APRIL 2014
A F F I L I AT E S L E T T E R The official newsletter for FEMS Affiliates
The last FEMS Research Fellow Out now!
As per 1 April, the FEMS Research Fellowship has been renamed FEMS Research Grant. There have been changes in the regulations as well, as you can read on the Grants pages. Veerle Liebens is one of the last FEMS Research Fellows. When asking Veerle (picture below) about her research subject, one major ambition came up: improving Based on the third EuroBiofilms health care. Veerle: “For my master’s meeting in Ghent (Belgium), thesis, I got the chance to work on Pathogens and Disease published persistence and I found what a major a special issue: Biofilms III. problem bacterial persistence is. Guest editor Tom By doing research on this, I hope to Coenye (picture contribute to advancing the medileft) wrote the freely cal industry in tackling this problem. available editorial, I got to continue working on perdescribing the comsistence for my PhD, studying how ing of age of this Pseudomonas aeruginosa could be research field. more or less persistent.” Continue on page 4
Also in this issue: Publications Page Neglected tropical diseases Malaria Grants Corner Society Page European Culture Collection’s Organisation Deadlines FEMS-Sponsored Meetings
Input to the design of EC prize A project team of the European Committee is considering initiating a prize that could support designers developing new materials for use in commercially successful products and/or to solve a need for society. They are planning to launch such a Challenge Prize in 2015. Do you wish to give input to the design of this prize? Then check out our Opportunities webpage and submit your reactions before 2 May 2014!
Microbiology TidBits
IMAGE CONTEST SEEING IS BELIEVING can you explain microbiology through images?
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Do the math: despite being neglected, the NTDs are one of the largest problems human beings face today — MPE2013)
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Every year, bacterial meningitis epidemics affect more than 400 million people living in the “African meningitis belt”, the 21 countries from Senegal to Ethiopia. (source: WHO)
Neglected tropical diseases Neglected tropical diseases result from four different causative pathogens: viruses, protozoa, helminth and bacteria. Although they are called neglected, and looking at the victimology of them are indeed neglected, the global interest in them is rising. World Health Day 2014 was staged around vector borne diseases. Diseases spread by vector kill a million people a year and more than half of the world’s population is at risk. To help fight insecticide resistance in vector borne disease, WHO says immediate action is necessary, amongst others by undertaking more research and monitoring the impact of environmental change and its effect on vector behaviour in various settings.
Chandipura virus causes fever, symptoms similar to those of flu, and acute encephalitis and is considered an important emerging pathogen (Medicine) Pathogens and Disease Research Articles Predicting the host protein interactors of Chandipura virus Chandipura virus (CHPV), alike other pathogens, exploits the cellular infrastructure of their hosts through complex network of interactions for successful infection. CHPV being a recently emerged pediatric encephalitic virus, the mechanisms involved in the establishment of viral persistence are still ill defined. Because the protein interface between CHPV and its host provides one means by which the virus invades and seize control of their human host machinery, the authors in this study have employed computational methods to create a network of putative protein–protein interactions between CHPV and its human host P U B L I C AT I O N S PA G E
Chandipura virus
to shed light on the hitherto less-known CHPV biology. Lack of antigenic diversification of major outer membrane proteins during clonal waves of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A colonization and disease Sreejith Rajasekharan et al. DOI: 10.1111/2049-632X.12064
Protective effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG against human rotavirus-induced diarrhoea Group A human rotaviruses (RV) are a leading cause of severe dehydration and gastroenteritis in infants and young children. A large body of evidence suggests that Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) has an effect on the incidence and severity of acute RV-induced diarrhoea; however, the timing and dosage of LGG treatment remains controversial. This study demonstrates that the protective effects of LGG against RV-induced diarrhoea are highly correlated with the timing and dosage of LGG administration in neonatal mice.
Diarrhoea
Zhang et al. DOI: 10.1111/2049-632X.12030 www.fems-microbiology.org
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Alterations in TLRs as new markers of congenital infections with Human cytomegalovirus? Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play a crucial role in nonspecific immunity against various infections. The most common intrauterine infection, caused by Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), results in perinatal morbidity and mortality of primary infected fetuses. This article shows the effect of HCMV infection on the development of pregnancy as well as the effect of TLR single-nucleotide polymorphisms on the occurrence and course of infectious diseases, immune response and diseases of pregnancy. Wujcicka, Jan Wilczyński and Nowakowska DOI: 10.1111/2049-632X.12083
Path: One of every 260 children born each year will die of rotavirus by their fifth birthday. That’s more than 1,200 children each day.
Malaria FEMS Microbiology Ecology Research Article Acinetobacter and Asaia associated with fieldcaught Aedes albopictus from Madagascar The presence of cultivable bacteria Acinetobacter and Asaia was recently demonstrated in the mosquito vector Aedes albopictus. However, it is not known how prevalent these bacteria are in field populations. Here, the presence of these bacteria in Ae. albopictus populations from Madagascar was diagnosed by amplification of 16S rRNA gene fragments. Both genera were detected at relatively high frequencies. It is likely that a specific subpopulation of Acinetobacter is selected by Ae. albopictus. Overall, this study emphasizes the need to gain a global view on the bacterial partners in mosquito vectors. Minard et al. DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2012.01455.x
In stead of using Deet, which is known to affect the neural system, we may in future use essential oils to fight malaria. — Euronews P U B L I C AT I O N S PA G E
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FEMS Microbiology Letters Research Letters Oxygen distribution defines significance of the genome and proteome of Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 The search for suitable antimalarial drugs still is an exceeding challenge because Plasmodium falciparum-mediated malaria is one of the most lethal diseases in the world. Novel innovative ideas are required to identify new potential molecular targets to be able to fight this lethal parasite efficiently. The authors of this research used an unconventional bioinformatics approach to analyze the entire genome and proteome of the Pf3D7 strain. The identification of the biological significance of these proteins could eventually lead to new vital drug targets. Palanisamy and Heese DOI: 10.1111/1574-6968.12355
Plasmodium falciparum single-stranded DNAbinding protein interacts with PfPrex helicase Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) apicoplast is an essential organelle harbouring a ~35-kb circular genome. Prokaryotic nature of this organelle and its components makes it an attractive therapeutic target. The single-stranded DNA-binding protein (SSB) and multidomain protein PfPrex are important apicoplast replication proteins. However, regulation of these proteins through protein–protein interaction remains largely unknown. Here, we report that P. falciparum single-stranded DNA-binding protein (PfSSB) interacts with PfPrex helicase and modulates its activity. N-terminal domain of PfSSB is involved in this interaction, whereas C-terminal domain plays a pivotal role in the modulation of helicase activity. These results further, to our knowledge, understand apicoplast DNA replication. Bhowmick and Dhar DOI: 10.1111/1574-6968.12343
WHO: More than 200 million people worldwide are infected with malaria – a disease that kills more than 625,000 people each year, most of them in subSaharan Africa. These parasite species cause malaria in humans: Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium ovale www.fems-microbiology.org
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Continuation of page 4 “We predicted the subcellular localization of a protein important in fluoroquinolone tolerance in P. aeruginosa. During the study in Italy, we could confirm the predicted membrane localization and could map the topology of this protein. The follow up study is to find out whether this location has an actual impact on persistence. An additional applied study I am working on is aimed at developing an antipersister component targeting P. aeruginosa.”
Off to Italy! Based on desk research, Veerle Liebens found and contacted a research group which was experienced in localization and membrane association assays within the opportunistic pathogen P. aeruginosa. In her society’s quarterly, Veerle wrote: “I contacted them for some further information regarding these experiments and all of a sudden I was invited to carry out the necessary experiments in the research group in the Department of Sciences of University Roma Tre. I was able to find a nice room in Academia Belgica, which was situated in Villa Borghese, a beautiful park in the center of Rome. It was approximately 10 km away from the lab but luckily a tram stop was situated right in front of the door which allowed me to reach the lab quite easily. Together with Prof. Visca and Dr. Frangipani I was able to determine the localization, orientation and topology of my protein. At the moment, some additional experiments are being carried out in order to relate these findings towards persistence. These results will greatly help in understanding the complex persistence phenomenon in P. aeruginosa, thereby contributing to the development of new anti-pseudomonal therapies.”
Further reading • BSM News issue 8 • Lewis K (2007) Persister cells, dormancy and infectious disease. Nat Rev Microbiol 5: 48-56. • Fauvart M, De Groote VN & Michiels J (2011) Role of persister cells in chronic infections:
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clinical relevance and perspectives on anti-persister therapies. J Med Microbiol 60: 699-709. • De Groote VN, Verstraeten N, Fauvart M, et al. (2009) Novel persistence genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa identified by highthroughput screening. FEMS Microbiol Lett 297: 73-79. • Imperi F, Putignani L, Tiburzi F, Ambrosi C, Cipollone R, Ascenzi P & Visca P (2008) Membrane-association determinants of the omegaamino acid monooxygenase PvdA, a pyoverdine biosynthetic enzyme from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Microbiology 154: 2804-2813. • Tiburzi F, Imperi F & Visca P (2008) Intracellular levels and activity of PvdS, the major iron starvation sigma factor of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Mol Microbiol 67: 213-22New Grants regulations & online system
Sponsored places available The organizers of the Permanent Training Course on STI: Diagnostic pathways and management of sexually transmitted infections (excluding HIV), 4-6 June, Italy have given the possibility for two European students to attend this course. The sponsorship is given for the subscription to the course, which is located in an old Medioeval town not far from Bologna, quite close to the Adriatic sea. The participant should fill in the personal data and when it says SPONSOR write down OSPITE CEUB.(CEUB guest) and mail his/her data to: rpartisani@ceub.it Source: AMCLI
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FEMS National and Regional Congresses Grant FEMS provides start-up grants to support National or Regional Microbiological Congresses. The annual budget for these grants is € 30 000. The start-up grant can be used by organizers in any respect that supports successful organization of the meetings. The deadline for application for this grant is on 1 June 2014. This is to be applied for using the application form on the webpage.
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FEMS Research Grant FEMS Research Grants are meant to assist early career scientists in pursuing research for a period up to 3 months in a European country different to that in which the applicant resides. The deadline for application for this grant is on 15 June 2014. Application for the FEMS Research Grants can be done online only through the Grants online system which will be operational as of mid-May. Please visit the FEMS-Grants webpage for the latest regulations.
New name, new regulations The FEMS Research Fellowships have been renamed FEMS Research Grants and have new regulations as per 1 April 2014. Also, the FEMS National and Regional Congresses Grants have new regulations as per 1 April 2014.
“Applying for the FEMS Research Fellowship went quite easily. The only disadvantage in the process I experienced was that the hard copies of the documents had to be sent as well. If I were to make recommendations to other scientists applying for the Grant, I would suggest you take some effort specifying in advance how much money you may need in the country you will visit.” — Veerle Liebens
G R AN T S CO R N ER
FEMS is preparing the launch of an online system for Grants applications as a means to further improve the application process. One of the changed regulations is that application no longer requires sending printed documents, but will be through the Grants online system. Once the Grants online system is up and running, researchers can start applying for the FEMS Research Grant.
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European Culture Collections’ Organisation The aim of ECCO is to promote collaboration and exchange of ideas and information about all aspects of culture collection activities. The organization has evolved as an important “think tank” with important contributions through collaborative projects such as the MINE EU project in the mid-1980s to coordinate the common interests of microbial service collections and their users. In the subsequent CABRI EU project in 1996, some of the leading collections in Europe made available the contents of their individual catalogues via a search engine which provides access to a common Catalogue (www.cabri.org). The EBRCN EU project (2001-2004) focused on guidelines for best practice towards ISO-compliant quality management. The outputs of these initiatives were key elements in the current OECD guidelines for Biological Resource Centres. The EMbaRC project (2009-2012) dealt with contemporary topics such as biological safety, improved identification methods and developing new concepts in training and education. The influential European Microbial DNA Network was launched as a consequence of this project. The current MIRRI EU project started at November 2012 aims to support innovation in microbiology by provision of a one-stop shop for well-characterized microbial resources and high quality services. This cascade of projects has had ECCO as the coordinator with several international Culture Collections as lead partners. Moreover, as part of the remit of ECCO, documents that addressed the
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Many other topics are currently under discussion, e.g. the implications of the Nagoya Protocol concerning the distribution and deposition of nontype materials in collections. ECCO meetings are held annually and this year the 33rd Annual Meeting of ECCO will be held in Valencia, Spain, from 11 to 13 June, to which interested parties are invited. For additional information please contact Dr Marijke Hendrickx (ECCO Secretary) Email: secretary@eccosite.org BCCM/IHEM Fungal Collection Mycology & Aerobiology Scientific Institute of Public Health Juliette Wytsmanstraat, 14 B-1050 Brussels, Belgium Prof. Dr Nelson Lima (FEMS Delegate) Email: nelson@ie.uminho.pt
Image © CABI
Facts and figures The European Culture Collections’ Organisation (ECCO) was established in 1981. ECCO currently involves more than 60 corporate members´culture collections (CC) from 24 European countries that hold more than 400000 microbial deposits. Approximately 20 ECCO members are multi-site
legal framework of Culture Collection operation have been prepared, such as the Material Transfer Agreement (MTA).
ISO-9000 series certified for several activities (e.g. preservation, storage, and distribution of biological material) and 23 CC have been recognized as an International Deposit Authorities under the Budapest Treaty (1977) in the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure.
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DEADLINES
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MICROBIOLOGY TIDBITS Amoebae kill by ‘nibbling’ on living human cells
Video © Nature.com
1 June 2014 1 December 2014 FEMS National & Regional Congresses Grants 15 June 2014 1 December 2014 FEMS Research Grant 1 September 2014 FEMS Meeting Attendance Grants
FEMS-Sponsored Meetings, Spring/Summer 2014 15 M AY 2 014 9th International Conference on Cryptococcus and Cryptococcosis, ICCC9 Netherlands 2 8 M AY 2 014 5th Congress of Macedonian Microbiologists with International Participation Macedonia 1 J U N E 2 014 XIIIth International Nidovirus Symposium Spain 2 J U N E 2 014 Young Microbiologists Symposium - Microbe Signalling, Organisation and Pathogenesis United Kingdom 16 J U N E 2 014 9th Joint Rowett/INRA Symposium, Gut Microbiology: from Sequence to Function United Kingdom
Entamoeba histolytica is the causative agent of amoebiasis, a potentially fatal diarrhoeal disease in the developing world. It can destroy host tissues, probably by the direct killing of human cells. The mechanism of human cell killing has been unclear, but now it has been reported that they kill by ingesting distinct pieces of living human cells, resulting in intracellular calcium elevation and eventual cell death. Source: Nature Nanoparticles make turkey egg hard to crack Australian brush turkeys incubate their eggs in moist piles of rotting vegetation. The same microbes that keep the eggs warm can also get through eggshells and kill the embryos. Researchers now have found why infections occur in only about 9% of these eggs: the shells are covered in nanometre-sized spheres of calcium phosphate. This finding could one day lead to new antimicrobial coatings. Source: SfAM
2 4 J U N E 2 014 Microbiology in the New Genomics Era Genomics 2014 France
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