1 Registration open

07:30 - 09:00

  • Microbiology Society Prize Medal Lecture – Metagenomics provides a new view of the tree of life and the roles of candidate phyla bacteria and archaea in subsurface biogeochemistry

Jill Banfield (University of California, Berkeley, USA), Hall 1 Microbiology Society Prize Medal Lecture – Metagenomics provides a new view of the tree of life and the roles of candidate phyla bacteria and archaea in subsurface biogeochemistry

09:00 - 09:50

  • Hsp90 enables phenotypic variation via Loss-of-Heterozygosity and aneuploidy in the ameiotic human fungal pathogen Candida albicans

Stephanie Diezmann (University of Bath, UK), Hall 10 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

10:00 - 10:30

  • The different scales of microevolution in enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157 and relationship with zoonotic threat

David Gally (University of Edinburgh, UK), Hall 5 Escherichia coli: the model microbe

10:00 - 10:30

  • Introduction to EMBL-EBI resources

Melissa Burke and Andrew Cowley (The European Bioinformatics Institute, UK), Hall 11b Essential skills: Exploring data tools and resources at EMBL-EBI

10:00 - 11:00

  • Iron homeostasis strategies in the virulence of Candida species

Sascha Brunke (Hans Knöll Institute, Germany), Hall 6 Microbial metal homeostasis: impacts on pathogenicity

10:00 - 10:30

  • From its origins to the modern metabolic network of a yeast

Markus Ralser (The Francis Crick Institute, UK), Hall 11a Synthetic ecology: from understanding ecological interactions to designing functional microbial communities

10:00 - 10:30

  • Understanding the multifaceted regulation of mRNA translation by norovirus

Nicolas Locker (University of Surrey, UK), Hall 1 The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

10:00 - 10:30

  • Offered paper - Differences in plasmidome content of hospital and non-hospital isolates of Enterococcus faecium

Anita Schürch (University Medical Center, Netherlands), Hall 10 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

10:30 - 10:45

  • Offered paper - A phage factor required for efficient infection of stationary phase Escherichia coli

Aline Tabib-Salazar (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 5 Escherichia coli: the model microbe

10:30 - 10:45

  • Offered paper - Interplay between tolerance mechanisms to copper and acid stress in Escherichia coli

Karrera Djoko (University of Queensland, Australia and Durham University, UK), Hall 6 Microbial metal homeostasis: impacts on pathogenicity

10:30 - 10:45

  • The evolutionary and ecological consequences of microbial range expansion

David Johnson (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Switzerland), Hall 11a Synthetic ecology: from understanding ecological interactions to designing functional microbial communities

10:30 - 11:00

  • Spatial translation control of cellular and viral RNA translation

Juana Díez (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain), Hall 1 The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

10:30 - 11:00

  • Offered paper - Could adhesins be the key to the difference in pathogenic capabilities between non typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) and H. haemolyticus?

Karen Osman (University of Southampton, UK), Hall 10 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

10:45 - 11:00

  • Offered paper - The mechanism of cotranslational recognition of nascent substrate proteins by the translocation ATPase SecA

Damon Huber (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 5 Escherichia coli: the model microbe

10:45 - 11:00

  • Offered paper - NRAMP1 (Slc11a1) impact on Salmonella metal homeostasis

Olivier Cunrath (Biozentrum, Switzerland), Hall 6 Microbial metal homeostasis: impacts on pathogenicity

10:45 - 11:00

  • Offered paper - Fusobacterium nucleatum – friend or foe?

Sarah Kuehne (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 10 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

11:00 - 11:15

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Escherichia coli: the model microbe

11:00 - 11:30

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Essential skills: Exploring data tools and resources at EMBL-EBI

11:00 - 11:30

  • Copper alloy surfaces collapse bacterial copper homeostasis and reduce infection rates

Bill Keevil (University of Southampton, UK), Hall 6 Microbial metal homeostasis: impacts on pathogenicity

11:00 - 11:30

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Synthetic ecology: from understanding ecological interactions to designing functional microbial communities

11:00 - 11:30

  • Offered paper - Distinct modes of RNA binding modulate RNA-RNA interactions mediated by Reovirus non-structural proteins

Jack Bravo (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 1 The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

11:00 - 11:15

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

11:15 - 11:45

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

11:15 - 11:45

  • Metabolism meets virulence: critical roles for host and bacteria metabolites during E. coli infection

Andrew Roe (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 5 Escherichia coli: the model microbe

11:30 - 12:00

  • Interactive workshop

Melissa Burke and Andrew Cowley (The European Bioinformatics Institute, UK), Hall 11b Essential skills: Exploring data tools and resources at EMBL-EBI

11:30 - 12:20

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Microbial metal homeostasis: impacts on pathogenicity

11:30 - 12:00

  • Volatile affairs in the belowground interactions

Paolina Garbeva (Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Netherlands), Hall 11a Synthetic ecology: from understanding ecological interactions to designing functional microbial communities

11:30 - 12:00

  • Up close and personal with whole genome sequencing: investigate the micro-epidemiology of infections

Matt Holden (University of St Andrews, UK), Hall 10 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

11:45 - 12:15

  • Flavivirus infection uncouples translation suppression from cellular stress responses

Alessia Ruggieri (Universitäts Klinikum Heidelberg, Germany), Hall 1 The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

11:45 - 12:15

  • Offered paper - High resolution mutagenesis analysis of the genetic requirements for anaerobic growth of Escherichia coli in the presence of nitrate

Finbar Buttimer (University College Cork, Ireland), Hall 5 Escherichia coli: the model microbe

12:00 - 12:15

  • A new and emerging HGT locus in Staphylococcus aureus outbreak strains confers hyper resistance to antibacterial copper and promotes macrophage survival

Julie Morrissey (University of Leicester, UK), Hall 6 Microbial metal homeostasis: impacts on pathogenicity

12:00 - 12:30

  • Synthetic quorum sensing in model microcapsule colonies

Anna Balazs (University of Pittsburgh, USA), Hall 11a Synthetic ecology: from understanding ecological interactions to designing functional microbial communities

12:00 - 12:30

  • Offered paper - Linking Phenotype to Genotype : Inter-bacterial competition in Serratia marcescens

David Williams (University of Dundee, UK), Hall 10 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

12:15 - 12:30

  • Offered paper - Ethanolamine metabolism in E. coli urinary tract infection

Michael Prentice (University College Cork, Ireland), Hall 5 Escherichia coli: the model microbe

12:15 - 12:30

  • Translational control in plant antiviral immunity

Elizabeth Fontes (Universidade Federal Viçosa, Brazil), Hall 1 The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

12:15 - 12:45

  • Conclusion and wrap-up

Hall 11b Essential skills: Exploring data tools and resources at EMBL-EBI

12:20 - 12:30

  • Offered paper - The type VI secretion system of Klebsiella pneumoniae: a weapon for antibacterial warfare

Daniel Storey (Queen's University Belfast, UK), Hall 10 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

12:30 - 12:45

  • Flash poster - A potential novel iron uptake system reserved to Bifidobacterium longum subsp. Longum

Cho Zin Soe (Quadram Institute, UK), Hall 6 Microbial metal homeostasis: impacts on pathogenicity

12:30 - 12:35

  • Offered paper - Who's for TE? – Trace elements supplement fermenting bacteria rather than methanogens in biogas mono-digestion of grass silage

Jamie A. FitzGerald (University College Cork, Ireland), Hall 11a Synthetic ecology: from understanding ecological interactions to designing functional microbial communities

12:30 - 12:45

  • Flash poster - Role of Csp3 in the copper homeostasis of Salmonella typhi

Emma Tarrant (Newcastle University, UK), Hall 6 Microbial metal homeostasis: impacts on pathogenicity

12:35 - 12:40

  • Flash poster - Mobile genetic element-encoded hypertolerance to copper protects Staphylococcus aureus from killing by host phagocytes

Dr. Joan Geoghegan (Trinity College Dublin), Hall 6 Microbial metal homeostasis: impacts on pathogenicity

12:40 - 12:45

  • Flash poster presentation - Investigating epigenetic regulation by type I restriction modification in a historic collection of Staphylococcus aureus isolates

Rebecca Mekler (University of St Andrews, UK), Hall 10 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

12:45 - 12:50

  • Zinc at the host–pathogen interface: strategies for overcoming zinc-stress in foodborne disease

Jennifer Cavet (University of Manchester, UK), Hall 6 Microbial metal homeostasis: impacts on pathogenicity

12:45 - 13:15

  • Offered paper - Anaerobic digestion and the development of phytohormone activity

Iain Michie (University of South Wales, UK), Hall 11a Synthetic ecology: from understanding ecological interactions to designing functional microbial communities

12:45 - 13:00

  • Offered paper - IFIT3 promotes IFIT1-mediated translation inhibition by enhancing binding to non-self RNAs

Harriet V Mears (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 1 The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

12:45 - 13:00

  • Flash poster presentation - Functional characterisation of (p)ppGpp synthetases: enzymes required for bacterial stress adaptation and survival

Sophie Irving (University of Sheffield, UK), Hall 10 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

12:50 - 12:55

  • Flash poster presentation - The diversity and mobility of toxin antitoxin systems in a large dataset of Klebsiella spp.

Gal Horesh (Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, UK, and University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 10 Breaking bad: factors affecting the commensal to pathogen switch

12:55 - 13:00

Wednesday 11 April, Afternoon

  • Zinc at the host–pathogen interface: strategies for overcoming zinc-stress in foodborne disease

Jennifer Cavet (University of Manchester, UK), Hall 6 Microbial metal homeostasis: impacts on pathogenicity

12:45 - 13:15

  • Lunch and exhibition

Hall 3 Lunch and exhibition

13:00 - 14:00

  • Meet the Editor – Nick Thomson, Co-Editor-in-Chief of Microbial Genomics

Nick Thomson, Hall 3 (Society stand) Meet the Editor – Nick Thomson, Co- Editor-in-Chief of Microbial Genomics

13:00 - 14:00

  • Introduction

Samuel K. Sheppard (University of Bath, UK), Hall 10 Bacterial zoonoses: ecology, epidemiology and evolution

14:00 - 14:10

  • PreP in England. Are we making an impact?

David White (University Hospitals Birmingham, UK), Hall 4 Clinical Virology Network (CVN)

14:00 - 14:30

  • Offered paper - Probing host–pathogen interactions in an innovative gut cellular model

Blessing Anonye (University of Warwick, UK), Hall 5 Microbial infection forum

14:00 - 14:15

  • Yeast-dominated ecosystems: from the molecular mechanisms of interactions between yeast species to the application of synthetic energy

Florian Bauer (Stellenbosch University, South Africa), Hall 11a Synthetic ecology: from understanding ecological interactions to designing functional microbial communities

14:00 - 14:30

  • Investigating how ribosome biogenesis impacts human cytomegalovirus replication

Ian Mohr (NYU School of Medicine, USA), Hall 1 The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

14:00 - 14:30

  • Predictable paths to pathogenicity in the zoonotic pig pathogen Streptococcus suis

Lucy Weinert (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 10 Bacterial zoonoses: ecology, epidemiology and evolution

14:10 - 14:40

  • Offered paper - Infection with Burkholderia pseudomallei induces cancer-like cellular and molecular changes in trigeminal Schwann cells

Seyed Ali Delbaz (Griffith University, Australia), Hall 5 Microbial infection forum

14:15 - 14:30

  • Monitoring, risk assessing and acting on infectious diseases threats to the safety and quality of the UK blood supply

Ines Ushiro-Lumb (NHS Blood and Transplant, UK), Hall 4 Clinical Virology Network (CVN)

14:30 - 15:00

  • Offered paper - Lineage and strain specific differences in the in vitro and in vivo pathogenicity of bovine adapted Staphylococcus aureus

Dagmara Niedziela (Teagasc, Ireland and University College Dublin, Ireland), Hall 5 Microbial infection forum

14:30 - 14:45

  • Dynamics of methane-consuming communities, from simple to complex

Ludmila Chistoserdova (University of Washington, USA), Hall 11a Synthetic ecology: from understanding ecological interactions to designing functional microbial communities

14:30 - 15:00

  • Non-optimised codons in HAV

Rosa Pintó (Universitat de Barcelona, Spain), Hall 1 The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

14:30 - 15:00

  • Offered paper - Genetic bottlenecks in the evolution of an agriculture-associated disease causing clade of Streptococcus suis in SE Asia

Ben Pascoe (University of Bath, UK and MRC CLIMB, UK), Hall 10 Bacterial zoonoses: ecology, epidemiology and evolution

14:40 - 14:55

  • Offered paper - Modelling the interactions of pathogenic and commensal strains of Mannheimia haemolytica with bovine airway epithelial cells

Daniel Cozens (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 5 Microbial infection forum

14:45 - 15:00

  • Offered paper: Lineage-specific associations of autotransporters in C. jejuni and C. coli

Arnoud van Vliet (University of Surrey, UK), Hall 10 Bacterial zoonoses: ecology, epidemiology and evolution

14:55 - 15:10

  • CVN Business

Hall 4 Clinical Virology Network (CVN)

15:00 - 15:30

  • Offered paper - Epigenetic phase variation of the pneumococcus in the human nasopharynx

Megan De Ste Croix (University of Leicester, UK), Hall 5 Microbial infection forum

15:00 - 15:15

  • Offered paper - Characterising emerging mutations in a stressed population of a biotechnologically-relevant E. coli via high-resolution next generation sequencing

Jillian M. Couto (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 11a Synthetic ecology: from understanding ecological interactions to designing functional microbial communities

15:00 - 15:15

  • Offered paper - Bimodal switch and reprogramming of global protein synthesis at single cell resolution during HSV cell–cell transmission

Peter O'Hare (Imperial College, UK), Hall 1 The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

15:00 - 15:15

  • Gene exchange drives the ecological success of a multi-host bacterial pathogen

Ross Fitzgerald (University of Edinburgh, UK), Hall 10 Bacterial zoonoses: ecology, epidemiology and evolution

15:10 - 15:40

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Microbial infection forum

15:15 - 15:45

  • Flash poster presentation - Associative bacteria of Medicago lupulina L. and their biotechnological application

Shahjahon Begmatov (Russian State Agrarian University - Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy, Russia), Hall 11a Synthetic ecology: from understanding ecological interactions to designing functional microbial communities

15:15 - 15:20

  • Offered paper - Mechanistic insights into the inhibition of the NF-κB signalling pathway by HIV-1 Vpu

Suzanne Pickering (KCL, UK), Hall 1 The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

15:15 - 15:30

  • Flash poster presentation - Rapid loss of CRISPR-mediated herd immunity from bacterial populations

Sean Meaden (University of Exeter, UK), Hall 11a Synthetic ecology: from understanding ecological interactions to designing functional microbial communities

15:20 - 15:25

  • Flash poster presentation - Dissecting biomethane production in anaerobic digestion plants through DNA sequencing

Anna Alessi (University of York, UK), Hall 11a Synthetic ecology: from understanding ecological interactions to designing functional microbial communities

15:25 - 15:30

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Clinical Virology Network (CVN)

15:30 - 15:50

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Synthetic ecology: from understanding ecological interactions to designing functional microbial communities

15:30 - 16:00

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

15:30 - 16:00

  • Offered paper - Comparative pan-genome analysis of Coxiella burnetii reveals limited evolution within genomic groups

Claudia Hemsley (University of Exeter, UK), Hall 10 Bacterial zoonoses: ecology, epidemiology and evolution

15:40 - 15:55

  • Offered paper - Real-time optical imaging of bacteria for point-of-care diagnosis of infection in the clinic

Beth Mills (University of Edinburgh, UK), Hall 5 Microbial infection forum

15:45 - 16:00

  • Sponsor

Hall 4 Clinical Virology Network (CVN)

15:50 - 16:30

  • Offered paper - A microevolutionary approach using whole genome sequences to estimate the molecular clock in Campylobacter: a rapidly evolving zoonotic pathogen under purifying selection

Jessica Calland (University of Bath, UK and MRC CLIMB, UK), Hall 10 Bacterial zoonoses: ecology, epidemiology and evolution

15:55 - 16:10

  • Offered paper - High levels of Stx2a toxin production are a phenotype of enterhaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) phage type (PT) 21/28 strains

Stephen Fitzgerald (The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, UK), Hall 5 Microbial infection forum

16:00 - 16:15

  • Multi-trait cooperative interactions for anti-virulence strategies

Ivana Gudelj (University of Exeter, UK), Hall 11a Synthetic ecology: from understanding ecological interactions to designing functional microbial communities

16:00 - 16:30

  • Stimulation of programme ribosomal frameshifting by virus proteins

Ian Brierley (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 1 The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

16:00 - 16:30

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Bacterial zoonoses: ecology, epidemiology and evolution

16:10 - 16:40

  • Offered paper - Investigating Campylobacter jejuni interactions with endoplasmic reticulum in intestinal epithelial cells resulting in induction of the unfolded protein response

Abdi Elmi (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK), Hall 5 Microbial infection forum

16:15 - 16:30

  • Hepatitis B – novel therapies and the challenges to diagnostic laboratories

William Irving (University of Nottingham, UK), Hall 4 Clinical Virology Network (CVN)

16:30 - 17:00

  • Offered paper - T lymphocyte inhibition by Escherichia coli lymphostatin is dependent on a cysteine protease motif

Andrew Bease (The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, UK), Hall 5 Microbial infection forum

16:30 - 16:45

  • Application of the engineering paradigm to microbial communities

Jags Pandhal (University of Sheffield,UK), Hall 11a Synthetic ecology: from understanding ecological interactions to designing functional microbial communities

16:30 - 17:00

  • The transcription and translation landscapes during human cytomegalovirus infection

Noam Stern-Ginossar (Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel), Hall 1 The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

16:30 - 17:00

  • Antimicrobial resistance in animal reservoirs

Dorina Timofte (University of Liverpool, UK), Hall 10 Bacterial zoonoses: ecology, epidemiology and evolution

16:40 - 17:10

  • Offered paper - Metallophilic macrophage receptor blockade: a novel approach to treating pneumococcal bacteraemia

Joe Wanford (University of Leicester, UK), Hall 5 Microbial infection forum

16:45 - 17:00

  • JC virus and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML)

William Tong (NHS England, UK), Hall 4 Clinical Virology Network (CVN)

17:00 - 17:30

  • Flash poster presentation - Novel mechanisms for overcoming phosphate limitation in rhizosphere-dwelling Flavobacteria spp. implications for sustainable agriculture

Ian Lidbury (University of Warwick, UK), Hall 11a Synthetic ecology: from understanding ecological interactions to designing functional microbial communities

17:00 - 17:05

  • Offered paper - Virulent poxviruses inhibit DNA sensing by preventing STING activation

Iliana Georgana (University of Surrey, UK), Hall 1 The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

17:00 - 17:15

  • Flash poster presentation - The BLAST and the spurious - Exploring microbial communities to find novel antibiotics with the AMPLY metagenomic analysis pipeline

Ben Thomas (TiKa Diagnostics St George's Hospital, UK), Hall 11a Synthetic ecology: from understanding ecological interactions to designing functional microbial communities

17:05 - 17:10

  • Offered paper - Antibiotic resistance genes abundance in two Italian swine farms

Sara Petrin (Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Italy), Hall 10 Bacterial zoonoses: ecology, epidemiology and evolution

17:10 - 17:25

  • Flash poster presentation - Incorporation of Vibrio vulnificus into phytoplankton-based marine aggregates for oyster uptake

Cam Hubert (University of Exeter, UK), Hall 11a Synthetic ecology: from understanding ecological interactions to designing functional microbial communities

17:10 - 17:15

  • Flash poster presentation - Assessment of the long-term performance of plant microbial fuel cells using Irish peat and Calluna vulgaris

Carena Bell (Manchester Metropolitan University, UK), Hall 11a Synthetic ecology: from understanding ecological interactions to designing functional microbial communities

17:15 - 17:20

  • Offered paper - The mechanism and structural diversity of exoribonuclease-resistant structures in pathogenically relevant flaviviral RNAs

Zoe O'Donoghue (University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, USA), Hall 1 The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

17:15 - 17:30

  • Flash poster presentation - Feature selection from microbial profiles via a genetic algorithm

Nisha Puthiyedth (University of Saskatchewan, Canada), Hall 11a Synthetic ecology: from understanding ecological interactions to designing functional microbial communities

17:20 - 17:25

  • Offered paper (Antimicrobial resistance) - Antimicrobial resistance of Campylobacter spp. in wild game pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) in Scotland

Cosmin Chintoan-Uta (The Roslin Institute and the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, UK), Hall 10 Bacterial zoonoses: ecology, epidemiology and evolution

17:25 - 17:40

  • Fleming Prize Lecture – How to kill your rivals: type VI secretion system-mediated bacterial warfare

Sarah Coulthurst (University of Dundee, UK), Hall 1 Fleming Prize Lecture – How to kill your rivals: type VI secretion system-mediated bacterial warfare

17:40 - 18:30

  • Drinks reception and poster presentation

Hall 3 Drinks reception and poster presentation

18:30 - 20:00

  • Society promotion – Journal digests: genomics, open data and antimicrobial resistance

Hall 3 (Society stand) Society promotion – Journal digests: genomics, open data and antimicrobial resistance

19:00 - 19:10

Thursday 12 April, Morning

  • Registration open

Registration open

07:30 - 09:00

  • Marjory Stephenson Prize Lecture – Vaccinia virus: a portrait of a poxvirus

Geoffrey L. Smith (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 1 Marjory Stephenson Prize Lecture – Vaccinia virus: a portrait of a poxvirus

09:00 - 09:50

  • The epidemiology of Leptospirosis in Italy: strain genotyping

Natale Alda (Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Italy), Hall 10 Bacterial zoonoses: ecology, epidemiology and evolution

10:00 - 10:30

  • Evolution of genome architecture in Archaea

Thorsten Allers (University of Nottingham, UK), Hall 9 DNA repair

10:00 - 10:30

  • Offered paper - Rapid detection and discrimination of chromosome- and MCR-plasmid-mediated resistance to polymyxins by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry: The MALDIxin test

Laurent Dortet (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 5 Environmental and applied microbiology forum

10:00 - 10:15

  • Welcome

Peter Cotgreave (Microbiology Society, UK), Hall 11b Essential skills: Engaging in science policy

10:00 - 10:15

  • Offered paper - Disentangling bacterial virulence mechanisms: Klebsiella pneumoniae targets post-translational modifications (PTMs) to manipulate autonomous immunity

Ciara Ross (Queen's University Belfast, UK), Hall 1 Microbial infection forum

10:00 - 10:15

  • Symbiont-provided defence and nutrition in herbivorous beetles

Martin Kaltenpoth (Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany), Hall 8a The games microbes play: competition, conflict and cooperation in microbiology

10:00 - 10:30

  • Offered paper: Anti-rubella IgG testing

Sarah Kempster (NIBSC, UK), Hall 4 Virology workshop: Clinical virology

10:00 - 10:12

  • Offered paper - Bioorthogonal chemical analysis of herpesvirus early genome transport and progression of infection

Eiki Sekine (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 11a Virology workshop: DNA viruses

10:00 - 10:12

  • Offered paper - Characterisation of novel determinants of filovirus entry and restriction

Franka Debeljak (King’s College London, UK), Hall 7 Virology workshop: Negative strand RNA viruses

10:00 - 10:12

  • Offered paper - Structural and biochemical analysis of protein/RNA interactions during initiation of dengue virus genome replication

Lauren Branfield (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 8b Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

10:00 - 10:12

  • Offered paper - Could HIV-1 integrase strand transfer inhibitors be used for htlv-1 therapy?

Michal Barski (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 6 Virology workshop: Retroviruses

10:00 - 10:12

  • Offered paper: Utilisation of chimeric haemagglutinin bearing lentiviral pseudotypes to dissect head and stalk directed antibody responses

George Carnell (University of Kent, UK), Hall 4 Virology workshop: Clinical virology

10:12 - 10:24

  • Offered paper - The CFTR chloride channel is essential for BK polyomavirus infection of primary renal proximal tubular epithelial cells and can be targeted using the clinically available drug glibenclamide

Eleni-Anna Loundras (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 11a Virology workshop: DNA viruses

10:12 - 10:24

  • Offered paper - A role for cholesterol during Bunyamwera virus entry and infection

Frank Charlton (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 7 Virology workshop: Negative strand RNA viruses

10:12 - 10:24

  • Offered paper - Mapping the interacting sites of Bluetongue virus capsid protein VP6 and RNA: identification of residues critical to genome packaging and virus replication

Po-Yu Sung (London school of hygiene and tropical medicine, UK), Hall 8b Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

10:12 - 10:24

  • Offered paper - The Gag cleavage product p12 tethers the murine leukemia virus (MLV) PIC to chromatin by binding directly to host nucleosomes in mitosis

Madushi Wanaguru (The Francis Crick Institute, UK), Hall 6 Virology workshop: Retroviruses

10:12 - 10:24

  • Offered paper - Overcoming antimicrobial resistance in the built environment

Claire Bankier (University College London, UK), Hall 5 Environmental and applied microbiology forum

10:15 - 10:30

  • Science, research and parliament

Sarah Bunn (Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, UK), Hall 11b Essential skills: Engaging in science policy

10:15 - 10:35

  • Offered paper - Sequencing approaches to study the pathogenesis of Salmonella enterica in vivo

Prerna Vohra (The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, UK), Hall 1 Microbial infection forum

10:15 - 10:30

  • Offered paper: A multidisciplinary approach to a human parainfluenza 3 (HPIV3) outbreak on a paediatric oncology ward in a major teaching hospital

Anna Smielewska (University of Cambridge, UK, and Public Health England, UK), Hall 4 Virology workshop: Clinical virology

10:24 - 10:36

  • Offered paper - Role of host cell fusion and fission factors in HSV-1 infection

Tiffany Russell (University of Surrey, UK), Hall 11a Virology workshop: DNA viruses

10:24 - 10:36

  • Offered paper - Terminal depth single-molecule sequencing of capped transcripts reveals host-pathogen dynamics in human macrophages

Sara Clohisey (The Roslin Institute, UK), Hall 7 Virology workshop: Negative strand RNA viruses

10:24 - 10:36

  • Offered paper - A role for higher order polymerase structures in poliovirus recombination

Kirsten Bentley (University of St Andrews, UK), Hall 8b Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

10:24 - 10:36

  • Offered paper - HIV-1 protease inhibition induces DNA sensing on infection

Rebecca Sumner (University College London, UK), Hall 6 Virology workshop: Retroviruses

10:24 - 10:36

  • Offered paper - Host adaptation of Campylobacter jejuni in cattle

Evangelos Mourkas (University of Bath, UK), Hall 10 Bacterial zoonoses: ecology, epidemiology and evolution

10:30 - 10:45

  • DNA double-strand break repair at the single molecule level in bacteria

Meriem El-Karoui (University of Edinburgh, UK), Hall 9 DNA repair

10:30 - 11:00

  • Offered paper - The impact of plant growth on methylotrophic bacteria

Michael Christopher Macey (The Open University, University of East Anglia, UK), Hall 5 Environmental and applied microbiology forum

10:30 - 10:45

  • Offered paper - Lipid A structural plasticity and its significance to the virulence of Acinetobacter baumannii

Toby Bartholomew (Queen's University Belfast, UK), Hall 1 Microbial infection forum

10:30 - 10:45

  • Mathematics of cooperative and competitive bacterial interaction

Jamie Wood (University of York, UK), Hall 8a The games microbes play: competition, conflict and cooperation in microbiology

10:30 - 11:00

  • Influencing government science policy

James Tooze (Campaign for Science and Engineering), Hall 11b Essential skills: Engaging in science policy

10:35 - 10:50

  • Offered paper: Production and application of reference materials in outbreak scenarios: lessons learnt from the Ebola and Zika epidemics

Giada Mattiuzzo (NIBSC, UK), Hall 4 Virology workshop: Clinical virology

10:36 - 10:48

  • Offered paper - Elucidating early events in the lifecycle of Merkel cell polyomavirus

Samuel Dobson (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 11a Virology workshop: DNA viruses

10:36 - 10:48

  • Offered paper - A potential novel mechanism for translation initiation used by influenza A virus

Elizabeth Sloan (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 7 Virology workshop: Negative strand RNA viruses

10:36 - 10:48

  • Offered paper - Ribosome profiling reveals active translation of two novel ORFs located within the equine torovirus 5’ leader

Hazel Stewart (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 8b Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

10:36 - 10:48

  • Offered paper - Determining the influence of HIV-1 gag sequence on reverse transcriptase inhibitor sensitivity

Claire Kerridge (University College London UK and Public Health England, UK), Hall 6 Virology workshop: Retroviruses

10:36 - 10:48

  • Offered paper - Using whole genome sequencing to understand the epidemiology of Mycobacterium bovis among badgers in England

Colman O'Cathail (University of Nottingham, UK), Hall 10 Bacterial zoonoses: ecology, epidemiology and evolution

10:45 - 11:00

  • Offered paper - DNA stable-isotope probing implicates active naphthalene-degrading bacterial community in PAH-contaminated urban soil

Ibrahim I. Hussein (Queen's University Belfast, UK), Hall 5 Environmental and applied microbiology forum

10:45 - 11:00

  • Offered paper - The type III secretion system uses the translocon as a “pore-forming toxin” to manipulate the host epigenome

Laurent Dortet (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 1 Microbial infection forum

10:45 - 11:00

  • Offered paper: An overview of hepatitis A in Scotland

Amanda Bradley-Stewart (West of Scotland Specialist Virology Centre, UK), Hall 4 Virology workshop: Clinical virology

10:48 - 11:00

  • Offered paper - Identification of an NK inhibitory function by an HCMV protein of the RL11 family

Virginia-Maria Vlachava (Cardiff University, UK), Hall 11a Virology workshop: DNA viruses

10:48 - 11:00

  • Offered paper - Intra-genomic CpG dinucleotide frequency fluctuations in influenza A virus

Eleanor Gaunt (The Roslin Institute, UK), Hall 7 Virology workshop: Negative strand RNA viruses

10:48 - 11:00

  • Offered paper - Targeting functional RNA structures in emerging arboviruses

Oliver Prosser (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 8b Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

10:48 - 11:00

  • Offered paper - HIV-1 overcomes antiviral factor REAF

Joseph Gibbons (Blizard Institute, UK), Hall 6 Virology workshop: Retroviruses

10:48 - 11:00

  • Engaging in policy with the Microbiology Society

Paul Richards (Microbiology Society, UK), Hall 11b Essential skills: Engaging in science policy

10:50 - 11:00

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Bacterial zoonoses: ecology, epidemiology and evolution

11:00 - 11:30

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 DNA repair

11:00 - 11:30

  • Offered paper - A flocs’ life: adventures in the alkaline

Simon Rout (University of Huddersfield, UK), Hall 5 Environmental and applied microbiology forum

11:00 - 11:15

  • Member case study: Giving evidence to a Select Committee

Paul Kellam (Microbiology Society Policy Committee, UK), Hall 11b Essential skills: Engaging in science policy

11:00 - 11:10

  • Offered paper - Investigating non-toxigenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolates for novel virulence genes

Sariqa Wagley (University of Exeter, UK), Hall 1 Microbial infection forum

11:00 - 11:15

  • Offered paper - How does paper beat rock in rock-paper-scissors? – The fitness costs of anti-CRISPR proteins

Mariann Landsberger (University of Exeter, UK), Hall 8a The games microbes play: competition, conflict and cooperation in microbiology

11:00 - 11:15

  • Offered paper: Schmallenberg virus antibody responses in adult ewes following natural re-exposure

Scott Jones (University of Nottingham, UK), Hall 4 Virology workshop: Clinical virology

11:00 - 11:12

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Virology workshop: DNA viruses

11:00 - 11:30

  • Offered paper - Thwarting influenza virus replication by altering the nuclear environment

Ecco Staller (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 7 Virology workshop: Negative strand RNA viruses

11:00 - 11:12

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

11:00 - 11:30

  • Offered paper - Influence of antiretroviral protein SAMHD1 on mitochondria

Harriet Groom (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 6 Virology workshop: Retroviruses

11:00 - 11:12

  • Q&A

Hall 11b Essential skills: Engaging in science policy

11:10 - 11:20

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Virology workshop: Clinical virology

11:12 - 11:48

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Virology workshop: Negative strand RNA viruses

11:12 - 11:42

  • Offered paper - Cyclosporine A rescues a type I interferon-induced IFITM3-mediated block to infection

Lucy Thorne (University College London, UK), Hall 6 Virology workshop: Retroviruses

11:12 - 11:24

  • Offered paper - Bioprospection of an oleaginous endophytic fungus, Phomopsis sp. prevalent in biodiesel plants

Susmita Paul (North-Eastern Hill University, UK), Hall 5 Environmental and applied microbiology forum

11:15 - 11:30

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Microbial infection forum

11:15 - 11:45

  • Offered paper - The economic logic of cooperation in a microbe

Balint Stewart (Univeristy College London, UK), Hall 8a The games microbes play: competition, conflict and cooperation in microbiology

11:15 - 11:30

  • Refreshments and networking

Hall 11b Essential skills: Engaging in science policy

11:20 - 11:50

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Virology workshop: Retroviruses

11:24 - 11:54

  • Genetic analysis of Salmonella colonisation and zoonotic risk in farm animals

Mark Stevens (University of Edinburgh, UK), Hall 10 Bacterial zoonoses: ecology, epidemiology and evolution

11:30 - 12:00

  • How bacteria regulate mutagenesis and their ability to evolve

Susan Rosenberg (Baylor College of Medicine, USA), Hall 9 DNA repair

11:30 - 12:00

  • Offered paper - Landfill sites: one man’s trash is another man’s treasure

Emma Ransom-Jones (University of Huddersfield, Bangor University, UK), Hall 5 Environmental and applied microbiology forum

11:30 - 11:45

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 The games microbes play: competition, conflict and cooperation in microbiology

11:30 - 12:00

  • Offered paper - Merkel cell polyomavirus miRNA targeting of the host-cell immune response during virus replication results in the attenuation of neutrophil chemotaxis

Pouria Akhbari (University of Exeter, UK), Hall 11a Virology workshop: DNA viruses

11:30 - 11:42

  • Offered paper - Reverse genetic analysis of strain variation and virulence in deformed wing virus of honey bees

Olesya Gusachenko (University of St Andrews, UK), Hall 8b Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

11:30 - 11:42

  • Offered paper: Prevalence and sequence diversity of hepatitis B virus in Bombali province, Sierra Leone assessed using nanopore sequencing

Luke Meredith (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 4 Virology workshop: Clinical virology

11:42 - 11:54

  • Offered paper - Abolishment of surface ADAM17 expression by human cytomegalovirus

Mihil Patel (Cardiff University, UK), Hall 11a Virology workshop: DNA viruses

11:42 - 11:54

  • Offered paper - Identification and characterisation of a small molecule inhibitor of Ebolavirus genome replication

Victoria Easton (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 7 Virology workshop: Negative strand RNA viruses

11:42 - 11:54

  • Offered paper - Handing out freebies: How the superfluous nature of the FMDV 3B proteins help us understand the nature of FMDV polyprotein processing

Joseph C Ward (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 8b Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

11:42 - 11:54

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Environmental and applied microbiology forum

11:45 - 12:15

  • Offered paper - Knowing the Enemy: How does Pseudomonas aeruginosa regulate carbon flux through its glyoxylate shunt?

Stephen Dolan (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 1 Microbial infection forum

11:45 - 12:00

  • Workshop: Communicating your research to policy-makers

Sarah Foxen (Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, UK), Hall 11b Essential skills: Engaging in science policy

11:50 - 12:55

  • Offered paper: Surveillance of resistance to NS5A inhibitors in HCV genotype 1a in the UK

Daniel Bradshaw (Public Health England, UK), Hall 4 Virology workshop: Clinical virology

11:54 - 12:06

  • Offered paper - Human cytomegalovirus latency suppresses S100A8/A9 expression via CTCF to evade neutrophil killing

Emma Poole (Cambridge University, UK), Hall 11a Virology workshop: DNA viruses

11:54 - 12:06

  • Offered paper - Identification of polymorphisms within PA gene of H9N2 avian influenza viruses which lead to an enhanced replication and pathogenicity within poultry

Anabel Clements (The Pirbright Institute, UK), Hall 7 Virology workshop: Negative strand RNA viruses

11:54 - 12:06

  • Offered paper - In vitro reconstitution of translation initiation on Zika virus

Thomas Sanford (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 8b Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

11:54 - 12:06

  • Offered paper - HIV-1 Vpr inhibits pattern recognition signaling in myeloid cells

Pedro Matos (King's College London, UK), Hall 6 Virology workshop: Retroviruses

11:54 - 12:06

  • Antimicrobial resistance in staphylococci of animal origin

Stefan Schwarz (Freie Universität, Germany), Hall 10 Bacterial zoonoses: ecology, epidemiology and evolution

12:00 - 12:30

  • Bacterial DNA repair complexes RedBCD and AddAB as targets for antibiotics

Dale Wigley (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 9 DNA repair

12:00 - 12:30

  • Offered paper - The DSB system is a novel target for the treatment of β-lactamase-producing Gram-negative pathogens

Despoina Mavridou (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 1 Microbial infection forum

12:00 - 12:15

  • Loners can confer adaptive advantages to the rest of the population and insure against cheating

Ricardo Martinez-Garcia (Princeton University, USA), Hall 8a The games microbes play: competition, conflict and cooperation in microbiology

12:00 - 12:30

  • Offered paper: Bacterial co-infections in patients with a range of viral respiratory tract infections – an under recognised clinical problem

Temi Lampejo (King's College Hospital, UK), Hall 4 Virology workshop: Clinical virology

12:06 - 12:18

  • Offered paper - Vaccinia virus protein C2 inhibits activation of NF-κB signalling pathway

Rui-Yao Zhang (Department of Pathology, UK), Hall 11a Virology workshop: DNA viruses

12:06 - 12:18

  • Offered paper - Elucidation of novel interactions between respiratory syncytial virus (Rsv) and human airway epithelium predictive of severe Rsv disease

Dean Coey (Queen's University Belfast, UK), Hall 7 Virology workshop: Negative strand RNA viruses

12:06 - 12:18

  • Offered paper - The role of RNA structure in Chikungunya virus genome replication

Catherine Kendall (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 8b Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

12:06 - 12:18

  • Offered paper - Vpr promotes HIV-1 replication by suppressing innate immune activation

Hataf Khan (University College London, UK), Hall 6 Virology workshop: Retroviruses

12:06 - 12:18

  • The experimental investigation of the relationship between bacterial adhesion upon a range of surfaces under different shear stresses within a microfluidic device.

** PROGRAMME UPDATE ** Alexander Lai Man Chun (University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK), Hall 5 Environmental and applied microbiology forum

12:15 - 12:30

  • Offered paper - Biocide exposure induces changes in susceptibility, pathogenicity, and biofilm formation in uropathogenic Escherichia coli

Emma Henly (Sheffield Hallam University, UK), Hall 1 Microbial infection forum

12:15 - 12:30

  • Offered paper: Fatal disseminated adenovirus infection in an immunocompetent patient

Judith Timms (Coventry and Warwickshire Pathology Services, UK), Hall 4 Virology workshop: Clinical virology

12:18 - 12:30

  • Offered paper - Identification of host immune factors implicated in the BK polyomavirus lifecycle

Michelle Antoni (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 11a Virology workshop: DNA viruses

12:18 - 12:30

  • Offered paper - Unexpected functional divergence of bat influenza virus NS1 proteins

Hannah L. Turkington (University of Zurich, Switzerland), Hall 7 Virology workshop: Negative strand RNA viruses

12:18 - 12:30

  • Offered paper - Reprogramming of host RNA translation during acute murine norovirus infection

Michele Brocard (University of Surrey, UK), Hall 8b Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

12:18 - 12:30

  • Offered paper - Papio cynocephalus endogenous retrovirus (PcEV) expression is strongly correlated with expression of interferon-stimulated gene (STAT-1) in tissues from acutely SIV-infected macaques

Neil Berry (NIBSC, UK), Hall 6 Virology workshop: Retroviruses

12:18 - 12:30

  • Offered paper - Occurrence of Naegleria fowleri in surface waters from Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, USA

Samendra Sherchan (Tulane University, USA), Hall 5 Environmental and applied microbiology forum

12:30 - 12:45

  • Offered paper - Impact of polymicrobial competition during urinary tract colonisation and antibiotic treatment

Christopher Boyles (Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Newcastle University, UK), Hall 1 Microbial infection forum

12:30 - 12:45

  • Quantifying interactions in a small, evolving microbial community

Sara Mitri (University of Lausanne, Switzerland), Hall 8a The games microbes play: competition, conflict and cooperation in microbiology

12:30 - 13:00

  • Offered paper: Development and implementation of an ORF immunoassay to investigate hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection transmission

Becky Haywood (Public Health England, UK), Hall 4 Virology workshop: Clinical virology

12:30 - 12:42

  • Offered paper - Evasion of host innate immunity by a lateral bodies protein of a highly attenuated fowlpox virus (FWPV) vaccine strain

Efstathios Giotis (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 11a Virology workshop: DNA viruses

12:30 - 12:42

  • Offered paper - Absent to active: Unravelling the detail behind chIFITM-mediated viral restriction

Thomas Whitehead (The Pirbright Institute, UK), Hall 7 Virology workshop: Negative strand RNA viruses

12:30 - 12:42

  • Offered paper - Modulation of host cell chloride channels inhibits Chikungunya virus genome replication

Marietta Müller (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 8b Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

12:30 - 12:42

  • Offered paper - Associated risk factors of Toxoplasma gondii and seroprevalence of HIV-1 and Toxoplasma gondii co-infection among pregnant women in Northwest Cameroon

Lem Edith (University of Bamenda, Cameroon), Hall 6 Virology workshop: Retroviruses

12:30 - 12:42

  • Offered paper: Varicella zoster virus immunoglobulin post exposure prophylaxis in pregnancy

Claire Williams (Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, UK), Hall 3 Virology workshop: Clinical virology

12:42 - 12:54

  • Offered paper - Vaccinia virus protein C4 is an inhibitor of DNA-PK-mediated DNA sensing

Simon R. Scutts (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 11a Virology workshop: DNA viruses

12:42 - 12:54

  • Offered paper - Characterising an unexpected role for the ubiquitin-like protein ISG15: regulating the magnitude of the antiviral response

Jelena Andrejeva (University of St Andrews, UK), Hall 7 Virology workshop: Negative strand RNA viruses

12:42 - 12:54

  • Offered paper - Intracellular neutralisation of rotavirus by antibodies

Sarah Caddy (MRC-Laboratory of Molecular Biology, UK), Hall 8b Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

12:42 - 12:54

  • Offered paper - Differing positions of live attenuated SIV vaccine infected cells and their role in generating protective responses

Joanna Hall (NIBSC, UK), Hall 6 Virology workshop: Retroviruses

12:42 - 12:54

  • Offered paper - Comparison of biofilm and bulk water bacterial community throughout the drinking water treatment process

Cara Wray (Newcastle University, UK), Hall 5 Environmental and applied microbiology forum

12:45 - 13:00

  • Offered paper - Antibiotics Unearthed: Citizen science and antimicrobial discovery

Ethan Drury (University of East Anglia, UK), Hall 1 Microbial infection forum

12:45 - 13:00

  • Offered paper: Outbreak of measles in a highly vaccinated population of healthcare workers

Lisa Berry (Coventry and Warwickshire Pathology Services, UK), Hall 4 Virology workshop: Clinical virology

12:54 - 13:00

  • Offered paper - E6 mediated STAT3 activation occurs via an NFκB/IL-6 signalling axis in HPV positive cervical cancer

Ethan Morgan (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 11a Virology workshop: DNA viruses

12:54 - 13:06

  • Offered paper - Aedes aegypti SUMOylation pathway suppresses arbovirus replication

Sam Stokes (University of Glasgow, UK and The Pirbright Institute, UK), Hall 8b Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

12:54 - 13:06

  • Closing remarks

Peter Cotgreave (Microbiology Society, UK), Hall 11b Essential skills: Engaging in science policy

12:55 - 13:00

Thursday 12 April, Afternoon

  • Offered paper - E6 mediated STAT3 activation occurs via an NFκB/IL-6 signalling axis in HPV positive cervical cancer

Ethan Morgan (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 11a Virology workshop: DNA viruses

12:54 - 13:06

  • Offered paper - Aedes aegypti SUMOylation pathway suppresses arbovirus replication

Sam Stokes (University of Glasgow, UK and The Pirbright Institute, UK), Hall 8b Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

12:54 - 13:06

  • Lunch and exhibition

Hall 3 Lunch and exhibition

13:00 - 14:00

  • Meet the Editor – Kalai Mathee, Co-Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Medical Microbiology

Kalai Mathee, Hall 3 (Society stand) Meet the Editor – Kalai Mathee, Co- Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Medical Microbiology

13:00 - 14:00

  • A zoonotic pathogen and biodefence: the challenge of developing a vaccine against tularaemia

Petra Oyston (Porton Down, UK), Hall 10 Bacterial zoonoses: ecology, epidemiology and evolution

14:00 - 14:30

  • How do point of care and next generation sequencing fit into routine clinical diagnosis?

Kate Templeton (University of Edinburgh, UK), Hall 4 Clinical Virology Network (CVN)

14:00 - 14:30

  • GI tract microbiota: myths and truths

Alan Walker (University of Aberdeen, UK), Hall 5 Community interactions and the living host

14:00 - 14:30

  • Visualising the regulation of bacterial DNA repair and mutagenesis using single-molecule and single-cell microscopy

Stephan Uphoff (University of Oxford, UK), Hall 9 DNA repair

14:00 - 14:30

  • Offered paper - Attractants and antagonists control the function of the dicarboxylic acid chemoreceptor of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Miguel A. Matilla (EEZ-CSIC, Spain ), Hall 1 Microbial physiology, metabolism and molecular biology forum

14:00 - 14:15

  • Establishment and evolution of nucleus–chloroplast communication

Mitsumasa Hanaoka (Chiba University, Japan), Hall 8a The games microbes play: competition, conflict and cooperation in microbiology

14:00 - 14:30

  • Offered paper - Characterisation of the human cytomegalovirus US12 gene family

Hester Nichols (Cardiff University, UK), Hall 11a Virology workshop: DNA viruses

14:00 - 14:12

  • Offered paper - E3-ubiquitin ligase TRIM25 inhibits Ebolavirus replication

Harry Wilson (King's College London, UK), Hall 7 Virology workshop: Negative strand RNA viruses

14:00 - 14:12

  • Offered paper - The importance of protein phosphorylation dynamics for Bluetongue virus replication and egress

Bjorn-Patrick Mohl (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK), Hall 8b Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

14:00 - 14:12

  • Genomics-based taxonomy of RNA viruses – will we still have Flaviviridae, Togaviridae, Reoviridae and Picornaviridae in 3 years’ time?

Peter Simmonds (University of Oxford, UK), Hall 6 Virology workshop: The scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

14:00 - 14:12

  • Offered paper - Tandem Mass Tagging (TMT) – mass spectrometry and cell cycle inhibition reveal BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) replication is dependent upon not only cell cycle status, but also CDK activity

Laura Caller (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 11a Virology workshop: DNA viruses

14:12 - 14:24

  • Offered paper - Pathogens and pregancy loss in ruminants

Rachael Tarlinton (University of Nottingham, UK), Hall 7 Virology workshop: Negative strand RNA viruses

14:12 - 14:24

  • Offered paper - Analysis of the role of NS5A serine 225 phosphorylation in the HCV life cycle

Niluka Goonawardane (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 8b Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

14:12 - 14:24

  • Offered paper - Poliovirus capsid evolution is modulated by a non-structural protein, 2Apro

Oluwapelumi Adeyemi (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 6 Virology workshop: The scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

14:12 - 14:24

  • Offered paper

Emily Stoakes (Warwick University Medical School, UK), Hall 1 Microbial physiology, metabolism and molecular biology forum

14:15 - 14:30

  • Offered paper - Effects of altering CpG dinucleotide composition in small DNA viruses

Lisa Loew (University of Oxford, UK), Hall 11a Virology workshop: DNA viruses

14:24 - 14:36

  • Offered paper - Virion morphology of chicken and duck influenza A viruses is related to position 234 of M1

Carina Conceicao (The Roslin Institute, UK), Hall 7 Virology workshop: Negative strand RNA viruses

14:24 - 14:36

  • Offered paper - Semliki Forest virus suppresses autophagy during early stages of neuronal infection

Robert Stott (Leeds Beckett University, UK and University of East Anglia, UK), Hall 8b Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

14:24 - 14:36

  • Offered paper - Identification of the core rumen virome

Thomas Hitch (UniKlinic RWTH Aachen, Germany), Hall 6 Virology workshop: The scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

14:24 - 14:36

  • Offered paper - Development of a metabolic model for avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) to aid pragmatic vaccine design

Huijun Long (University of Surrey, UK), Hall 10 Bacterial zoonoses: ecology, epidemiology and evolution

14:30 - 14:45

  • Potential public health threats from emerging arboviral disease in the UK

Jolyon Medlock (Public Health England, UK), Hall 4 Clinical Virology Network (CVN)

14:30 - 15:00

  • Offered paper - The importance of method standardisation for human microbiota studies

Anna Maria Pulawska-Czub (Institute of Infection and Global Health, UK), Hall 5 Community interactions and the living host

14:30 - 14:45

  • Determinants of spontaneous mutation in Escherichia coli

Patricia Foster (Indiana University Bloomington, USA), Hall 9 DNA repair

14:30 - 15:00

  • Offered paper - The cyclic AMP receptor protein orchestrates the increase in intracellular levels of cAMP in response to osmotic stress in pathogenic mycobacteria

Sonia Rebollo-Ramirez (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 1 Microbial physiology, metabolism and molecular biology forum

14:30 - 14:45

  • Social evolution of antibiotic resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates

Melanie Ghoul (University of Oxford, UK), Hall 8a The games microbes play: competition, conflict and cooperation in microbiology

14:30 - 15:00

  • Offered paper - Human papillomavirus type 18 E6 oncoprotein interacts with the protein kinase A-anchoring protein AKAP95

Paul McCormack (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 11a Virology workshop: DNA viruses

14:36 - 14:48

  • Offered paper - An immunofluorescence-based technique for quantifying viral particle morphology

Daniel Goldfarb (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 7 Virology workshop: Negative strand RNA viruses

14:36 - 14:48

  • Offered paper - Divergent host responses to hepatitis C virus infection in primates driven by differences in interferon lambda 4 activity

Connor Bamford (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 8b Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

14:36 - 14:48

  • Offered paper - Structural-assisted design of mutant influenza virus libraries altered in HA gene to study sequence plasticity and antigenic escape in the highly-conserved influenza hemagglutinin stalk region

Alfred Ho (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 6 Virology workshop: The scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

14:36 - 14:48

  • Host–pathogen interactions in the development of Lyme disease: lessons learned using intravital microscopy

Mark Wooten (University of Toledo, USA), Hall 10 Bacterial zoonoses: ecology, epidemiology and evolution

14:45 - 15:15

  • Offered paper - Elucidating microbial community dynamics in response to infant diet

Melissa Lawson (Quadram Institute, UK), Hall 5 Community interactions and the living host

14:45 - 15:00

  • Offered paper - Characterisation of novel PQS binding proteins in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, including the quorum sensing transcriptional regulator RhlR

Larson Grimm (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 1 Microbial physiology, metabolism and molecular biology forum

14:45 - 15:00

  • Offered paper - Quantitative analysis of protein degradation during HCMV infection identifies helicase-like transcription factor as a novel antiviral restriction factor

Kai-Min Lin (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 11a Virology workshop: DNA viruses

14:48 - 15:00

  • Offered paper - The effect of host species on influenza virion composition

Pippa Harvey (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 7 Virology workshop: Negative strand RNA viruses

14:48 - 15:00

  • Offered paper - Aberrant hepatic differentiation elicited by hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection as a new pathway to malignancy

Abigail Bloy (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 8b Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

14:48 - 15:00

  • Offered paper - Bacteriophages of the emerging phytopathogen, Dickeya solani: genomics and potential applications

Andrew Day (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 6 Virology workshop: The scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

14:48 - 15:00

  • Future management of high consequence infectious diseases in England

Jake Dunning (Public Health England, UK), Hall 4 Clinical Virology Network (CVN)

15:00 - 15:30

  • The skin microbiota in health and disease

Oleg Alexeyev (University of Umeå, Sweden), Hall 5 Community interactions and the living host

15:00 - 15:30

  • Exploring the role of protein oxidation in bacterial ionizing radiation resistance

John Battista (Louisiana State University, USA), Hall 9 DNA repair

15:00 - 15:30

  • Offered paper - Protein secretion and surface colonisation by Listeria monocytogenes: Involvement of the Sec pathway in bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation.

Mickaël Desvaux-Lenôtre (INRA, France ), Hall 1 Microbial physiology, metabolism and molecular biology forum

15:00 - 15:15

  • Offered paper - Network-based approaches to analyze multi-omic data sets from lung microbiomes

Giri Narasimhan (Florida International University, USA), Hall 8a The games microbes play: competition, conflict and cooperation in microbiology

15:00 - 15:15

  • Offered paper - Novel aspects into preventing malignant catarrhal fever in susceptible hosts

Mohammed Al-Saadi (University of Liverpool, UK and University of Al-Qadisiya, Iraq), Hall 11a Virology workshop: DNA viruses

15:00 - 15:12

  • Offered paper - Assessing the risk that gamebirds infected with Newcastle disease virus (NDV) pose to outdoor reared poultry

Jo Mayers (Animal & Plant Health Agency, UK), Hall 7 Virology workshop: Negative strand RNA viruses

15:00 - 15:12

  • Offered paper - Development of central and peripheral neuropathology in models of adult Zika infection

Debbie Ferguson (NIBSC, Potters Bar, UK), Hall 8b Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

15:00 - 15:12

  • Offered paper - Using next-generation sequencing to investigate the mechanism of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) attenuation

Michael Oade (The Pirbright Institute, UK), Hall 6 Virology workshop: The scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

15:00 - 15:12

  • Offered paper - Poxvirus targeting of host cullin-2 ubiquitin E3 ligase via ankyrin-repeat proteins

Carlos Maluquer de Motes (University of Surrey, UK), Hall 11a Virology workshop: DNA viruses

15:12 - 15:24

  • Offered paper - Vector competence of British mosquitoes for Rift Valley fever virus

Sarah Lumley (Public Health England, UK, University of Surrey, UK, Animal and Plant Health Agency, UK), Hall 7 Virology workshop: Negative strand RNA viruses

15:12 - 15:24

  • Offered paper - Characterisation of norovirus entry and antibody neutralisation using a novel pseudovirus-based entry assay

Luke Meredith (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 8b Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

15:12 - 15:24

  • Offered paper - Pushing the limits of high throughput sequencing: Optimisation of a deep-sequencing protocol to identify immune escape variants of foot-and-mouth disease virus

David King (The Pirbright Institute, UK), Hall 6 Virology workshop: The scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

15:12 - 15:24

  • Flash poster presentation - Investigation of transcriptional response of related Salmonella Typhimurium strains to ciprofloxacin treatment

Sushmita Sridhar (Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, UK and University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 10 Bacterial zoonoses: ecology, epidemiology and evolution

15:15 - 15:20

  • Offered paper - The function and biogenesis of the Clostridium difficile S-layer

Joseph Kirk (University of Sheffield, UK), Hall 1 Microbial physiology, metabolism and molecular biology forum

15:15 - 15:30

  • Offered paper - How do myxobacteria kill their prey? A multi-'omics holistic approach

David Whitworth (Aberystwyth University, UK), Hall 8a The games microbes play: competition, conflict and cooperation in microbiology

15:15 - 15:30

  • Offered paper - Human-to-dog transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: a case study in Italy

Michela Corrò (Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Italy), Hall 10 Bacterial zoonoses: ecology, epidemiology and evolution

15:20 - 15:35

  • Offered paper - CTCF regulates the epigenetic landscape of the human papillomavirus enhancer to control differentiation-dependent early viral gene expression

Karen Campos-León (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 11a Virology workshop: DNA viruses

15:24 - 15:36

  • Offered paper - Solid matrix-antibody-antigen (SMAA) complexes comprising the immunogenic surface glycoprotein (G protein) of bovine ephemeral fever virus (BEFV)

Fiona Tulloch (University of St Andrews, UK), Hall 7 Virology workshop: Negative strand RNA viruses

15:24 - 15:36

  • Offered paper - Elucidating the role of the S protein in infectious bronchitis virus pathogenicity

Phoebe Stevenson-Leggett (The Pirbright Institute, UK), Hall 8b Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

15:24 - 15:36

  • Offered paper - Drivers of diversity in human cytomegalovirus

Dr Nicolás Suárez (MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, UK), Hall 6 Virology workshop: The scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

15:24 - 15:36

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Clinical Virology Network (CVN)

15:30 - 16:00

  • Offered paper - The potential role of the anaerobic bacterium Propionibacterium acnes in the aetiology of prostate cancer

Andrew McDowell (Ulster University, UK), Hall 5 Community interactions and the living host

15:30 - 15:45

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 DNA repair

15:30 - 16:00

  • Offered paper - Characterisation of a chromosome segregation machine in thermophilic archaea

Azhar Kabli (University of York, UK), Hall 1 Microbial physiology, metabolism and molecular biology forum

15:30 - 15:45

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 The games microbes play: competition, conflict and cooperation in microbiology

15:30 - 16:00

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Bacterial zoonoses: ecology, epidemiology and evolution

15:35 - 16:05

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Virology workshop: DNA viruses

15:36 - 16:06

  • Offered paper - Evaluation of the protective efficacy of an influenza DNA vaccine concept in the ferret model

Kate Guilfoyle (NIBSC, UK), Hall 7 Virology workshop: Negative strand RNA viruses

15:36 - 15:48

  • Offered paper - Interactions between enterovirus A71 VP1-98, VP1-145 and VP2-149 control neurovirulence in mice

Yoke Fun Chan (University of Malaya, Malaysia), Hall 8b Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

15:36 - 15:48

  • Offered paper - Strain-specific differences in the interaction between Epstein-Barr virus EBNA2 and the transcriptional repressor BS69

Rajesh Ponnusamy (University of Sussex, UK), Hall 6 Virology workshop: The scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

15:36 - 15:48

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Community interactions and the living host

15:45 - 16:15

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Microbial physiology, metabolism and molecular biology forum

15:45 - 16:15

  • Offered paper - Generation and lyophilisation of high titre Ebolavirus and Marburgvirus pseudotyped lentiviruses for use in antibody neutralisation assays

Martin Mayora Neto (University of Kent, UK), Hall 7 Virology workshop: Negative strand RNA viruses

15:48 - 16:00

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

15:48 - 16:18

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Virology workshop: The scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

15:48 - 16:18

  • Measles: a global update

Kevin Brown (Public Health England, UK), Hall 4 Clinical Virology Network (CVN)

16:00 - 16:30

  • Offered paper - The multiple antibiotic resistance (mar) operon of enteric bacteria controls DNA repair and outer membrane integrity

Prateek Sharma (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 9 DNA repair

16:00 - 16:15

  • Microbiomes of the blue planet: the games that microbes play with algae

Claire Gachon (Scottish Marine Institute, UK), Hall 8a The games microbes play: competition, conflict and cooperation in microbiology

16:00 - 16:30

  • Offered paper - Dissemination of K. pneumoniae and mobile elements revealed by whole genome sequencing: A One Health Approach

Catherine Ludden (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 10 Bacterial zoonoses: ecology, epidemiology and evolution

16:05 - 16:20

  • Offered paper - MinION sequencing of full length HBV genomes

Stuart Astbury (University of Nottingham, UK), Hall 11a Virology workshop: DNA viruses

16:06 - 16:18

  • Offered paper - The inhibitory effect of honeybee specific lactic acid bacteria on honeybee pathogen, Paenibacillus larvae

Sepideh Lamei (Swedish University of Agricultural Science and Lund University, Sweden), Hall 5 Community interactions and the living host

16:15 - 16:30

  • Offered paper - Inhibition of a conserved DNA repair complex promotes susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus to host defences

Kam Pou Ha (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 9 DNA repair

16:15 - 16:30

  • Offered paper - Characterisation of sterol biosynthesis and validation of 14α-demethylase as a drug target in Acanthamoeba

Scott Thomson (University of the West of Scotland, UK), Hall 1 Microbial physiology, metabolism and molecular biology forum

16:15 - 16:30

  • Offered paper - The herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) pUL56 mediates degradation of GOPC to alter protein presentation at the plasma membrane

Timothy Soh (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 11a Virology workshop: DNA viruses

16:18 - 16:30

  • Offered paper - Virus–membrane interactions in picornaviruses which lack VP4

James Kelly (The Pirbright Institute UK), Hall 8b Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

16:18 - 16:30

  • Offered paper - Diversity of CRESS-DNA viruses circulating in bats, swine and humans in Vietnam

Jordan Ashworth (University of Edinburgh, UK), Hall 6 Virology workshop: The scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

16:18 - 16:30

  • Offered paper - Antimicrobial resistance threats by Acinetobacter – emergency of an underestimated pathogen in veterinary medicine?

Grazieli Maboni (University of Georgia, USA), Hall 10 Bacterial zoonoses: ecology, epidemiology and evolution

16:20 - 16:35

  • Flash poster presentation - Characterisation of sand fly (Phlebotomus argentipes) microbiota linked to Leishmania infection status across Bihar, India

Poppy Stevens (University of Salford, UK), Hall 5 Community interactions and the living host

16:30 - 16:35

  • Offered paper - Isolation and characterisation of a novel DNA polymerase from the thermoacidophilic Crenarchaeote, Acidianus brierleyi

Christopher Cooper (University of Huddersfield, UK), Hall 9 DNA repair

16:30 - 16:45

  • Offered paper - Differential Escherichia coli pathotype responses to the host metabolite D-serine

Nicky O'Boyle (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 1 Microbial physiology, metabolism and molecular biology forum

16:30 - 16:45

  • The rise and fall of a transformational bacterial symbiont in an invasive insect herbivore

Molly Hunter (University of Arizona, USA), Hall 8a The games microbes play: competition, conflict and cooperation in microbiology

16:30 - 17:00

  • Offered paper - Characterisation of a HCMV gene that inhibits HCMV growth in vitro

Carmen Bedford (Cardiff University, UK), Hall 11a Virology workshop: DNA viruses

16:30 - 16:42

  • Offered paper - Thermally stable norovirus particles suggest alternative viral capsid conformations

Mogan Herod (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 8b Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

16:30 - 16:42

  • Offered paper - A systematic analysis of codon pair and dinucleotides biases in host genes and viral genomes

Richard Orton (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 6 Virology workshop: The scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

16:30 - 16:42

  • Conclusions

Samuel K. Sheppard (University of Bath, UK), Hall 10 Bacterial zoonoses: ecology, epidemiology and evolution

16:35 - 16:45

  • Flash poster presentation - Phenotypic implications of strain diversity of the gut microbiome

Ana Zhu (Sanger Institute, UK), Hall 5 Community interactions and the living host

16:35 - 16:40

  • Flash poster presentation - Using multi-omic approaches to compare temporal bacterial colonisation of Lolium perenne, Lotus corniculatus and Trifolium pratense in the rumen

Christopher Elliott (Queen's University Belfast, UK and Aberystwyth University, UK), Hall 5 Community interactions and the living host

16:40 - 16:45

  • Offered paper - Translational activation of the cell-cycle regulator RGC-32 is required for the survival of Epstein-Barr virus infected cells

Michelle West (University of Sussex, UK), Hall 11a Virology workshop: DNA viruses

16:42 - 16:54

  • Offered paper - Characterisation of neutralising antibody responses to norovirus in Vietnamese birth cohort using a luciferase-based HBGA blocking assay

Jessica van Loben Sels (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 8b Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

16:42 - 16:54

  • Offered paper - High degree of genetic variability in respiratory syncytial virus strains circulating in Ireland

Allison Waters (National Virus Reference Laboratory, Ireland), Hall 6 Virology workshop: The scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

16:42 - 16:54

  • Analysis of the role of Demodex mites and associated bacteria in inducing skin disease in humans

Kevin Kavanagh (Maynooth University, Ireland), Hall 5 Community interactions and the living host

16:45 - 17:15

  • Structural and biochemical studies of the DNA repair machinery of Deinococcus radiodurans

Joanna Timmins (IBS, France), Hall 9 DNA repair

16:45 - 17:15

  • Offered paper - Potential syntrophy alters the generation of E. coli persisters to antibiotics: folate metabolism involved response to antibiotics driven by phenotypic variability

Jesus Enrique Salcedo-Sora (Liverpool Hope University, UK), Hall 1 Microbial physiology, metabolism and molecular biology forum

16:45 - 17:00

  • Offered paper - Identification of a KSHV-induced protein which manipulates ribosome biogenesis

Sophie Schumann (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 11a Virology workshop: DNA viruses

16:54 - 17:06

  • Offered paper - Flavivirus membrane (M) proteins as potential ion channel antiviral targets

Emma Brown (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 8b Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

16:54 - 17:06

  • Offered paper - Exploring intra-host viral populations of avian influenza with DiversiTools

Joseph Hughes (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 6 Virology workshop: The scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

16:54 - 17:06

  • Offered paper - A novel regulator of methionine biosynthesis in starved Escherichia coli

Amy Switzer (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 1 Microbial physiology, metabolism and molecular biology forum

17:00 - 17:15

  • Flash presentation - Evolutionary strategies of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus predators and prey

Kimberley Summers (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 8a The games microbes play: competition, conflict and cooperation in microbiology

17:00 - 17:05

  • Flash presentation - Cooperation and conflict in solvent producing Clostridia populations

Jonathan Humphreys (University of Nottingham, UK), Hall 8a The games microbes play: competition, conflict and cooperation in microbiology

17:05 - 17:10

  • Offered paper - Human cytomegalovirus lncRNA2.7 upregulates the virus assembly compartment-associated E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF149

Betty Lau (University of Glasgow, UK), Hall 11a Virology workshop: DNA viruses

17:06 - 17:18

  • Offered paper - A novel potent inhibitor of human N-myristoyltransferases blocks rhinovirus replication by preventing capsid assembly

Aurelie Mousnier (Queen's University Belfast, UK and Imperial College London, UK), Hall 8b Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

17:06 - 17:18

  • Offered paper - Understanding the genetic diversity and variance of a virulent honey bee virus using NGS and reverse genetic approaches

Eugene Ryabov (USDA-ARS Bee Research Laboratory, USA), Hall 6 Virology workshop: The scope, causes and consequences of viral diversity

17:06 - 17:18

  • Flash presentation - Using 'insider information' to identify novel antibacterial targets

Laura Nolan (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 8a The games microbes play: competition, conflict and cooperation in microbiology

17:10 - 17:15

  • Offered paper - Identifying the bacterial community and host response of a natural mixed infection using metatranscriptomics

Sabine Tötemeyer (University of Nottingham, UK), Hall 5 Community interactions and the living host

17:15 - 17:30

  • Offered paper - Environmental selection of avirulence in the food-borne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes

Justine Rudkin (University College Cork, Ireland), Hall 1 Microbial physiology, metabolism and molecular biology forum

17:15 - 17:30

  • Flash presentation - RsmA and AmrZ orchestrate the assembly of all three type VI secretion systems in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Luke Allsopp (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 8a The games microbes play: competition, conflict and cooperation in microbiology

17:15 - 17:20

  • Offered paper - Towards an understanding of the role of agnoprotein in BK polyomavirus release

Gemma Swinscoe (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 11a Virology workshop: DNA viruses

17:18 - 17:30

  • Offered paper - Uncoating of non-enveloped RNA viruses: which RNA end comes out first and what are the implications for viral RNA translation?

Elisabetta Groppelli (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 8b Virology workshop: Positive strand and double strand RNA viruses

17:18 - 17:30

  • Unilever Colworth Prize Lecture – Translating findings from bacterial whole genome sequencing into clinical practice and public health policy

Sharon Peacock (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK), Hall 1 Unilever Colworth Prize Lecture – Translating findings from bacterial whole genome sequencing into clinical practice and public health policy

17:40 - 18:30

  • Drinks reception and poster presentation

Hall 3 Drinks reception and poster presentation

18:30 - 20:00

  • Passport to Prizes – prize draw

Hall 3 Passport to Prizes – prize draw

19:00 - 19:10

  • Conference Party – Bavarian night

The Bierkeller Bavarian Bar Conference Party – Bavarian night

20:00 - 00:00

Friday 13 April, Morning

  • Registration open

Registration open

08:30 - 09:00

  • Hot Topic Lecture – Déjà Flu: can science help the NHS cope with the annual burden of respiratory infections?

Derek Smith (University of Cambridge, UK) and Richard Pebody (Public Health England, UK), Hall 1 Hot Topic Lecture – Déjà Flu: can science help the NHS cope with the annual burden of respiratory infections?

09:00 - 09:35

  • Dissecting the human skin microbiome in health and disease – from strain-level composition to transcriptional and metabolic activities in the host environment

Huying Li (University of California, USA), Hall 5 Community interactions and the living host

09:30 - 10:00

  • Ecology of saprotrophic basidiomycetes

Lynne Boddy (Cardiff University, UK), Hall 8a The magic of mushrooms in nature and industry

09:30 - 10:00

  • Bacterial communication in situ

Laura Sanchez (University of Chicago, USA), Hall 10 Cool tools for microbial imaging

09:45 - 10:15

  • Offered paper - To distinguish between adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC) and non-AIEC strains

Carla Camprubí-Font (Universitat de Girona, Spain), Hall 9 Genetics and genomics forum

09:45 - 10:00

  • Picornaviruses abrogate active cellular nucleocytoplasmic transport to achieve efficient viral translation and replication

Ann Palmenberg (University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA), Hall 1 The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

09:45 - 10:15

  • Offered paper - Viral and bacterial gut metagenomics associated with runting-stunting syndrome in broiler chickens

Sara Louise Cosby (Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, UK and Queen's University Belfast, UK), Hall 5 Community interactions and the living host

10:00 - 10:15

  • Offered paper - Evolutionary dynamics of insertion sequences in three Shigella species

Jane Hawkey (University of Melbourne, Australia), Hall 9 Genetics and genomics forum

10:00 - 10:15

  • Potential and diversity of basidiomycete fungi for plant biomass conversion

Ronald de Vries (Universiteit Utrecht, The Netherlands), Hall 8a The magic of mushrooms in nature and industry

10:00 - 10:30

  • Offered paper - Deciphering the molecular and genetic components of Bifidobacterium that interact with macrophages

Ian O'Neill (Quadram Institute, UK), Hall 5 Community interactions and the living host

10:15 - 10:30

  • Spatial metabolomics in tissues and single cells

Theodore Alexandrov (EMBL Heidelberg, Germany), Hall 10 Cool tools for microbial imaging

10:15 - 10:45

  • Offered paper - Large scale and significant expression from pseudogenes in Sodalis glossinidius – a facultative bacterial endosymbiont

Ian Goodhead (University of Salford, UK), Hall 9 Genetics and genomics forum

10:15 - 10:30

  • How structured viral RNAs lure, trick and manipulate ribosomes

Jeff Kieft (University of Colorado at Denver, USA), Hall 1 The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

10:15 - 10:45

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Community interactions and the living host

10:30 - 11:00

  • Offered paper - Gene sharing and creation in the microbial world

Andrew Keith Watson (UPMC, France), Hall 9 Genetics and genomics forum

10:30 - 10:45

  • Offered paper - Competitive networks: Cord-forming fungi and decomposition on the forest floor

Daniel Eastwood (Swansea University, UK), Hall 8a The magic of mushrooms in nature and industry

10:30 - 10:45

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Cool tools for microbial imaging

10:45 - 11:15

  • Offered paper - Transcriptional mechanisms of MarA, the activator of multiple antibiotic resistance

Rachel Kettles (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 9 Genetics and genomics forum

10:45 - 11:00

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

10:45 - 11:15

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 The magic of mushrooms in nature and industry

10:45 - 11:15

  • Offered paper - Host adaptation of commensal bacteria through loss of sporulation and genome reduction

Hilary Browne (Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, UK), Hall 5 Community interactions and the living host

11:00 - 11:15

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Genetics and genomics forum

11:00 - 11:30

  • Functional anatomy of the colonic bioreactor in health and disease

Alexander Swidsinski (Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany), Hall 5 Community interactions and the living host

11:15 - 11:45

  • Measurement of antimicrobial uptake into bacteria and biofilms using mass spectrometry imaging

Ian Gilmore (National Physical Laboratory, UK), Hall 10 Cool tools for microbial imaging

11:15 - 11:45

  • Protein synthesis in vesicular stomatitis virus-infected cells

Sean Whelan (Harvard Medical School, USA), Hall 1 The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

11:15 - 11:45

  • Ecology and conservation of grassland fungi: eDNA meets citizen science

Gareth Griffith (Aberystwyth University, UK), Hall 8a The magic of mushrooms in nature and industry

11:15 - 11:45

  • Offered paper - Resolving the complex Bordetella pertussis genome using barcoded nanopore sequencing

Natalie Ring (University of Bath, UK), Hall 9 Genetics and genomics forum

11:30 - 11:45

  • Offered paper - Host-niche specialisation in the gut: clues from bacterial genomes and transcriptomes

Lisa Crossman (University of East Anglia, UK), Hall 5 Community interactions and the living host

11:45 - 12:00

  • Chemical ecological applications of MSI

Aleš Svatoš (Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Germany), Hall 10 Cool tools for microbial imaging

11:45 - 12:15

  • Offered paper - Comparative genomic analysis of the oomycete effector arsenal

Jamie McGowan (Maynooth University, Ireland), Hall 9 Genetics and genomics forum

11:45 - 12:00

  • Offered paper - Does KSHV induce virus specific specialised ribosomes during infection?

James Murphy (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 1 The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

11:45 - 12:00

  • Eavesdropping on inter-kingdom chatter: the metabolomics of fungal/bacterial interactions

Suzy Moody (Swansea University, UK), Hall 8a The magic of mushrooms in nature and industry

11:45 - 12:15

  • Offered paper - Examining pan-genomic structure in exemplar fungal species

Charley McCarthy (Maynooth University, Ireland), Hall 9 Genetics and genomics forum

12:00 - 12:15

  • Offered paper - Protein-assisted RNA folding mediates specific RNA-RNA genome segment interactions in rotaviruses

Alexander Borodavka (University of Leeds, UK), Hall 1 The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

12:00 - 12:15

  • Lunch, exhibition and poster presentations

Hall 3 Lunch, exhibition and poster presentations

12:15 - 13:15

Friday 13 April, Afternoon

  • Lunch, exhibition and poster presentations

Hall 3 Lunch, exhibition and poster presentations

12:15 - 13:15

  • Ecological interactions within the rumen microbiome play an important role in animal phenotype

Sharon Huws (Queen’s University Belfast, UK), Hall 5 Community interactions and the living host

13:00 - 13:30

  • Interactions of multiple viral infection in Agaricus biporus

Kerry Burton (NIAB EMR, UK), Hall 8a The magic of mushrooms in nature and industry

13:00 - 13:30

  • Introduction to CLIMB

Andrew Millard (University of Leicester, UK), Hall 8b CLIMB Workshop – Genome Bioinformatics

13:15 - 13:45

  • Offered paper - Liquid extraction surface analysis mass spectrometry: a novel tool for in situ analysis of intact bacterial proteins

Klaudia I. Kocurek (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 10 Cool tools for microbial imaging

13:15 - 13:30

  • Recoding illustrates diverse features of viral host interplay

John Atkins (University College Cork, Ireland), Hall 1 The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

13:15 - 13:45

  • Offered paper - A meta ‘omic approach to understanding microbial signalling and communication, in the rumen microbiome and its role in animal health and nutrition

Miyoung Won (Aberystwyth University, UK), Hall 5 Community interactions and the living host

13:30 - 13:45

  • Offered paper - Direct imaging of bacterial nano-fluctuations

Charlotte Bermingham (University of Bristol, UK), Hall 10 Cool tools for microbial imaging

13:30 - 13:45

  • Offered paper - Visualisation of MVX RNA in the mycelium of Agaricus bisporus by fluorescence in situ hybridisation

Eoin O'Connor (Maynooth University, Ireland), Hall 8a The magic of mushrooms in nature and industry

13:30 - 13:45

  • Live CLIMB Demo: Signup, Administering and Configuring Virtual Machines and Best Practices

Matt Bull (Cardiff University, UK), Hall 8b CLIMB Workshop – Genome Bioinformatics

13:45 - 14:30

  • Offered paper - The vaginal microbiota differs between women who deliver preterm relative to those who deliver full-term

Conor Feehily (Moorepark Food Research Centre - Teagasc, Ireland and University College Cork, Ireland), Hall 5 Community interactions and the living host

13:45 - 14:00

  • Microbiology in super resolution

Jie Xiao (Johns Hopkins University, USA), Hall 10 Cool tools for microbial imaging

13:45 - 14:15

  • The HIV genomic RNA is translated by different mechanisms to produce viral proteins

Théophile Ohlmann (French Institute of Health and Medical Research, France), Hall 1 The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

13:45 - 14:15

  • Offered paper - Comparative transcriptome analysis identified candidate genes involved in browning of fruit body in Lentinula edodes

Seung il Yoo (Theragenetex, Republic of Korea), Hall 8a The magic of mushrooms in nature and industry

13:45 - 14:00

  • The vaginal microbiota and pregnancy outcomes

David Macintyre (Imperial College London, UK), Hall 5 Community interactions and the living host

14:00 - 14:30

  • Offered paper - Genomic analysis of bacteriophages against Pseudomonas tolaasii – potential biological control of a mushroom-pathogenic bacterium

Jessica Bergman (University of Cambridge, UK), Hall 8a The magic of mushrooms in nature and industry

14:00 - 14:15

  • From microfluidic devices to native soil studies: the role of plant secondary metabolites production and secretion in below ground interaction

Asaph Aharoni (Weizmann Institute, Israel), Hall 10 Cool tools for microbial imaging

14:15 - 14:45

  • Offered paper - A role for domain I of the hepatitis C virus NS5A protein in virus assembly

Chunhong Yin (University of Leeds, UK) The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

14:15 - 14:30

  • Offered paper - Diversity, community structure and enzyme activity of pioneer lignicolous fungi over a decay gradient in the canopy of European beech trees

Anna Rawlings (Swansea University, UK), Hall 8a The magic of mushrooms in nature and industry

14:15 - 14:30

  • CLIMB Developments: Big Data and Containers

Nick Loman (University of Birmingham, UK), Hall 8b CLIMB Workshop – Genome Bioinformatics

14:30 - 15:00

  • Offered paper - Vaginal microbial profile of women with asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis in US

Daniel Ruiz-Perez (Florida International University, USA), Hall 5 Community interactions and the living host

14:30 - 14:45

  • Offered paper - Identification of two new polypeptides in segment 2 of IAV that modulate the type I interferon response

Rute Maria Pinto (The Roslin Institute, UK), Hall 1 The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

14:30 - 14:45

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 8a The magic of mushrooms in nature and industry

14:30 - 15:00

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Community interactions and the living host

14:45 - 15:15

  • Application of Raman micro-spectroscopy to single cell biology

Wei Huang (University of Oxford, UK), Hall 10 Cool tools for microbial imaging

14:45 - 15:15

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

14:45 - 15:15

  • Exhibition and Refreshments

CLIMB Workshop – Genome Bioinformatics

15:00 - 15:15

  • Evolutionary necessities for invading buildings, comparative and population genomic analyses in the dry rot fungus

Inger Skrede (University of Oslo, Norway), Hall 3 The magic of mushrooms in nature and industry

15:00 - 15:30

  • Live CLIMB demo: Microbiology Pipelines and the Genomics Virtual Laboratory

Sion Bayliss (University of Bath, UK), Hall 8b CLIMB Workshop – Genome Bioinformatics

15:15 - 16:00

  • Offered paper - Impact of antibiotic treatments on the preterm gut microbiome and ‘resistome’

Cristina Alcon Giner (Quadram Insitute, UK), Hall 5 Community interactions and the living host

15:15 - 15:30

  • Exhibition and refreshments

Hall 3 Cool tools for microbial imaging

15:15 - 15:30

  • Translational control during poxvirus infection

Derek Walsh (Northwestern University, USA), Hall 1 The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

15:15 - 15:45

  • Clostridia-mediated protection from Entamoeba histolytica infection

Stacey Burgess (University of Virginia, USA), Hall 5 Community interactions and the living host

15:30 - 16:00

  • Offered paper - Infection risks in washing machines − Biofilm analysis using nanosensor technology

Birte Hollmann (University of Nottingham, UK), Hall 10 Cool tools for microbial imaging

15:30 - 15:45

  • Offered paper - Pleuromutilin antibiotics: uncovering biosynthesis and expanding diversity

Fabrizio Alberti (University of Bristol, University of Warwick, UK), Hall 8a The magic of mushrooms in nature and industry

15:30 - 15:45

  • Offered paper - Applying the Mesolens to microbiology: visualising biofilm architecture and substructure

Liam Rooney (University of Strathclyde, UK), Hall 10 Cool tools for microbial imaging

15:45 - 16:00

  • HIV RNA – what decides translation or packaging

Alice Telesnitsky (University of Michigan, USA), Hall 1 The battle for the ribosome – how viruses manipulate host translation

15:45 - 16:15

  • Q&A, Feedback and Structured Discussion

All, Hall 8b CLIMB Workshop – Genome Bioinformatics

16:00 - 17:15

  • New insights into bacterial behavior from electron cryotomography

Ariane Briegel (University of Leiden, The Netherlands), Hall 10 Cool tools for microbial imaging

16:00 - 16:30

Abstracts & Posters

Posters

The posters at Annual Conference provide an excellent platform to showcase emerging scientific research related to the talks programmed during the day. The [poster abstract book](https://microbiologysociety.org/uploads/assets/uplo aded/cb35a2c8-07b1-4ec5-94f4af01c82b00d7.pdf) can be viewed and searched using the Find functionality (CTRL + F) and key words. Please note, no copies of this hard-copy brochure will be printed for this year’s event.

This document contains the full poster content as well as as poster numbers and presentation slots that have been allocated for this year’s conference.

Posters will be displayed in Hall 3 and the upper gallery within the main convention centre throughout the duration of the conference with presentations taking place during evenings and lunchtime on Friday. The space will be divided into four zones, which will be clearly marked with signage and will be grouped by session.

There will be a poster registration desk on-site for support throughout the event. This is located near the main registration area.

[ Abstract Book Annual Conference 2018 ](https://microbiologysociety.org/uploa ds/assets/uploaded/cb35a2c8-07b1-4ec5-94f4af01c82b00d7.pdf)

Poster prizes

There will be three poster prizes available to recognise the best poster presenters over the course of the entire Annual Conference. Please see below for details of each prize. All poster prize winners will be invited to present their poster again at the Society's Annual General Meeting in September 2018.

Microbiology Society Journals' 'Most Promising Science' Prize

All poster presenters will be considered for the Microbiology Society Journals' 'Most Promising Science Poster Prize’. Four prizes will be awarded to posters that present particularly compelling or novel research within the subject areas of the following Society journals: Microbiology, Journal of General Virology, Journal of Medical Microbiology and Microbial Genomics. This prize will be judged by the Editors, with the winner receiving a small cash prize and certificate. For more information on the journals, visitwww.microbiologyresearch.org.

Early Career Microbiologists' Forum Poster Prize

All members of the Early Career Microbiologists' (ECM) Forum who are presenting posters will be considered for the ECM Forum Poster Prize. This prize will be judged by the Executive Committee and will recognise the most promising ECM presenters. The winners will receive a prize and certificate.

Please note, the deadline for joining the ECM Forum in order to be considered for the Early Career Microbiologists' Forum Poster Prize is 29 March 2018.

People's Choice Poster Prize

All poster presenters will be entered into the People's Choice Poster Prize, which will identify the three most popular posters presented during the Annual Conference. All delegates will be asked to choose their favourite three posters that they visited and submit these on the voting slip provided in their delegate bag. Winners will be notified by 25 May 2018.

Sir Howard Dalton Young Microbiologist of the Year Competition

Each year, the [Young Microbiologist of the Year Competition](https://www.microbiologysociety.org/grants/all-grants-prizes/sir- howard-dalton-young-microbiologist-of-the-year-competition.html) recognises and rewards excellence in science communication by a Microbiology Society member who is a postgraduate student or postdoctoral researcher, having gained their PhD in the last two years.

During the Annual Conference, judges will be visiting posters and listening to offered orals by delegates who have entered the competition via the abstract submission. Finalists will be notified in early summer if they have been selected, and will be invited to give a 10-minute oral presentation (plus 5 minutes for questions) at the final at the Society’s Annual General Meeting in September 2018.

Registration

Online registration is now closed. You can register on site at the conference by visiting the onsite registration desk.

What's included in your registration fee?
  • Admission to all scientific sessions
  • Admission to lunchtime events
  • Full access to the trade exhibition
  • Full access to scientific poster sessions
  • Hot buffet lunch Tuesday to Friday
  • Tea and coffee breaks Tuesday to Friday
  • Two drinks during the drinks receptions on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings
  • A delegate bag and Conference material
  • A Conference programme guide
  • Access to an online abstracts book
  • Certificate of Attendance
  • Access to CPD Points

Registration categories
(all rates are per day except where detailed)

Early bird rate
Extended until
Wednesday 14 March

Full price rate

PER PERSON/PER DAY

PER PERSON/PER DAY

Non-member

£220

£230

Full Member

£120

£130

Full Concessionary Member

£70

£80

Honorary Members

Postgraduate Student Member

£60

£70

Undergraduate Student Member

Registration confirmation

Upon registration you should receive an automated confirmation email. Please contact [[email protected]](mailto:conferences@microbiologys ociety.org) if after 24 hours this has not been received.

Visa applications

If you need a letter of invitation for a visa application, we will be happy to supply this after we have received full payment. To find out if you need a visa to visit the UK, please visit the [UK visa and immigration](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and- immigration) website.

It is the policy of the Microbiology Society not to supply an invitation letter to any delegate without payment and we will not reply to any request from an unregistered delegate. When the delegate has paid, the Conference office will email back a confirmation/receipt letter and, upon request, a letter of invitation, which may be used to obtain the necessary visa.

Please note that all conference delegates are responsible for their own travel and visa arrangements; the Microbiology Society will not take any responsibility for travel or visa problems.

Payment information

All registration fees must be paid in full BEFORE arrival at the conference. Any outstanding registration fees must be paid before admittance will be granted to the conference.

Cancellations

Refunds are not provided, however substitutions of attendees can be made at any time by contacting [[email protected]](mailto:conference [email protected]).

Destination

The conference will be held at the Birmingham's International Conference Centre (ICC):

The International Convention Centre
Broad Street
Birmingham
B1 2EA

General enquiries: +44(0)121 644 5025
Email: [email protected]

Directions

By car

The ICC is located centrally in Birmingham city centre and is easily accessible by road from all over the UK. Visitors from any direction can travel in to Birmingham using many different routes connected to the following motorways: M1, M5, M6, M6 Toll, M40 and M42.

There is abundant, secure multi-storey parking available located within the Barclaycard Arena, which is just a short walk away from the ICC. Both the ICC and Barclaycard Arena are signposted on motorways and major roads and are marked on most road maps.

By air

Over 50 airlines operate scheduled and chartered services to and from Birmingham International Airport. The airport is just 8 miles from the city centre. From the airport, there is a free Air-Rail Link to Birmingham International railway station, where you can catch a 10-minute train ride to New Street Station in Birmingham City Centre.

The smaller East Midlands airport is 42 miles away. The closest London airport is London Luton, which is 92 miles away, and London Heathrow is 107 miles.

By rail

The ICC is served by the UK’s largest interchange rail station, Birmingham New Street, and the smaller Five Ways Station. Both stations are a short walk from the ICC and taxi ranks are situated close by. Birmingham New Street has direct and regular services to Birmingham International railway station which directly links to Birmingham International Airport and The NEC. It also has many direct services to London Euston, including a service that takes just 80 minutes and runs every 20 minutes.

Birmingham’s two other city centre train stations, Moor St and Snow Hill, are also within quick and easy access of the ICC and directly connected to London Marylebone or London Paddington via an hourly service.

Download [maps](http://www.theicc.co.uk/media/62728/ICC-Birmingham-City- Map_Routes_v3.pdf) for walking directions from the 3 main city centre train stations.

Information about train times and fares are available from the National Rail enquiries website.

Virgin Trains

Virgin trains offer discounted group travel for groups of between 3 and 9 passengers travelling together . This currently stand at a 20% discount off Advance Fares booked through their website - for more information visit the group page of their [website](http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/tickets- offers/group-travel/).

Coach

For information about travel by coach please visit the National Express [websi te](http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx?utm_expid=46858713-42&utm_referre r=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nationalexpress.com%2Fhome.aspx).

Car parking

The nearest car parks to the ICC are located at sister venue the Barclaycard Arena. The North car park is closest or alternatively simply follow the road around on to St Vincent Street for the West car park or carry on further around to Sheepcote Street for the South car park.

Current charges are from £2.30 for up to 2 hours to £8.00 for 24 hours. Payment can be made by coin or card at the Pay and Display machines or via the Parkmobile App. Full cark park charge details can be found here.

Alternative parking is located at Brindleyplace or Paradise Circus.

Accommodation & Facilities

Accommodation

Birmingham hosts a large number of events and activities within the city centre; therefore we highly recommend you secure your accommodation as soon as possible.

To aid you with this process, our booking agent Reservation Highway has secured a range of accommodation options to suit all budgets, at discounted rates.

[ Annual Conference 2018 hotel list ](https://www.microbiologysociety.org/uplo ads/assets/uploaded/82edbd04-4548-4cbd-abc5607b98729ea6.doc)

All accommodation can be booked online through Reservation Highway's website, or alternatively you can complete the offline booking form, which can be downloaded below:

[ Annual Conference 2018 accommodation booking form ](https://www.microbiology society.org/uploads/assets/uploaded/261886a6-14ef-4985-95974bfee053bd96.doc)

For further information and booking, please contact Reservation Highway:

Phone: +44 (0)1423 525 577
Email: [[email protected]](mailto:admin@reservation- highway.co.uk)

Facilities

To ease your attendance at Conference, the Society strives to provide facilities on-site. A map of the ICC venue can be downloaded below:

[ ICC venue map ](https://microbiologysociety.org/uploads/assets/uploaded/225e d8be-5e58-4daa-96e60cd502944e0e.pdf)

Childcare

The Microbiology Society is delighted to announce that we have partnered with Nipperbout to offer a free crèche, which will run at the Annual Conference 2018. The crèche is open to the children of delegates registered to attend the Conference. Held in Executive rooms 1 and 2, the crèche will run as per the following schedule:

  • Tuesday 10 April: 08:45–13:15, then 13:45–18:30
  • Wednesday 11 April: 08:45–13:15, then 13:45–18:30
  • **Thursday 12 April: **08:45–13:15, then 13:45–18:30
  • Friday 13 April: 08:45–12:30, then 13:00–17:00

The crèche is open to children aged 0 to 12 years.

Please note that the crèche will be closed for lunch and parents are responsible for providing food for their children. Lunch is not provided by the Society or the crèche as part of this offer. It is imperative that you collect your child/children at lunchtime as the staff require a half-hour break. Water and healthy snacks will be available during crèche hours.

In order to register for this service, click the button below and use the following login details:

Register for the crèche

Username: MAC100418
Password: MAC

Once you have entered the above details, you will be able to set up your own account to book your children in to the crèche.

If you have used this service before and already have an account, please log in using your existing account and request to register for the event using the code MAC100418.

Booking is a first come, first served basis. Confirmation of your booking will be sent prior to the Conference.

Please note that you are entering into an agreement with Nipperbout and not with the Microbiology Society.

Nipperbout is an award-winning event childcare company with over 25 years of experience. For more information, please visit Nipperbout's website. If you have any queries about this service or about registering for it, please contact [[email protected] om](javascript:void(location.href='mailto:'+String.fromCharCode(114,101,103, 105,115,116,114,97,116,105,111,110,64,110,105,112,112,101,114,98,111,117,116,4 6,99,111,109)+'?emailantispam=0')).


Nursing room

The nursing room will be located in Hall 1 backstage room 4, for parents who need a private place to feed their children.


Cloakroom

A cloakroom will be available for delegates. This is located in the foyer near Starbucks. The cost for use of the cloakroom is £1 per item.


Prayer room

A prayer room will be located on level 3, near Hall 11. This is free for delegates to use and is open to all faiths.

Grants & Professional Development

Grants

Society Conference Grants are available to support eligible members wishing to present at the Annual Conference. Support is also available for members requiring support for caring costs associated with conference attendance. Applications will open on 16 January for a two week period. Full information is available on the [Society Conference Grant page](http://www.microbiologysociety.org/grants/travel-research/society- conference-grants.html). If you are a member who is not eligible for a Society Conference Grant, please apply via the [Travel Grant scheme](http://www.microbiologysociety.org/grants/travel-research/travel- grants.html).

Early Career Microbiologists’ (ECM) Forum Co-chairing Scheme

The ECM Forum Co-chairing Scheme provides ECM Forum members with the opportunity to be involved in the chairing of scientific sessions at the Annual Conference. The Co-Chairs will not receive any monetary value in co- chairing and will not take the place of a session Chair, but will receive a fantastic professional development opportunity to learn about being a session chair from more experienced colleagues.

Applications for the Co-chairing scheme are now closed. All applications are under review by the Society's Divisions and successful Co-Chairs will be introduced to the relevant session Chair in February.

Co-Chairs will receive a letter of thanks from the ECM Forum Executive Committee confirming that they participated in the Co-Chairing Scheme, and will be recognised in the conference programme.

For questions about the ECM Forum Co-chairing Scheme, please contact [email protected].

Professional Development sessions

In addition to the scientific programme, the Society will be hosting a series of Essential Skills sessions for all delegates wishing to enhance their professional skills in microbiology. Please book your space when registering for the Annual Conference – spaces are limited and complimentary when registering for the day.

Please note, although registering your place for professional development sessions in advance is advised, the sessions will operate on a first come, first served basis. Please arrive with plenty of time to secure your place. Spaces will then be offered to other delegates.

Essential skills: Funders roundtable

Tuesday 10 April
10:00–12:20

A panel of representatives from funding bodies, including BBSRC, NERC, MRC and the Wellcome Trust, will provide key insight into their expectations for grant applications. This session is aimed at those who are planning to make an application for research funding, and therefore would be useful for those at the postdoctoral researcher stage and onwards.

This session is now fully booked.

Essential skills: Exploring data tools and resources at EMBL-EBI

Wednesday 11 April
10:00–12:20

This hands-on workshop will introduce you to the range of publicly accessible data resources and tool developed and maintained by EMBL-EBI. You will be shown how to explore the services available and how to quickly search for data of interest and gain some tips and best practice for managing your data and preparing it for submission.

Please note, delegates are asked to bring their own laptop or tablet.

This session is now fully booked.

Essential skills: Engaging in science policy

Thursday 12 April
10:00–12:35

This workshop will feature talks from Dr Sarah Bunn (Scientific Adviser, Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology), James Tooze (Policy Officer, Campaign for Science and Engineering) and Dr Paul Richards (Policy Manager, Microbiology Society) about the role of research in parliament and government, and how microbiologists can engage with policy-making. Interactive sessions will enable participants to develop knowledge and skills to effectively communicate their science to policy-makers.

This session is now fully booked.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

The Annual Conference has been accredited by the Institute of Biomedical Science (category Professional activity), The Royal College of Pathologists (35 CPD credits), and the Royal Society of Biology (144 CPD credits).

Those wishing to claim CPD credits should sign a daily register held at the Professional Development information desk, which is located in the exhibition hall. Further information can be requested by email at [email protected].

Social Programme

We have now released additional tickets for the social programme events at Conference to enable you to book guest tickets and multiple tickets at the same time. Please bring with you your confirmation to gain entry. Non- conference attendees welcome.

There are still places are still available for the Pre-Conference networking workshop, please email [email protected] to make a booking.

Society quiz and games night
Date: Tuesday 10 April
Time: 20:00-23:00
[Book here ](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/society-quiz-and-games-night- tickets-44642070635)

Conference party - Bavarian night
Date: Thursday 12 April
Time: 20:00-00:00
[Book here ](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/conference-party-bavarian-night- tickets-44643239130)

Pre-Conference networking workshop

Date: Monday 9 April

Time: 18:00–20:00
Location: ICC, Hall 11
Price: £20

Attending your first conference? Maybe you’re travelling alone, daunted by the prospect of meeting new people, or maybe you’d just like to brush off your networking skills ready for a busy conference ahead. Whatever your reason for attending, the pre-Conference networking event is the place to be on the Monday before the Annual Conference.

You’ll get to know many other delegates while taking part in interactive games, and also have the chance to practice networking with senior members of the Society. Why not take the opportunity to gather up an audience for your presentation later in the week, and join us as we kick start the conference?


Drinks reception

Dates: Tuesday 10 April, Wednesday 11 April, Thursday 12 April

Time: 18:30–20:00
Location: ICC, Hall 3
Price: Included in registration fee

Each evening at conference we will be extending time to network with the conference speakers, session organisers and delegates at our drinks reception.

This will be your opportunity to socialise with your peers, view the posters on display and grab a drink using the vouchers that can be found inside your folded name badge.

There are two vouchers per person, and non-alcoholic drinks will also be available).


Society quiz and games night

Date: Tuesday 10 April

Time: 20:00–23:00
Location: Shooters, 195–196 Broad Street, Birmingham, B15 1AY
Price: £22.50

The quiz and games night, taking place on Tuesday evening of the Annual Conference, will be held at Shooters – a venue less than a 10-minute walk from the ICC Birmingham.

Doors will open at 20:00, where you will be greeted with a welcome drink, followed by an American-style buffet from 20:15. The quiz itself will then start at 20:45. Make sure you get yourself onto a good team as prizes will be up for grabs! Tickets include a welcome drink, dinner and a drink voucher as well.

Once the quiz ends, don't let your competitive streak end – why not make use of the private games room and challenge your colleagues and friends to shuffleboard or pool?

Book here.


Conference party – Bavarian night

Date: Thursday 12 April

Time: 20:00–00:00
Location: The Bierkeller Bavarian Bar, 195–196 Broad Street, Birmingham, B15 1AY
Price: £30

Join us from 20:00 until midnight on Thursday night for a fantastic Oompah band show to celebrate the last night of the Annual Conference. The amazing Bavarian Stompers will put on an action-packed show with real German bierfest music, and lots of comedy and audience participation.

All of this will be accompanied by a Bavarian-style buffet dinner and refreshments.

Book here.


Explore the city

If you have some free time, Birmingham is a vibrant city with plenty to do and explore. Just seconds from the ICC, you can find Brindleyplace, which is full of restaurants and bars.

Birmingham also has museums, opera, theatre and art galleries. Insider tips on the areas can be found on the Visit Birmingham website.

Exhibition & Sponsorship

The exhibition is located in a high-traffic area, where all conference meals, coffee breaks and drinks receptions will be held, offering an excellent opportunity to showcase your products, interact with conference delegates and maximise leads.

Exhibitor stands are now sold out for Annual Conference 2018.

If you have missed out on this event, we have a number of additional [Focused Meetings](https://microbiologysociety.org/events/society-events-and- meetings.html) throughout the year, as well as our [2019 Annual Conference](https://microbiologysociety.org/event/annual-conference/annual- conference-2019.html) that you can exhibit or sponsor at.

If you require further information or would like to discuss how we can best fit in with your marketing plans, please contact [exhibitions@microbiologysoci ety.org](javascript:void(location.href='mailto:'+String.fromCharCode(101,120 ,104,105,98,105,116,105,111,110,115,64,109,105,99,114,111,98,105,111,108,111,1 03,121,115,111,99,105,101,116,121,46,111,114,103)+'?emailantispam=0')).

Exhibitors

Featured sponsor

Sponsors

Working in collaboration

Exhibition and Sponsorship

You can choose from Gold, Silver and Bronze packages, or Pick and Mix options that can be tailored to your needs and your budget.

Detailed information about available exhibition packages can be found in the Exhibition and Sponsorship Pack, which can be downloaded below:

[ Annual Conference 2018 Exhibition and Sponsorship Pack ](https://www.microbi ologysociety.org/uploads/assets/uploaded/abe2d093-1160-476f-a4d5e9254fe64837.p df)

Exhibition floor plan

Download the floor plan here:

[ Annual Conference 2018 Floor Plan ](https://microbiologysociety.org/uploads/ assets/uploaded/01238250-8d0e-459a-8d6bc5f88949c210.pdf)

Registration form

To book your exhibition or sponsorship place, please download the fillable registration form below and return the completed form to exhibitions@microbio logysociety.org.

[ Annual Conference 2018 Exhibition and Sponsorship Form ](https://www.microbi ologysociety.org/uploads/assets/uploaded/e093473c-779a-48b0-98af444f813d3f58.p df)

Other sponsorship opportunities

We are able to offer bespoke sponsorship opportunities that can be found on page 7 of the Exhibition & Sponsorship Pack. Please contact us for further information.

If you are interested in exhibiting at Annual Conference 2018 or any of our other events, please contact [[email protected]](mailto:exhi [email protected]).

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nickp60 commented Apr 10, 2018

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