This conference will be held from Sept 1st to Sept 3rd 2008 in Aberdeen at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre

The theme is evolving microbial food safety and quality and topics include:
• Foodborne pathogens: Listeria, VTEC, Campylobacter, Salmonella & viruses
• Fish microbiology – spoilage and safety
• Food Safety and Quality: Ready to eat foods, fermented foods, ethnic foods
• Food Mycology
• Food attribution, risk assessment, predictive modelling
• Food allergies and food micro toxicology
• Biological toxins
• Control of pathogens: bacteriocins, phage control
• Advanced methods: rapid detection, molecular typing, transcriptomics
• Hot topics
Food Micro 2008 Aberdeen aims to build on the success of previous FOOD MICRO meetings by combining the very latest scientific developments in the field with extensive social opportunities featuring the best that Aberdeen and Scotland have to offer – castles, golf, hill-walking, whisky trail and even the Loch Ness monster!
Iain Ogden and Norval Strachan – co-chairs - look forward to welcoming you to Aberdeen in 2008!

Microbiology Conferences

International Congress Exploring Life at High Salinity
University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, UK
2-6 September, 2007

Salt-loving organisms (halophiles) are big news – survival in ancient salt, potential for extraterrestrial existence, highly specialised molecular adaptations, cells that form perfect squares. We will discuss and advance our understanding of these and many more aspects of halophiles, at the level of ecosystems, cells and molecules. About a quarter of the earth’s landmass is underlain by salt; salt affects all biomolecules as well as the solvent that underpins life, namely water; therefore all life processes are affected by salt, and so this congress will be of broad interest. You are very welcome to join us in the ancient Roman town of Colchester and to participate in this congress.

Microbiology Conferences

A 66 page document reviewing microbial science in the UK was published recently. The review was commissioned by the UK Biological and Biotechnological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and chaired by Charles Dorman (Trinity College, Dublin). The BBSRC is the largest funding body of non-medical microbiology in the UK. The review presents a comprehensive study of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the area of microbial science encompassing areas such as funding, the international context, the needs of industry, and training and education. Consultation exercises were held with individuals and organizations and the report concludes with nine recommendations.

The full report can be read at: Review of UK Microbial Science

We welcome any comments regarding this report or related matters!

Peter L. Graumann
The Bacillus subtilis chromosome with its 2 mm contour length is compacted into a 1 µm large nucleoid, and sister chromosomes are separated into opposite cell poles during ongoing replication through an active intracellular machinery. The machinery consists of several elements that have a defined subcelluar localization, and appear to work hand in hand. Replication occurs in the centrally located replication apparatus that optimally positions duplicated chromosome regions to be moved towards opposite cell poles, through an as yet unknown motor that may involve bacterial actin-like filaments. Separated regions appear to be compacted within each cell half by the SMC condensation complex, which forms subcellular assemblies within each cell half. Dedicated recombination enzymes, topoisomerases and a DNA pump ensure complete separation of occurring chromosome dimers, chromosome termini that are intertwined or chromosomes that may be trapped within the division septum, respectively.
Read more ...   Chromosome Segregation in Bacillus

Other publications by Peter L. Graumann
El-Sharoud WM, Graumann PL
Cold shock proteins aid coupling of transcription and translation in bacteria.
Sci Prog. 2007;90(Pt 1):15-27.

Greenwald J, Hoegy F, Nader M, Journet L, Mislin GL, Graumann PL, Schalk IJ
Real time fluorescent resonance energy transfer visualization of ferric pyoverdine uptake in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A role for ferrous iron.
J Biol Chem. 2007 Feb 2;282(5):2987-95.

Defeu Soufo HJ, Graumann PL
Dynamic localization and interaction with other Bacillus subtilis actin-like proteins are important for the function of MreB.
Mol Microbiol. 2006 Dec;62(5):1340-56.

Graumann PL
Different genetic programmes within identical bacteria under identical conditions: the phenomenon of bistability greatly modifies our view on bacterial populations.
Mol Microbiol. 2006 Aug;61(3):560-3.

Full information at Pathogenic Treponema: Molecular and Cellular Biology

"This is a very comprehensive work by multiple authors on the current state of the research being conducted on the treponemal pathogens. There are few books that specifically cover this area of microbiology." from Rebecca Horvat, PhD (University of Kansas Medical Center) in Doody.com (2006)

"an essential reference for microbiologists, immunologists, and physicians" from CAB Abstracts (2006)

"this comprehensive review reveals the main breakthroughs of research on pathogenic Treponema" from Microbiology Today (2007)

"an essential reference for students and scientists in microbiology and immunology" from Microbiology Today (2007)

"extremely comprehensive and well-referenced ... The editors should be congratulated on assembling a number of scholarly contributions from international scientific experts in the field." from Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. (2007)

"Recommended reading for spirochete lay-people, essential reading for the professional spirochetologist!!" from Alex van Belkum (Rotterdam, The Netherlands) in J. Microbiological Methods (2007)

"especially recommended for advanced students in the field, senior researchers, physicians, and dentists; but all microbiologists will find in the book an exceptional opportunity for extending their understanding of an unusual and unique microbial group." from Int. Microbiol. Vol. 10 (2007)

"a comprehensive treatise of articles by some of the leading experts in the field ... a wealth of information about these fascinating microorganisms. This is not only a book for those working in the area, but also a wonderful text for any microbiologist's reference library" from Soc. Ind. Microbiol. News 56: 230

Full information at Pathogenic Treponema: Molecular and Cellular Biology

Humberto Sanchez, Begoña Carrasco, Silvia Ayora and Juan C. Alonso

All organisms have developed a variety of repair mechanisms, with recombination being the ultimate step for DNA repair and for promoting re-establishment of replication forks that are stalled or collapsed. This review summarises our current knowledge on the cellular response to DNA damage in Bacillus subtilis cells. Cytological approaches now confirm previous observations from genetic and biochemical analyses, which suggested that recombinational repair, and especially double-strand break repair, is choreographed by multi-protein complexes that are organised into focal assemblies tightly regulated and coordinated with other essential processes, such as DNA replication, and chromosomal segregation.

More information from: Bacillus: Cellular and Molecular Biology