8th International Symposium - Saga of the Genus Bordetella, 1906-2006

University Of Virginia, Charlottesville VA

Investigators

Abstract

Bordetella pertussis (at that time called Haemophilus pertussis) was[unreadable] cultured for the first time in 1906, by Bordet and Gengou, at the[unreadable] Institute Pasteur, and the meeting described in this proposal will include[unreadable] celebration of the centennial for that important event. Other early[unreadable] members of the genus, B. bronchiseptica and B. parapertussis, were[unreadable] isolated in 1912 and 1938, respectively. The incidence of pertussis is,[unreadable] however, now increasing in the US and other parts of the world, despite[unreadable] active immunization programs with wide coverage. For example, the[unreadable] number of reported cases in the US was almost 12,000 in 2003, an[unreadable] increase of six-fold since 1980 and there were 18,957 cases reported to[unreadable] the CDC in 2004. This is attributable, at least in part, to increases in[unreadable] recognition and occurrence of adolescent and adult pertussis.[unreadable] Beyond the original bordetellae, B. avium is an important cause of[unreadable] respiratory infections in birds and is responsible for tremendous[unreadable] economic losses for the poultry industry. In addition, several new species[unreadable] within the genus, such as B. hinzii, B. holmesii, B. trematum and B. petrii,[unreadable] are not well characterized with regard to spectrum of disease, virulence[unreadable] factors or pathogenesis. The genomes for B. pertussis, B. parapertussis,[unreadable] B. bronchiseptica and B. avium have been sequenced and the data[unreadable] published.[unreadable] This proposal is requesting support for students and post-doctoral[unreadable] fellows to attend the Eighth International Symposium: Saga of the Genus[unreadable] Bordetella, to be held in November 2006 at the Institute Pasteur, Paris.[unreadable] The bordetella community is an especially open and collaborative[unreadable] collection of scientists and it is important to assure and support[unreadable] attendance of trainees at meetings such as this.