Researchers to present findings on causative agent of anthrax

Researchers specializing in anthrax bacterium Bacillus anthracis and its two related bacillus species, B. cereus and B. thurigiensis, will convene in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada for the International Conference on Bacillus ACT in October to present their work with more than 200 global partners.

Organizers of the conference said its main mission is to promote stimulating and productive interactions among researchers investigating the physiology, genetics, molecular biology, pathogenesis, and ecology of the three related bacteria.

“Some of the most exciting basic and applied research in microbiology is presented at the Bacillus ACT meetings,” Adam Driks, conference co-chair from the Loyola University of Chicago, said. “This year’s meeting promises to be an outstanding event.”

According to Bacillus ACT’s Co-Chair Staci Kane of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), scientists will present their findings ranging from genomics, cell wall and spore structure and function, gene regulation, sporulation and germination, toxins, epidemiology, ecology, and bacteria-host interactions of those species.

Researchers specializing in rapid diagnostics, therapeutics, and general physiology will also have opportunities to make presentations.

The conference was organized LLNL’s Global Security Principal Directorate, with support from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Emergent Biosolutions, the Northwest Territories’ Department of Environment and Natural Resources of Canada, and List Biological Laboratories. A keynote presentation will be made by John Collier, Harvard Medical School’s professor emeritus for the department of microbiology and immunobiology.