OFFICIALOFFICIAL JOURNALJOURNAL OFOF THETHE AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY FOR MICROBIOLOGY INC.INC. VolumeVolume 3636 NumberNumber 33 SeptemberSeptember 20152015 Anaerobic bacteria Confirmed Plenary speakers Professor Peter Professor Dan Assoc Prof Susan Lynch Dr Brian Conlon Professor Anna Hawkey Andersson University of California Northeastern Durbin University of Upsalla University San Francisco University, Boston Johns Hopkins Birmingham Environmental pollution Colitis, Crohn's Disease Drug discovery in Dengue and vaccines Nosocomial by antibiotics and its and Microbiome soil bacteria infection control and role in the evolution of Research antibiotic resistance resistance As with previous years, ASM 2016 will be co-run with NOW CONFIRMED! EduCon 2016: Microbiology Educators’ Conference 2016 Rubbo Oration Watch this space for more details on the scientific and Professor Anne Kelso social program, speakers, ASM Public Lecture, workshops, CEO NHMRC ASM awards, student events, travel awards, abstract deadlines and much more.. Perth, WA A vibrant and beautiful city located on the banks of the majestic Swan river. Come stay with us in WA and experience our world class wineries and restaurants, stunning national parks, beaches and much more.. www.theasm.org.au www.westernaustralia.theasm.org.au Annual Scientific Meeting and Trade Exhibition The Australian Society for Microbiology Inc. OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY FOR MICROBIOLOGY INC. 9/397 Smith Street Fitzroy, Vic. 3065 Tel: 1300 656 423 Volume 36 Number 3 September 2015 Fax: 03 9329 1777 Email: [email protected] www.theasm.org.au Contents ABN 24 065 463 274 Vertical For Microbiology Australia Transmission 102 correspondence, see address below. Jonathan Iredell Editorial team Guest Prof. Ian Macreadie, Mrs Jo Macreadie Editorial 103 and Mrs Hayley Macreadie Anaerobic bacteria 103 Editorial Board Dena Lyras and Julian I Rood Dr Chris Burke (Chair) Dr Gary Lum Under the Prof. Mary Barton Dr John Merlino Microscope 104 Prof. Linda Blackall Prof. Wieland Meyer The complex factors that contribute to Clostridium difficile infection 104 Prof. Sharon Chen Prof. William Rawlinson Kate E Mackin and Dena Lyras Prof. Peter Coloe Dr Paul Selleck Dr Narelle Fegan Dr David Smith Clostridium difficile infection: an Australian clinical perspective 106 Dr Geoff Hogg Ms Helen Smith Grant A Jenkin Prof.. Jonathan Iredell Dr Jack Wang Dr Ipek Kurtböke Dr Paul Young Predicting genome variations between passages of Clostridium difficle Subscription rates by ribotypes 109 Current subscription rates are available Volker Gürtler from the ASM Melbourne offi ce. Community-acquired Clostridium difficile infection and Australian Editorial correspondence food animals 111 Prof. Ian Macreadie/Mrs Jo Macreadie Michele M Squire, Daniel R Knight and Thomas V Riley Tel: 0402 564 308 (Ian) Email: [email protected] Clostridium perfringens extracellular toxins and enzymes: 20 and counting 114 Published four times a year Sarah A Revitt-Mills, Julian I Rood and Vicki Adams in print and open access online by Necrotic enteritis in chickens: an important disease caused by Clostridium perfringens 118 Robert J Moore The manufacture of veterinary clostridial vaccines 120 Unipark, Building 1, Level 1 Robert Dempster 195 Wellington Road, Clayton, Vic. 3168 http://microbiology.publish.csiro.au Anaerobic spirochaetes and animals 122 David J Hampson, Nyree D Phillips and Tom La Publishing enquiries Jenny Bennett Anaerobic microorganisms and bioremediation of organohalide pollution 125 Email: [email protected] Matthew Lee, Chris Marquis, Bat-Erdene Judger and Mike Manefield Production enquiries Helen Pavlatos Coupling anaerobic bacteria and microbial fuel cells as whole-cell Email: [email protected] environmental biosensors 129 Advertising enquiries Lara T Bereza-Malcolm and Ashley E Franks Doug Walters Interesting anaerobes in the environment 133 Tel: 03 9545 8505 Mobile: 0419 357 779 Linda L Blackall Email: [email protected] ASM © 2015 The Australian Society for Microbiology Inc. Affairs 136 The ASM, through CSIRO Publishing, reserve all rights to the content, artwork and photographs in Microbiology Report from ASM 2015: One Microbiology 136 Australia. Permission to reproduce text, photos and artwork must be sought from CSIRO Publishing. Science meets Parliament 2015 140 The Australian Copyright Act 1968 and subsequent Visit from Turkish Society of Microbiology 142 amendments permit downloading and use of an article by an individual or educational institution for non- Vale Stephen Davis 143 commercial personal use or study. Multiple reproduction of any Microbiology Australia article in a study block is governed by rights agreement managed by Copyright Hot Topic 144 Agency Limited and fees may apply. Out of Africa: response to Ebola in the developed world; Authors published in Microbiology Australia have the moral right under Australian law to be acknowledged as lessons for the future 144 the creator. Lyn Gilbert and Peter Collignon ISSN 1324-4272 eISSN 2201-9189 While reasonable effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the content, the Australian Society for Microbiology, CSIRO, and CSIRO Publishing accept no responsibility for any loss or damage from the direct or indirect use of or reliance on the content. The opinions expressed in articles, letters, and advertisements in Cover image: Scanning electron microscope image of Clostridium diffi cile spores. (SEM image provided Microbiology Australia are not necessarily those of the by the laboratory of Dena Lyras). Australian Society for Microbiology, the Editorial Board, CSIRO, and CSIRO Publishing. MICROBIOLOGY AUSTRALIA • SEPTEMBER 2015 101 Vertical Transmission positions will be finalised and the agenda for the next AGM dis- cussed. This is likely to include significant constitutional change and we will be inviting the entire membership to engage in discussions about the future of Microbiology and the ASM in this country. Data from ASN and our VP Corporate Affairs, Cheryl Power, tell us that membership continues to rise with >2100 financial members as Jonathan Iredell of mid-2015, the distribution by state roughly equating to that of the President of ASM general population. Approximately 5% of our members are Fellows and as the Society undergoes the natural evolution that is occurring in all general societies, we will be looking to our senior members Constitutional reformwas onthe agenda again atthe Annual General including the Divisional and State Chairs and the Fellowship as a Meeting in Canberra, as it will be for the next several AGMs I think, whole for guidance. Among the key issues on which advice will be as there is clear recognition from the membership that the Society sought before being put to Council and ultimately the entire is facing change. The roles of the Divisional chairs and State chairs membership at the AGMs are the review of Society structure and and the nature of the general meeting were discussed in the light of governance and the ongoing review of meetings. overall structure. The Council is the principal decision-making body but because the Council only meets twice-yearly, interactions inside Fellowship is achieved by examination or by submitting relevant the Executive form the operational and strategic engine of ASM. The evidence of a members seniority and excellence within their disci- current Executive includes the incumbent President, with either the pline and we would encourage all those who would be eligible to incoming (President-Elect) or outgoing (Immediate Past President), apply. While we will be looking to increased consultation of the the Vice-President Scientific Affairs, Vice-President Corporate Affairs Fellowship and the Divisions in advising Council, the State branches and Vice-President Communications. The Chair roles have long will always be the main drivers of society business outside the been tasked with national leadership but without a role in Executive national meetings, delivering content for members by members, they have been preoccupied almost exclusively with the national hosting VSP participants from overseas and interstate, and mentor- meeting and speak only at the National Scientific Advisory Com- ing the Microbiologists of tomorrow. Recent rises in capitation and mittee, which has an enormous operational role managing the bulk regular contact between State branch representatives and national of the scientific awards and meetings. The recent move of the office by teleconference have been successful in increasing cohe- Division Chairs into Council as invitees over the last year or two sion and communication, and the reform of the VSP process that has has worked well and the increased involvement of State Chairs just been completed by Peter Traynor is expected to increase the similarly. We will be now ratifying these arrangements by seeking utility of this mechanism. formal endorsement at an extraordinary general meeting of I would urge society members to suggest new meetings, new the membership to bring the Constitution into line with these themes, even new Divisions. Ask yourselves if the current structure arrangements. with multiple special interest groupings is the right one for you? We will also be seeking formal ratification at the EGM (probably If you’re thinking about new meetings, how can the Society help you at the coming BacPath meeting) of the shift in the membership do it? The ASM is an easy way for a good idea to become a regular renewal data to better synchronise with the auditing and