Introduction to 75 years of Microbiology

David Grainger (University of Birmingham, UK)

Impact of Bacteriophages on Cholera and Their Use in Preventing Infection

Andrew Camilli (Tufts University, USA)

Flash talk: The Type 3 Secretion System is a crucial mediator of macrophage-Achromobacter spp. Interaction

Keren Turton (Queen's University Belfast, UK)

Pre-recorded presentation: Investigation of the Cryptococcus titan cell benefits from the work of a community of giants in microbiology

Elizabeth Ballou (University of Exeter, UK)

Break

Oestrogen promotes innate immune evasion of Candida albicans

Rebecca Hall (University of Kent, UK)

Offered paper: Novel Tn-seq approach identifies the primary secretion mechanism for yersiniabactin in Yersinia pestis

Sarah Price (University of Louisville, USA)

It takes two to tango – polymicrobial infection processes in Galleria mellonella larvae

Kevin Kavanagh (Maynooth University, Ireland)

Offered paper: Understanding the Regulation and Ecological Functions of Natural Product Antibiotics

Ainsley Beaton (John Innes Centre, UK)

Offered paper: Under lock and key: investigating novel regulatory logic in antibiotic resistance control in Enterococcus faecalis

Sali Morris (University of Bath, UK)

Offered paper: Evolutionary stasis impairs the fitness of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a polymicrobial environment

Yue Yuan On (University of Cambridge, UK)

Offered paper: Imaging of bacterial responses to DNA damage caused by antibacterial agents

Chloe Cassaro (University of Oxford, UK)

Offered paper: An evolutionary conserved detoxification system for membrane lipid peroxidation stress in Gram-negative bacteria

Nicolas Feldman (Queen's University Belfast, UK)

Break

Offered paper: The smell never bothered me anyway: Characterisation of odour producing aminoacylases in Anaerococcus

Matthew Rose (University of York, UK)

Offered paper: The role of air pollution and bacteria in COPD

Lillie Purser (University of Leicester, UK)

Offered paper: Looking Down the Barrel: 3D Super-Resolution Imaging of Bacterial Nanoweapons

Liam Rooney (Heriot-Watt University, UK)

Offered paper: Understanding the differential metabolic requirements of Streptococcus pneumoniae for nasopharyngeal colonisation versus lung infection

Angharad Green (University of Liverpool, UK)

Offered paper: Nitric oxide treatment induces Resuscitation promoting factor (RPF)-dependency in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Brindha Gap-Gaupool (University of Leicester, UK)

Session 1: Multiomics data use to understand health outcome

Multiomics data integration for understanding microbial function

Gavin Thomas (University of York, UK)

Session 1: Multiomics data use to understand health outcome

Offered paper: Understanding antimicrobial resistance on Brazilian farms: A One Health multidisciplinary approach

Linda Oyama (Queen's University of Belfast, UK)

Session 1: Multiomics data use to understand health outcome

Offered paper: Novel approach for combining metagenome, resistome, replicome, and causal inference to determine survival strategies against antibiotics in a microbiome

Vitalii Stebliankin (Florida International University, USA)

Break

Session 2: Temporal and Longitudinal Data Integration

Analyzing data from multi-omics longitudinal microbiome studies: a time-warping approach

Giri Narasimhan (Florida International University, USA)

Session 2: Temporal and Longitudinal Data Integration

Visual Analysis of Multiomics Time-series Data

Seán O’Donoghue (Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Australia)

Pre-recorded presentation: Diatom modulation of specific bacteria in their microbiome

Shady Amin (New York University, Abu Dhabi)

Offered paper: The protective role of Acanthamoeba species in amoeba-bacteria interactions and relationships

Ronnie Mooney (University of the West of Scotland, UK)

Warfare in bacteria and the microbiome

Kevin Foster (University of Oxford, UK)

Break

Pre-recorded presentation: Marine sponges as emerging models for host-microbe interactions

Ute Hentschel Humeida (GEOMAR, Germany)

Offered paper: Loss of photoautotrophy within dinoflagellate symbiont strains by minicircle degradation.

Ellen Nisbet (University of Nottingham, UK)

The life and loves of foraminifera: their diverse interactions, and symbionts.

Clare Bird (University of Stirling, UK)

Offered paper: A novel antiviral formulation potently inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication in human bronchial epithelium

Nicola Fletcher (University College Dublin, Ireland)

Offered paper: Using A Novel Delivery System For The Post Infection Treatment Of Clinical Rabies

Samuel Smith (The Animal and Plant Health Agency, UK)

Offered paper: Assessing the molecular co-chaperone, STIP1, as a viable antiviral target

Frederick Weaver (University of Leeds, UK)

Offered paper: Identification of the Hsp70 Family of Chaperones as Novel Host Factors Essential for the Replication of Rhinovirus

Matthew James (Queen’s University Belfast, UK)

Offered paper: Isolation of Nipah virus G protein-specific monoclonal antibodies from messenger RNA immunised pigs

Ahmed Elrefaey (The Pirbright Institute, UK)

Offered paper: A temperature sensitive avian coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus offers complete protection against homologous challenge

Phoebe Stevenson-Leggett (The Pirbright Institute, UK)

Break

Offered paper: What is the impact of genetic variation on the control of Japanese Encephalitis Virus?

John Bish (NIBSC, UK)

Offered paper: Validation of a Zika virus candidate vaccine in a mosquito-mouse transmission model

Giuditta De Lorenzo (MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus research, UK)

Offered paper: Evaluation of bioinformatically designed, historical glycoproteins to aid lyssavirus vaccine development

Bethany Auld (University of Sussex, UK)

Offered paper:

Offered paper: Characterization of a novel recombinant paramyxovirus vectored vaccine against bovine Respiratory Syncytial virus

Olivier Touzelet (Queen's University Belfast, UK)

Offered paper: Dabie bandavirus NSs as a molecular determinant of infection in tick cells

Mazigh Fares (MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, UK)

Offered paper: Coronavirus RNA synthesis takes place within membrane-bound sites

Nicole Doyle (The Pirbright Institute, UK)

Offered paper: The canonical stem loop RNA structure of the s2m genetic element is not required for avian coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus replication in vitro however deletion of the s2m sequence results in a 36-nucleotide insertion

Sarah Keep (The Pirbright Institute, UK)

Offered paper: Biomolecular condensates go viral: understanding rotavirus replication through the lens of liquid-liquid phase separation

Julia Acker (University of Cambridge, UK)

Offered paper: Correlative cryo-bioimaging to study coronavirus replication organelles

Patrick Phillips (The Pirbright Institute, UK)

Offered paper: Differential m6A methylation of cellular transcripts during infection: Implications for KSHV lytic replication

Oliver Manners (University of Leeds, UK)

Break

Offered paper: The Role of N6-methyl-adenosine RNA modification in Chikungunya Virus Replication

Veronica DeJesus (Univeristy of Leeds, UK)

Offered paper: The 5’ region of Zika virus codes for several upstream open reading frames with an impact on viral replication and virulence

Charlotte Lefèvre (University of Cambridge, UK)

Offered paper: Generation of reporter cell line for the detection and quantitation of infectious poxviruses

Sian Lant (University of Surrey, UK)

Offered paper: Investigating the coding capacity of rotaviruses using an adapted reverse genetics system

Ola Diebold (The Roslin Institute, UK)

Offered paper: Variable susceptibility of poultry species to H7N7 avian influenza viruses is host response dependent

Shannon Leetham (Animal and Plant Health Agency, UK)

Offered paper: A whole-genome CRISPR screen has identified host factors essential for BKPyV replication

Laura Caller (University of Cambridge, UK)

Offered paper: Assessing infection and transmission parameters from droplet and intranasal infection of the SARS-CoV-2 in the ferret model

Alexander Byrne (The Animal and Plant Health Agency, UK)

Offered paper: Determining early loss of infectivity in aerosolised coronavirus

Henry Oswin (University of Bristol, UK)

Offered paper: Viral population dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 in patients and relevant models treated with molnupiravir

I'ah Donovan-Banfield (University of Liverpool, UK)

Offered paper: Broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies targeting SARS-CoV-2 RBD: Lentiviral and VSV pseudotypes as tools for antibody screening against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants

Martin Mayora Neto (Viral Pseudotype Unit, UK)

Offered paper: Inactivation and recovery of high-quality RNA from positive SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen tests suitable for whole virus genome sequencing

Guerrino Macori (University College Dublin, Ireland)

Offered paper: Viral dynamics and pathology of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in the Syrian hamster model

Neil Almond (NIBSC, UK)

Break

Offered paper: Modelling the Impact of Severe and Mild SARS-CoV2 - Contrasting Lung Pathology and Immune Responses

Joanna Hall (NIBSC, UK)

Offered paper: Modelling the Neuropathological Impact of Mild COVID-19

Debbie Ferguson (NIBSC, UK)

Offered paper:

Offered paper: Evolutionary remodelling of N-terminal domain loops fine-tunes SARS-CoV-2 spike

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

Offered paper: The SARS-CoV-2 exoribonuclease - a target for antiviral drug development and combination therapy

Victoria Easton (University of Leeds, UK)

Offered paper: Neutralisation hierarchy of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern using standardised, quantitative neutralisation assays reveals a correlation with disease severity; towards deciphering protective antibody thresholds

Diego Cantoni (University of Kent, UK)

Offered paper: Utilising next-generation sequencing and a newly-developed replicon system to investigate the role of the NS5A protein in antiviral resistance of hepatitis C virus genotype 3

Sebastian Bowyer (University of Leeds, UK)

Offered paper: Herpes Simplex Virus-1 pUL56 removes cGAMP transporters from the cell surface

Jake barker (University of Cambridge, UK)

Offered paper: Comparative analysis of ISGylation during the antiviral response against Paramyxovirus infection

Andrew Seaton (University of St Andrews, UK)

Offered paper: HCMV UL148 and UL148D modulate NK cell function by impairing expression of ADAM17

Anzelika Rubina (Cardiff University, UK)

Offered paper: The sensitivity of CpG enriched influenza A virus mutants to the cellular protein ZAP is dependent on the genome region modified

Colin Sharp (The Roslin Institute, UK)

Break

Offered paper: Characterising the negative effects of anti-viral maternal antibodies – how do maternal antibodies block neonatal immune responses to rotavirus vaccines?

Sarah Caddy (University of Cambridge, UK)

Offered paper: Identification of specific cellular immune defects in viraemic solid organ transplant patients is revealed by direct assessment of antiviral activity

Charlotte Houldcroft (University of Cambridge, UK)

Offered paper: Disruption of the cGAS/STING axis does not impair sensing of MVA in BHK21 cells

Alasdair Hood (University of Surrey, UK)

Offered paper: A sub-population of NK cells sequester human cytomegalovirus antigens from infected cells to stimulate autologous T cell responses

Calum Forrest (University College London, UK)

Offered paper: Development of novel genome-wide screening platform for the identification of novel IFN-dependent antiviral restriction factors and pathways

Chloe Jones (University of St Andrews, UK)

Pre-recorded presentation: Host-associated microeukaryotes and the eDNA continuum

David Bass (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, UK)

Offered paper: Characterization of cloacal mycobiome of wild and rehabilitated loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta)

Marta Zizek (University of Zagreb, Croatia)

Toxoplasma gondii, globally important parasite of major One Health concern

Pikka Jokelainen (Statens Serum Institut, Denmark)

Break

Rumen protozoa: What is their purpose?

Sharon Huws (Queen's University Belfast, UK)

Offered paper: Incidence of fluconazole resistance among candida spp clinical isolates in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) of cancer patients

Samra Shoukat (University of Central Punjab, Pakistan)

The eukaryome of African children is influenced by geographic location, gut biogeography, and nutritional status

Laura Wegener Parfrey (University of British Columbia, Canada)

Introduction

Winnie Lee (University of Bristol, UK)

Toxigenic corynebacteria

Norman Fry (UK Health Security Agency, UK)

Offered paper: Development of Loop Mediated Isothermal amplification (LAMP) diagnostic assays for the detection of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Carbapenemase genes in clinical samples

Aurore Poirier (University of Surrey, UK)

Offered paper: A simplified, flexible, and sensitive saliva-based PCR test for accessible SARS-CoV-2 testing

Anne Wyllie (Yale School of Public Health, USA)

Challenges of diagnostics in resource rich setting

Mary Horgan (University College Cork, Ireland)

Break

Development of a real-time PCR assay for the differentiation of typhoidal and non-typhoidal Salmonellae

Satheesh Nair (UK Health Security Agency, UK)

Offered paper: Salmonella Enteritidis clades in South Africa: why we should be paying more attention

Sarah Gallichan (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK)

Offered paper: Rapid Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing of Urinary Tract Infections

Benjamin Crane (Manchester Metropolitan University, UK)

Offered paper: DoGsTAils: Developing nanopore-based diagnostic approaches for the effective stewardship of canine infections

Natalie Ring (University of Edinburgh, UK)

Offered paper: Face Mask Sampling - new sample, new microbiology, new diagnostics

Eve Fletcher (University of Leicester, UK)

Closing remarks

Norman Fry (UK Health Security Agency, UK)

Session introduction

Gavin Thomas (University of York, UK)

Death by indulgence and other topics

Martin Welch (University of Cambridge, UK)

Offered paper: Understanding protein interactions in the Bacillus subtilis biofilm matrix

Natalie Bamford (University of Dundee, UK)

Flash talk: Intra-colony channel morphology in Escherichia coli biofilms is modulated by radial position, nutrient availability and substrate stiffness

Beatrice Bottura (University of Strathclyde, UK)

Flash talk: Phenotypic and genotypic characterisation of colony morphology variants generated in a biofilm model in the presence or absence of the preservative sodium benzoate

Lewis Fisher (University of Liverpool, UK)

Biofilm hydrophobicity in environmental isolates of Bacillus subtilis

Margarita Kalamara (University of Dundee, UK)

Break

Invited Speaker:

Anne-Marie Krachler (University of Texas, USA)

Offered paper: T6SS secretion mechanism and novel protein-protein interactions of TecA, a Burkholderia cenocepacia toxin

Julia Monjaras-Feria (Queen's University Belfast, UK)

Offered paper: Polysaccharide-Dependent Biofilm Formation is Induced by Bile in Cystic Fibrosis Isolates of Staphylococcus aureus

Mary Turley (Trinity College Dublin, Ireland)

Flash talk: Comparison of the genetic basis of biofilm formation between S. Typhimurium and E. coli

Emma Holden (Quadram Institute Bioscience, UK)

Flash talk: The biofilm lifestyle defines evolutionary trajectories to antibiotic resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Gregory Wickham (Quadram Institute Bioscience, UK)

Offered paper: Experimental challenge with bovine herpesvirus-1 in dairy calves: bronchial lymph node and cranial lung lobe messenger RNA and micro RNA transcriptome and associated immune response

Rachael Bell (Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, UK)

Offered paper: Post-translational negative autoregulation of a picorna-like RNA virus determines immune evasion

Fabio Pasin (Spanish National Research Council - CSIC, Spain)

Offered paper: Inhibition of viral gene expression and replication by ZAP, TRIM25 and KHNYN

Chad Swanson (King's College London, UK)

Offered paper: The histone H3.3 chaperone HIRA regulates Mx1 ISG expression in response to influenza A virus infection of primary bronchial epithelial cells

Joanna Wojtus (MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, UK)

Offered paper: Spatiotemporal Analysis of HSV ICP0 Mutant Infection Reveals Uncoupling of Immediate Early Gene Expression Suppressing Lytic Cycle Progression

Kerina Naran (Imperial College London, UK)

Offered paper: The role of DNA-PK in innate immune responses in chickens

Marisa Oliveira (University of Cambridge, UK)

Break

Offered paper: To Kill or Not to Kill: Characterizing NK Cell-Mediated Responses in Human Cytomegalovirus Lytic Infection

Mahlaqua Noor (University of Cambridge, UK)

Offered paper: Identification of a soluble NK inhibitory HCMV protein

Virginia-Maria Vlahava ( Cardiff University School of Medicine, UK)

Offered paper: CpG enrichment in the influenza A virus genome results in variable phenotypes within and between different host species

Beth Thompson (Roslin Institute, UK)

Offered paper: Accumulation of cytosolic DNA contribute to the host response against noroviruses in a STING-dependent manner

Aminu Jahun (University of Cambridge, UK)

Interactions between Covid and other respiratory viruses

Maria Zambon (UK Health Security Agency, UK)

Offered paper: Whole genome sequencing of the seasonal Coronaviruses 229E, NL63, OC43 and HKU1

Patrick McClure (University of Nottingham, UK)

Offered paper: Investigating neutralising antibody responses against a broad library of SARS-CoV-2 variants

Nazia Thakur (The Pirbright Institute, UK)

Offered paper: Comparison of the breadth and magnitude of humoural immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 variants after multiple immunisations in a mixed cohort of healthcare workers and immunocompromised patients

Angalee Nadesalingam (University of Cambridge, UK)

Offered paper:

Break

Latest insights into HBV and HDV: The path to functional cure

Patrick Kennedy (Queen Mary University of London, UK)

Offered paper: Investigating the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in selected foods and food production environments

Guerrino Macori (University College Dublin, Ireland)

Offered paper: Virological and pathological report of subclinical ferret hepatitis E virus infection in laboratory ferrets in the UK

Fabian Lean (Animal and Plant Health Agency, UK)

Offered paper: Incursion of high pathogenicity Eurasian clade 2.3.4.4b avian influenza virus into wild birds and poultry in the United Kingdom between 2020 and 2022

Scott Reid (Animal and Plant Health Agency, UK)

Offered paper: High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza in the UK: A Genomics Perspective

Alexander Byrne (Animal and Plant Health Agency, UK)

Offered paper: Host cell RNA binding protein Musashi homolog 2 is required for Chikungunya virus genome replication

Kaiwen Sun (University of Leeds, UK)

Offered paper: Reverse genetics and replicon systems for MLB1 and MLB2 human astroviruses reveal genome attenuation hotspots

Hashim Ali (University of Cambridge, UK)

Offered paper: The Cellular Deadenylase Complex CCR4-NOT Regulates Human Cytomegalovirus Infection

Hannah Burgess (University of Surrey, UK)

Offered paper: Characterisation of the antiviral RNA interference response to Toscana virus in sand fly cells

Akira Alexander (MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, UK)

Offered paper: Flavivirus recombination: from cultured cells to whole mosquitoes

Michaela Dermendjieva (University of St Andrews, UK)

Offered paper: The C-terminal LCAR of host ANP32 proteins interacts with the influenza A virus nucleoprotein to promote the replication of the viral RNA genome

Fangzheng Wang (University of Oxford, UK)

Offered paper: The pseudouridine modification pathway is essential for Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus lytic replication

Timothy Mottram (University of Leeds, UK)

Break

Offered paper: Expression analysis of the novel upstream ORF in enteroviruses

Rhian O'Connor (University of Cambridge, UK)

Offered paper: Human cytomegalovirus major immediate early transcripts arise predominantly from the canonical major immediate early promoter in reactivating progenitor-derived dendritic cells

Rebecca Mason (UCL, UK)

Offered paper: The role of site-specific ubiquitination of the influenza A virus polymerase

Franziska Günl (Westfaelische-Wilhelms University Muenster, Germany)

Offered paper: Mapping inhibitory sites on the RNA polymerase of the 1918 pandemic influenza virus using nanobodies

Zihan Zhu (University of Oxford, UK)

Offered paper: Ribonucleoprotein condensates and RNA chaperones as paradigms for segmented RNA genome assembly in viruses

Alexander Borodavka (University of Cambridge, UK)

Offered paper: Coronovirus diversity in UK wildlife

Ternenge Apaa (University of Nottingham, UK)

Offered paper: 3D Human airway epithelial models to study SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis

Samuel Constant (Epithelix, Switzerland)

Offered paper: Rapid selection of P323L in the SARS-CoV-2 polymerase (NSP12) in humans and non-human primate models confers a small plaque phenotype

Hannah Goldswain (University of Liverpool, UK)

Offered paper: Combined transcriptomic and proteomic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 classical variant compared to alpha, beta, gamma, delta and omicron variants reveals differences in virus gene expression and the host response

Rachel Milligan (University of Bristol, UK)

Offered paper: Sustained passage of SARS-CoV-2 derived by reverse genetics in human and non-human cell lines allows analysis of viral diversity from a defined start point

Rachel Milligan (University of Bristol, UK)

Offered paper: Drug Repurposing Targeting the SARS-CoV2 Envelope (E) Protein Ion Channel

Stephen Griffin (University of Leeds, UK)

Offered paper: Titration of passive immune protection against SARS-CoV-2 in a hamster model

Sarah Kempster (NIBSC, UK)

Break

Offered paper: SARS-CoV-2 evasion of natural killer cell recognition is overcome by an antibody-dependent activation mechanism

Ceri Fielding (Cardiff University, UK)

Offered paper: Drug repurposing identifies Azatadine-Dimaleate as a potent antiviral against SARS-CoV-2

Ultan Power (ueen's University Belfast, UK)

Offered paper: SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein adheres to replication organelles before viral assembly at the Golgi/ERGIC and lysosome-mediated egress

Luca Mascheroni (University of Cambridge, UK)

Offered paper: Understanding the mechanisms of relative IFITM sensitivity in SARS-CoV-2 variants

Helena Winstone (King's College London, UK)

Offered paper: Interaction of SARS-CoV-2 with an in vitro model of the human Blood Brain Barrier and its implications for the neuropathogenesis of COVID-19

Habib Jmii (University College Dublin, Ireland)

Session 3: Editing Microbiome

Offered paper: The impact of different probiotics in shaping the preterm infant gut microbiome

Lauren Beck (Newcastle University, UK)

Session 3: Editing Microbiome

Offered paper: Quantitative Behavioural Phenomics: C. elegans as a model organism for the development of high-throughput precision medicine

Thomas O'Brien (Imperial College London, UK)

Session 3: Editing Microbiome

Integrating multiomic clinical data to explore microbiome restoration in adolescent obesity

Justin O'Sullivan (University of Auckland, New Zealand)

Break

Session 4: Microbiome and Society

Offered paper: Antibiotic resistance and AMR gene seasonality patterns in fallow deer (Dama dama) with different levels of human interaction: a case study of Ireland

Alexandre de Menezes (National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland)

Session 4: Microbiome and Society

Offered paper: Gut microbiome traditional memory and new re-shaping portfolio in relation to migratory movements of the Sudanese population to westernised environments

Amel Sami (APC Microbiome Institute University College Cork, Ireland)

Session 4: Microbiome and Society

Do large cohort microbiome studies genuinely reflect the community's health, or is it skewed to serve single demography?

Kalai Mathee (Florida International University, USA)

Virus workshop: SARS-CoV-2/COVID

Level 1 Foyer

Multiomics data integration, health and society

Bar 2

Microbial physiology, metabolism and molecular biology forum

Main Poster Hall

Environmental microbiology: Our sustainable future

Bar 1

Virus workshop: Antivirals and vaccines

Main Poster Hall

Polymicrobial infections: Mixed messages, interspecies strife, and renegade actors in the host-microbiome interaction

Gallery 1

Virus workshop: Clinical virology

Main Poster Hall

Virus workshop: Gene expression and replication

Main Poster Hall

Virus workshop: Antiviral immunity

Main Poster Hall

Infection forum

Bar 2, Gallery 2

Applied diagnostics; a sensitive issue

Main Poster Hall