2018 Biology of Spirochetes Gordon Research Conference and Gordon Research Seminar

Gordon Research Conferences, East Greenwich RI

Investigators

Abstract

Abstract Spirochetes are the etiologic agents of many globally significant emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, including syphilis, leptospirosis, Lyme disease, relapsing fever, and intestinal spirochetosis. In addition, they participate in polymicrobial infections and host-bacterial endosymbioses, and they are models for vector-borne, environmental, and zoonotic infections. Many are able to establish persistent, disseminated infection with the disease potential ranging from mild and non-specific to acute and life-threatening. The Gordon Research Conference on the Biology of Spirochetes (BoS GRC) and the accompanying Gordon Research Seminar (GRS, organized by and targeted to researchers in training) are held every two years and serve as the world?s only scientific meetings that bring together researchers who work on this structurally and taxonomically unique phylum of bacteria. The 2018 BoS GRC and GRS programs have been designed to highlight the diversity of research in spirochete biology and disease pathogenesis. Our first Aim is to promote presentation and discussion of diverse and cutting-edge research on spirochetes, including ecology, epidemiology, emergence, and evolution of the phylum, fundamental biology and virulence attributes of a variety of spirochetes, and the host responses that are both critical to clearance and to disease pathogenesis. Our second Aim is to promote career development for all scientists. To achieve these Aims, we have invited 36 speakers to the BoS GRC, many of whom are first-time attendees; three other invited speakers are trainees. We have reserved 6 slots for ?poster talks? that will be selected from the abstracts submitted by trainees for poster presentations. The GRS will include oral presentations, poster presentations, and panel discussions focused on career options and on harassment in science. Outcomes of the harassment discussion will be summarized in the GRC. The GRC will include a ?Power Hour?, an optional informal gathering for all meeting participants to address the challenges women face in science and to support the professional growth of women in science. Both the GRC and the GRS programs reflect the diversity of the research and the scientists in the field, with strong representation of women, underrepresented minorities, and international scientists as both speakers and discussion leaders. The bulk of the major advances in spirochete research during the past 20 years evolved from the discussions and collaborations fostered by the BoS GRC and, more recently, the GRS. The 2018 BoS GRC and GRS are deliberately designed to foster future collaborations based on shared and synergistic interests in, and thought-provoking discussions of, this diverse phylum.