ESCMID postgraduate technical workshop on intracellular bacteria: From biology to clinic

Abstract

Infection by intracellular bacteria can lead to several diseases in both veterinary and human medicine. Unfortunately, the biology of these intracellular bacteria is highly complex due to their interactions with their host cells. Thus, it is very important to develop several tools in order to better understand the complex intracellular life of these pathogens, so allowing to improve the diagnosis options and the treatments of infectious diseases that they are causing. The workshop organised in Villars-sur-Ollon (Switzerland) by the ESCMID Study group on intracellular bacteria was a good opportunity to enhance our knowledge on these fastidious pathogens. During 5 days, 15 speakers gave 41 talks, covering all fields, from biology to clinic of different intracellular bacteria such as Bartonella, Chlamydia, Coxiella, Ehrlichia, Listeria, Parachlamydia, Rickettsia, and Waddlia. The format of this postgraduate course, which took place in the Swiss mountains, allowed interactive sessions and living discussions between the participants coming from all around the world. One of the major strength was to gather epidemiologists, clinical microbiologists, infectious diseases specialists, entomologists, veterinarians as well as bioinformaticians, biochemists and biologists to deliver a unique "one-health science" on intracellular bacteria. Here, we summarise the main take-home messages delivered during this meeting.

Ten Years of R&D and Full Automation in Molecular Diagnosis

“…Bacillus anthracis Specimens according to the clinical situation [81] Bartonella henselae/quintana [67] Brucella sp [82] Chlamydia psitacci [32] Coxiella burnetii [26] Francisella tularensis [68,69] Rickettsiae sp/group typhus [33] Pan-Chlamydiales PCR [83] Hepatitis E virus † Performed in Lausanne using the GeneXpert system (Cepheid). BK virus: BK polyomavirus; HHV: Human herpes virus.…”

Mentor-mentee relationship in clinical microbiology

“…It is therefore important to take the time to learn about the changes in the domain. This also underscores the importance of participating in international conferences on current and future technological development [10]. Participating in stimulating conferences and meetings is entirely part of the training of ongoing specialists in clinical microbiology [30].…”

“…Choosing a young person does not correspond to choosing a 'prêt a porter', but rather finding the right fabrics for the garment to be made as during the years of training, the person will adapt, change, and develop. It is therefore important to allocate the necessary budgets to train the youngest microbiologists in recent technologies and provide them the opportunity to regularly participate in postgraduate courses and workshops offered by scientific societies [10]. Moreover, in such a rapidly evolving field, it is important that clinical microbiologists develop adaptability and flexibility.…”