Annual Conference 2024

Invited talk: Unravelling the mechanisms of virus-driven cellular transformation

Andrew Macdonald (University of Leeds, UK)

Deep tissue oxygen levels reactivate human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) from latency

Benjamin Krishna (University of Cambridge, UK)

Break

Viral and cellular RNA degradation mediated by the zinc finger antiviral protein (ZAP)

Clement Bouton (King's College London, UK)

Invited talk: Research investigation into the outbreak of unexplained non A-E hepatitis in Scottish Children

Antonia Ho (University of Glasgow, UK)

Imaging of the intercellular spread of influenza A virus infection in vitro and in vivo reveals the importance of direct cell-to-cell spread

Daniel Weir (MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, UK)

Invited talk: Influenza virus RNA polymerase – lessons in multifunctionality

Ervin Fodor (University of Oxford, UK)

Fluvial flooding and microplastics – the delivery of human pathogens into agricultural fields

Chloe Pow (University of Stirling, UK)

Environmental field sampling supports clade 2.3.4.4 H5N1 high pathogenicity avian influenza investigations at seabird colonies, commercial poultry sites, and safari parks

Caroline J. Warren (Animal and Plant Health Agency, UK)

A structural and functional characterisation of the BREX bacteriophage resistance system

Sam Went (Durham University, UK)

Forensic applications of human related microbiomes

Nengi Ogbanga (Northumbria University, UK)

Increased hydrogen production from genetically modified Escherichia coli and their use within biocoatings

Kathleen Dunbar (University of Surrey, UK)

Break

Exploring the evolutionary ecology of microbes associated with the common garden snail

Andrew Matthews (University of Exeter, UK)

Discovery of a missing step of the Taxol (anticancer drug) pathway using S. cerevisiae consortia

Leonardo Rios (University College London, UK)

Flash talk: Evolutionary history of a novel Methanosphaerula species adapted to a natural high CO2 subsurface environment

Zeyu Jia (GFZ German Research Centre for Geoscience and University of Postdam, Germany)

Flash talk: The impact of nitrate and organic carbon on bacterial diversity in intertidal sediments of the Seine Estuary, France

Floriane Turrel (University of Rennes, France)

Flash talk: Comparative genomics of multi-drug resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae complex from clinics, wastewaters, and surface waters in the Czech Republic

Iva Sukkar (University of Veterinary Sciences Brno and Charles University, Czech Republic

Flash talk: Plastic Eating Yeast: Engineered yeast biofilms efficiently deliver plastic degrading enzymes to PET substrates

Charlotte Bilsby (University of Kent, UK)

Flash talk Q&A

Invited talk: Engineering Biology

Petra Oyston (Dstl, UK)

Microbial bioinoculants obtained from pristine grassland can build soil organic carbon in cropland soil

Lisa Cole (University of Aberdeen, UK)

Invited talk: The role of microorganisms in remediating metal contamination; a case study using citric acid to recover metals from mine waste and enhance environmental restoration

Laura Newsome (University of Exeter and Sellafield Ltd., UK)

Break

Invited talk: Microbial manufacturing of synthetic fuels: from academic pursuit to industrialisation

Nigel Scrutton (C3 Biotechnologies Ltd, UK)

Invited talk: Hitting the sweet spot: using fungi to make better for people & planet food ingredients

Jeremy Jentys (Cambridge Glycoscience Ltd / Supplant Inc, UK)

Knocking-out AMR

Charlotte Holtum (Microbiology Society, UK) and Catrin Moore (St George's University of London, UK)

Overview of AMR Surveillance and Diagnostics

Kalai Mathee (Florida International University, USA)

Molecular epidemiology of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing Klebsiella pneumoniae spp complex from Aberdeen, Scotland

Kareem Mahdy (Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, UK)

VIDIIA Hunter: an artificial intelligence-assisted rapid diagnostic platform for infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance

Aurore C. Poirier (University of Surrey, UK)

Transposable elements can be used to track the transmission of blaCTX-M genes

Gabriel Trueba (Universidad san Francisco de Quito, Ecuador)

Phenotypic antibiotic susceptibility testing for last-resort antibiotics based on bacterial nanomotions provides results in two hours

Alexander Sturm (Resistell AG, Switzerland)

Break

Bats are potential carriers and dispersers of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria within the One Health context

Natália C. Gaeta (University of Sao Paulo, Brazil)

What's lurking in the environment? Novel beta-lactamases found in Pseudomonas isolates

Alexander Kingdon (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK)

A longitudinal study of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing Enterobacterales from freshwater sites of contrasting land-uses in New Zealand

Rose Collis (Hopkirk Research Institute, New Zealand)

CRISPR-Maze Runner: A targeted approach to combat superbugs and tackle antimicrobial resistance

Sudarshan Vishvani (International Institute of Health Sciences, Sri Lanka)

An intricate network of antagonistic interactions between phage and host factors governs the phage lysis-lysogeny decision

Nuria Quiles Puchalt (CEU Cardenal Herrera, Spain)

Invited talk: A Pseudomonas aeruginosa small RNA regulates chronic and acute infection

Marvin Whiteley (Emory University, USA)

A novel viral signalling and antiviral effector pathway revealed by spatial proteomics

Marisa Oliveira (University of Cambridge, United Kingdom)

Break

Invited talk: Understanding mechanisms of cell-cell communication in African trypanosomes

Keith Matthews (University of Edinburgh, UK)

Invited talk: Unravelling the role of the gut microbiota in barrier development and function across the gut-brain axis

Maria Aburto (University College Cork, Ireland)

Elucidation of novel human receptors for Pseudomonas aeruginosa for the design of effective antimicrobial therapies

Maite Sainz Mejias (University College Dublin, Ireland)

Specific bacterial odours serve as a nutrient code for C. elegans

Ritika Siddiqui (University of Dundee, UK)

Klebsiella pnuemoniae-induced sepsis causes excessive neutrophilic inflammation and worsens lung injury during loss of STAT1 regulation

Shekina Gonzalez-Ferrer (University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, USA)

Unraveling the molecular basis of B. thetaiotaomicron induced anti-inflammatory responses

Morgan Engelhart (Case Western Reserve University, USA)

A unique immunotherapy combining uv-inactivated reovirus and the targeted agent sorafenib for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Russell Hughes (University of Leeds, UK)

Multi-omics analysis of a patient with hepatitis following adeno-associated virus gene therapy

Sarah Buddle (University College London, UK)

Protein-protein interactions at the interface of serine integrases and their recombination directionality factors

Abdulrazak Alsaleh (Liverpool John Moores University, UK)

Improving Wastewater Treatment in Low-Middle Income Countries Through Bacteriophage Bioremediation

Hannah Pye (Quadram Institute, UK)

Flash talk: Antimicrobial activity of bacteriophage encoded protein gp28 against multi-drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Rowena Jenkins (Swansea University, UK)

Break

The complicated relationship between phage resistance and antibiotic susceptibility in S. aureus

Janine Bowring (University of Copenhagen, Denmark)

Staphylococcus aureus adaptation to vancomycin drives changes in phage susceptibility

Esther Lehmann (University of Copenhagen, Denmark)

Predictive phage therapy for Escherichia coli urinary tract infections: cocktail selection for therapy based on machine learning models

Alison Low (University of Edinburgh, UK)

Using Bacterial Impedance to Test Phage Susceptibility for Fast Infection Profiling

Libby Duignan (University of Liverpool, UK)

Phage SEP1 activates and replicates efficiently in S. epidermidis stationary phase cells

Maria Daniela Silva (University of Minho, Portugal)

Invited talk: Genetic modulators of N. gonorrhoeae drug resistance and physiology

Yonatan Grad (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, USA)

Determinants of the spread of plasmid-mediated beta-lactamase resistance in N. gonorrhoeae

Tabea Elsener (University of Oxford, UK)

Invited talk: Stepwise pathogenic evolution of bacteria

Andres Floto (Heart and Lung Research Institute, UK)

Break

Invited talk: Using genomics to identify novel aspects to the pathogenicity of Staphylococcus aureus

Ruth Massey (University College Cork, Ireland)

Functional genomics reveals mechanisms of dairy niche adaptation by Staphylococcus aureus

Amy Pickering (Roslin Institute, UK)

Deciphering AMR phenotype predictions from functional genes: a machine learning approach

Lucy Dillon (Queen's University Belfast, UK)

Welcome and introduction

Invited talk: Decolonising the microbiology curricula at the University of Glasgow

Leighann Sherry (University of Glasgow, UK)

Invited talk: Developing a culture of equity in STEM - failures, successes and lessons learned

Emmanuel Adukwu (University of the West of England, UK)

Invited talk: Supporting staff on long-term leave through a 'roving researcher' scheme

Elizabeth Wynn (Babraham Institute, UK)

Open forum questions

Invited talk: Microbiome mediated odour generation: It’s the pits

Barry Murphy (Unilever, UK)

Invited talk: Bacterial-Fungal Interactions in the Skin Microbiome

Lindsay Kalan (University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA)

Revealing the diversity of corynebacteria in the human underarm

Reyme Herman (University of York, UK)

Break

Learnings and key insights from a Microbiology Society workshop on microbiome safety

Aline Metris (Unilever SEAC, UK)

Study of skin immunity and host-microbiota communication: potential role of the Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide

Emilie Hadjiev (University of Rouen Normandie, France)

An observational study using metagenomic approaches to understand the pathogenesis of microbial keratitis

Tobi Somerville (University of Liverpool, Liverpool and Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK)

Investigating skin microbial interactions and metabolite production on artificial sebum

Danita Kasi Patel (University of Manchester, UK)

Infection Science Award talk: lasR is an ecological “keystone gene” in cystic fibrosis-associated polymicrobial airway infections

Eva Bernadett Benyei (University of Cambridge, UK)

Infection Science Award talk: Introduction of targeted molecular ciprofloxacin resistance testing on positive nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) Neisseria gonorrhoea samples in NHS Grampian

Ijeoma Okoliegbe (NHS Grampian, UK)

Infection Science Award talk: Emerging rhabdoviruses and human infection in Uganda

James Shepherd (University of Glasgow-MRC Centre for Virus Research, UK)

Infection Science Award talk: A OneHealth approach to prediction and prevention of foodborne Shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC) O157 outbreaks

Neil Cunningham (United Kingdom Health Security Agency and Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, UK)

Break

A Copper Economy Underlies Synergy of Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus Dual-Species Biofilms

Seána Duggan (University of Exeter, UK)

A novel strategy to combat Group B Streptococcus neonatal disease by targeting interkingdom interactions with fungus Candida albicans

Joshua Elsey (University of Bristol, UK)

In an ex vivo human spleen model, Streptococcus pneumoniae infection may stimulate macrophages production of GM-CSF

Neama Alnabati (University of Leicester, UK)

Involvement of oxidative stress in the infection process of A. castellanii by L. pneumophila

Alban Hay (Université de Poitiers, France)

Antibiotic resistance alters the ability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to invade the respiratory microbiome

Rachel Wheatley (University of Oxford and Queen's University Belfast, UK)

Invited talk: Using defective viral genomes as a lens into influenza virus population dynamics and evolution

Katia Koelle (Emory University, USA)

Infection-induced membrane ruffling initiates danger and immune signaling via the mechanosensor PIEZO1

Andrea Puhar (Umeå University, Sweden)

Co-zorbs: Motile, multispecies biofilms that aid transport of pathogenic bacteria

Shruthi Magesh (University of Wisconsin-Madison and Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, USA)

Break

Invited talk: Virus-virus interactions: the good, the bad, and the unexpected

Pablo Murcia (MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, UK)

Invited talk: The Type VI secretion system and inter-bacterial arms races

Sarah Coulthurst (University of Dundee, UK)

Oxidative stress constrains invasion of quorum-sensing defective mutants in evolving Pseudomonas aeruginosa populations

Taoran Fu (University of Manchester, UK)

Extracellular ATP is a signaling molecule in bacteria

Sophie Tronnet (Umeå University, Sweden)

Human CEACAM1 is targeted by a Streptococcus pyogenes adhesin implicated in puerperal sepsis pathogenesis

Erin Catton (Imperial College London, UK)

Invited talk: Functional genomics of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Susanne Häußler (Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Germany)

Mutations associated with adaptation to chlorhexidine are prevalent in clinical Proteus mirabilis isolates, and indicate reduced susceptibility to other biocides used in infection control procedures

Vicky Bennett (University of Bath, UK)

Identifying a regulatory switch for the Type VI secretion system linked to clinical adaptation across Serratia marcescens

David Williams (University of Dundee, UK)

Understanding cooperative interactions of antiphage systems in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Aleksei Agapov (University of Exeter, UK)

Break

Invited talk: Finding chinks in the armour: high throughput genetic screens to identify therapeutic targets in bacteria

Ian Henderson (University of Queensland, Australia)

The (small) data gap in high-throughput functional screening

Emily Goodall (Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Brisbane, Australia)

Bacterial H-NS is a transposon capture protein that drives phenotypic diversity in bacterial populations

David Grainger (University of Birmingham, UK)

Interferon-stimulated gene expression screening reveals genes with candidate antiviral activity against HCoV-OC43

Emma Davies (MRC-University of Glasgow CVR, UK)

Structural characterization of the interactions between Herpes Simplex Virus Glycoprotein C and the Complement Protein C3b

Moisés Hasim Rojas Rechy (University of Leeds, UK)

Investigating the antiviral response to HPIV3 using genome wide CRISPR knockout screens

David Hughes (University of St Andrew's, UK)

Proteolytic cleavage orchestrates the formation and function of the astrovirus replication complex

David Noyvert (University of Cambridge, UK)

A novel role of Dead box helicase 1 (DDX1) in viral translation

Natasha Palmalux (MRC-University of Glasgow CVR, UK)

Correlative cryo-bioimaging to study coronavirus replication organelles

Patrick Phillips (The Pirbright Institute, Diamond Light Source and University of Oxford, UK)

Break

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) regulates interferon-stimulated gene expression in influenza A virus infection.

Piotr Kwiatkowski (King's College London, UK)

ZNFX1 is an RNA-regulated E3 ubiquitin ligase involved in antiviral responses

Eilidh Rivers (MRC-University of Glasgow CVR, UK)

The differential antiviral activities of IFITM2/3 against SARS-CoV-2 are regulated by their N-terminal domain

Alisha Reid (King's College London, UK)

A druggable genome RNAi screen for host factors across the entire replication cycle identifies a Rab11a-mediated exit strategy and novel inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2.

Holly Kerr (The Roslin Institute, UK)

Regulation of HSV-1 induced PKR activation by the cGAS-STING DNA sensing pathway

Hannah Burgess (University of Surrey, UK)

Investigating the virome of mosquitoes in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland

Mirjam Schilling (Animal and Plant Health Agency, UK)

Detection of alpha and beta coronaviruses in bats in England during 2021-2023

Matthew Bagley (Animal and Plant Health Agency, UK)

How the virus spread: Deep-sequence phylogenetics to track the spread of HIV infections in a universal test and treat trial.

Lerato Magosi (Wellcome Sanger Institute, UK)

Assessing serological exposure to H5 avian influenza in humans in Malaysian Borneo, along the East Asian - Australasian Flyway

Hannah Klim (Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics and Pandemic Sciences Institute, UK)

A protein-based molecular toolkit to study, detect, prevent and treat Oropouche fever, a neglected tropical viral disease

Stephen Graham (University of Cambridge, UK)

Break

African Swine Fever Virus Multigene Family Interferon Inhibitory Proteins: Functions and Application to Vaccine Development

Rodrigo Gonzalez Gomez (The Pirbright Institute and University of Oxford, UK)

Characterisation of a neutralising (D9-like) epitope within the G-H loop of Foot-and-mouth disease virus serotypes O, A and SAT1

Abdelaziz Yassin (The Pirbright Institute and University of Surrey, UK)

Antibody response to HCMV gB vaccine in the context of gB protein sequence and structure

Anastasia Lankina (University College London, UK)

Using serological responses to establish a correlate of protection against Chikungunya virus.

Daniel Yara (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, UK)

Development of a Bovine coronavirus mRNA vaccine representative of circulating isolates collected from Ireland in 2022/23

Tristan Russell (University College Dublin, Ireland)

Comprehensive quantitative temporal proteomic, transcriptomic and effectome analysis of mpox

Martin Potts (University of Cambridge, UK)

Dynamics of antigen-specific B cell response to porcine respiratory coronavirus infection

Emily Briggs (The Pirbright Institute and University of Surrey, UK)

A burning problem: Sunburn enhances host susceptibility to arbovirus infection

Ailish McCafferty (University of Leeds, UK)

SARS-COV2 and Influenza A virus co-infection in hACE2 mice model

Parul Sharma (University of Liverpool, UK)

Phylodynamic analyses of A(H5N1) highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses reveal reassortment dynamics and diversification of host specificity

William Harvey (University of Edinburgh, UK)

Human astrovirus causes region-specific changes in the intestinal epithelial barrier

Christiane Wobus (University of Michigan, USA)

Break

Recombinant Infectious Bronchitis virus containing attenuating mutations in Nsp 10, 14 and in the Macrodomain of Nsp 3 provides complete protection against homologous challenge.

Sarah Keep (The Pirbright Institute, UK)

Quantitative Temporal Viromic Analysis of HCMV Infected Dendritic Cells Reveals Virus Manipulation of Adaptive Immunity and Host Restriction of Viral Replication.

Lauren Kerr-Jones ( Cardiff University, UK)

Dengue virus NS4A modulates NF-κB signalling and viral replication in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes

Mathilde Laureti (The Pirbright Institute, UK)

The role of ORF10 in SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis

Shichun Gu (University of Bristol, UK)

A novel pipeline for the identification of accessory genes in coronaviruses.

Federico De Angelis (University of Edinburgh, UK)

Using Protein Structure Prediction to Map Glycoprotein Diversity Reveals Defining Events in the Evolutionary History of the Flaviviridae.

Joe Grove (MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, UK)

Large scale screening of rotavirus genome segments identified a conserved upstream start codon in the NSP3 segment

Hou Wei Chook (University of Edinburgh, UK)

Identification of influenza A virus segment 7 nucleotide 730 as a key residue that controls differential mRNA splicing

Shu Zhou (University of Edinburgh, UK)

Influenza A Virus M2 Biogenesis Highways and Byways

Christian Diwo (Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Portugal)

Norovirus non-structural proteins contribute towards virion assembly and stability.

Jake Mills (University of Leeds, UK)

Rab27 GTPases and Myosin Va are host factors required for efficient OROV cell egress.

Juan Oswaldo Concha Casaverde (University of Cambridge, UK and University of Sao Paulo, Brazil)

Break

Applying 3D correlative structured illumination microscopy and X-ray tomography to characterise herpes simplex virus-1 morphogenesis.

Colin Crump (University of Cambridge, UK)

Investigating the role of a recently identified antigenic domain (AD-6) of glycoprotein B in herpes virus entry

Alexander Hargreaves (University College London, UK)

Length variation in Hepatitis C Virus E2 – a novel regulator of viral entry and antibody sensitivity.

Stephen Devlin (University of Glasgow, UK)

Dissecting the molecular mechanisms of coronavirus genome packaging.

Harriet Mears (The Francis Crick Institute, UK)

Improved Hepatitis E virus sub-genomic replicons permit novel functional studies

Frazer Buchanan (University of Leeds, UK)