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microbiologytoday vol34|aug07 quarterly magazine of the society for general microbiology food and water viruses in water fruit and veg that make you sick rapid molecular detection probiotics the aesthetic microbe badgers and bovine tb contents vol34(3) regular features 102 News 132 Schoolzone 140 Reviews 107 Addresses 134 Gradline 130 Meetings 138 Hot off the press other items 119 Micro shorts 142 Obituaries articles 108 Viruses in water: the 124 Science in the fight against imaginative in pursuit of water-borne disease the fugitive Joan Rose Science has produced some powerful tools to ensure our Peter Wyn-Jones water is safe. With political support, these could be used to Persistent viruses in drinking and recreational water may prevent contamination with faecal pathogens and eradicate cause many outbreaks of disease, but proving it is difficult. some major diseases. 112 Fruits and vegetables that make you sick: 126 The aesthetic microbe: what’s going on? ProkaryArt and EukaryArt Robert Mandrell Simon Park The safety of some salad crops has come into Microbes have served both as an inspiration question following several recent outbreaks of for artists and as a canvas for their creations for disease. centuries. The boundaries between microbiology and art are becoming increasingly blurred. 116 Rapid molecular detection of food- and water-borne Comment: diseases 144 Bovine TB and badgers Anja Boisen Cheap, disposable devices to spot pathogens could soon be Chris Cheeseman used by producers to improve the safety of food and water. The findings of an independent, extensive field experiment to determine the effect of badger culling on bovine TB have just been announced. 120 Probiotics: weapons in the Maybe culling is not the solution after all. war against gut pathogens Luc De Vuyst Consuming beneficial bacteria can improve our health by maintaining a healthy intestinal microbiota. Cover image Water. Larry Letters / Workbook Stock / Jupiter Images The views expressed Editor Dr Matt Hutchings––Editorial Board Dr Sue Assinder, Professor Iain Hagan, Professor Bert Rima––Managing Editor Janet Hurst––Assistant Editor Lucy Goodchild by contributors are not Design & Production Ian Atherton––Contributions are always welcome and should be addressed to the Editor c/o SGM Headquarters, Marlborough House, necessarily those of the Basingstoke Road, Spencers Wood, Reading RG7 1AG–Tel. 0118 988 1809–Fax 0118 988 5656–email [email protected]–web www.sgm.ac.uk–– Society; nor can the Advertising David Lancaster, McMillan-Scott PLC, London Office, 10 Savoy Street, London WC2E 7HR–t 0207 878 2316–f 0207 379 7118–e [email protected]–– Regular feature images pp. 103 SGM; 107 Digital Vision/Getty; 131, 133, 141 Comstock / Jupiter Images; 135, 139 Stockbyte claims of advertisers © 2007 The Society for General Microbiology––ISSN 1464-0570––Printed by Latimer Trend & Company Ltd, Plymouth, UK be guaranteed. news Food SGM Council Opposition MP visits Marlborough House and drink May Meeting Highlights We were pleased to welcome Charles Hendry MP, could be of any help in raising the profile of microbiology We can’t survive without Outgoing and New Council Members Shadow Minister for Energy, Science and Technology, to issues within Government. food and water and this Professors Lorna Casselton, Tony Minson and Nick Mann, Marlborough House in April. Mr Hendry asked to visit Sue Assinder issue features various will soon complete their terms on Council, and their input the SGM after receiving a copy of Microbiology Research aspects of the microbiology and contributions were gratefully acknowledged. The number Matters, a publication that the SGM circulated last year of these staples of life. of nominations equalled the number of vacancies and so the to highlight the important work of young microbiology It complements a theme following will become members of Council at the AGM in researchers. running through the September: Professor Kim Hardie, University of Nottingham, He met with Ron Fraser, Janet Hurst and Sue Assinder September SGM meeting Professor David Blackbourn, University of Birmingham and (SGM Education Officer), and they had a very full discussion in Edinburgh where the Dr Paul Hoskisson, University of Strathclyde. that ranged from microbiology education in schools and plenary has the intriguing Strategy Group universities through to the potential impact of open access title of Food, fluids, fingers, Council had an extensive discussion of the recommendations publishing. We took the opportunity to give him copies of faeces and flies: food- and from the SGM Strategy Group which met in March. They other SGM publications and he was keen to be added to water-borne pathogens. approved the setting up of a small working party, chaired by the list of MPs who regularly receive a copy of Microbiology This aims to show how an Elected Member, to carry out a review of the composition Today. microbiologists are rising to of Council, its functions and the responsibilities of members Mr Hendry expressed his support for the work of the the challenges presented by and officers to ensure that these meet current needs. This SGM and asked that we contact him in the future if he the pathogens in food and will report to November Council. Other recommendations to c From left to right: Ron Fraser, Janet Hurst, Charles Hendry MP drink that cause suffering to receive support were greater efforts to help microbiologists and Sue Assinder at their recent meeting at Marlborough House. millions of people around in developing countries and improvements in liaising with Ian Atherton the world each year. other microbiological societies. Strategy Group had been Other relevant sessions include a 2-day symposium on particularly impressed by the recent BBSRC Review of Mechanisms of diarrhoeal disease and a workshop on the Microbial Science, chaired by Microbiology Editor-in-Chief, Science and the Welsh Assembly Annual Molecular detection of food and water pathogens. The Charles Dorman, which suggested ways in which learned The 2007 event, organized by the Royal Society of Chemistry, took place on Tuesday 22 General workshop is being supported by Applied Biosystems, societies could support UK microbiology. May, at the Wales Millennium Centre and the Senedd in Cardiff Bay. Supported by several Meeting Invitrogen and Thermofisher, who will demonstrate their Meetings other organizations, including SGM, Science and the Assembly events aim to strengthen links pathogen detection products during the meeting. The BBSRC report had also been very useful in informing between the Welsh Assembly and the scientific community in Wales. 2007 The Annual General To view the full programme of these and the many other the recent review of SGM meetings structure and groups This year’s theme was Energy. This is a topic relevant to a wide variety of scientific Meeting of the Society sessions at what promises to be a full and exciting meeting, led by the Meetings Officer. Hilary Lappin-Scott noted that fields, not least microbiology. Afternoon talks included solar energy, alternative fuel, marine will be held on Tuesday 4 you can browse through the programme booklet enclosed the review was almost complete and that a full report of the renewable energy and Wales in the forefront of energy. SGM participated in the exhibition September at the Society’s with this magazine. proposals would be made to June Council. at the Senedd, giving the Assembly Members a chance to ask What has microbiology got to 161st meeting at Edinburgh Journals do with energy? From biofuel production to waste cleanup, microbial life is an important University. Council unanimously accepted the recommendation that contributor to climate change and can be used to help control it. SGM President is honoured Agenda papers, including Professor Richard M. Elliott, University of St Andrews, Speakers and delegates reports from Officers and A symposium entitled Adventures in Virology and Cancer, to should become the next Editor-in-Chief of Journal of General agreed unanimously that Group Conveners, the celebrate the achievements of our President Robin Weiss, Virology. He will take up the post in January 2008. progress is dependent accounts of the Society for Professor of Viral Oncology at University College London, SGM Prizes 2008 on improving the way 2006 and a resolution to is to be held at the Royal College of Physicians on 20–21 Council was reminded that nominations are invited for the information on science is amend the Memorandum September 2007. the Marjory Stephenson Prize Lecture, the Fleming Award obtained and used by the and Articles of Association Robin has spent most of his life studying retroviruses and and the Peter Wildy Prize for Microbiology Education (see Welsh Assembly, concluding are published in the worked in cancer research for many years. He has also May issue of Microbiology Today or the SGM website for that ‘Wales needs its own separate Annual Report pioneered aspects of our understanding of HIV and AIDS details). The closing date is 30 September 2007, and the Chief Scientific Adviser’. By booklet distributed to all for which he received the Ernst Chain Award in 2007. He decisions will be made by Council in November. all accounts, the event was a members with this issue of is currently leading a $25 million international research SGM Annual Report 2006 success and, as RSC President Microbiology Today. consortium in vaccine discovery, funded by the Bill and Officers presented their draft Annual Reports for 2006 Jim Feast commented, a great Melissa Gates Foundation. to Council. These were accepted and a copy of the entire way to show the Assembly that ‘science matters’. For further information and to register see http://windeyer. Annual Report is enclosed with this issue of MT. ucl.ac.uk/inf/home.html Ulrich Desselberger, General Secretary Lucy Goodchild, SGM m The Millennium Centre, Cardiff. Ian Britton, Freefoto 102 microbiology today aug 07 microbiology today aug 07 103 News of Prize Lectures Grants Seminar Speakers Fund Members The Fund supports talks on microbiological topics in Fred Griffith Prize Lecture Upcoming deadlines departmental seminar programmes.