microbiologytoday vol34|nov07 quarterly magazine of the society for general microbiology cytokines interferon – the early days cytokines, receptors and virus infection treating fungal infections with interferon protection against TB interferon – where are we now? contents vol34(4) regular features 146 News 184 Gradline 194 Reviews 178 Meetings 188 Going public 199 Addresses 180 Schoolzone 192 Hot off the press other items 154 Microshorts 197 Member’s reports 176 Historical anecdotes 198 Obituary 196 Scottish Infection Research Network articles 156 Interferon: 168 Gamma interferon and the early days fungal infections Derek C. Burke Javier Capilla, Karl Clemons Crude systems and mechanical operations featured during & David Stevens the ‘steam age of virology’. As fungal infections become more frequent and diverse, cytokines may be used to enhance the activity of antifungal treatment. Viruses and interferon – 160 Gamma interferon – key, but 50 years on 172 not sufficient for protection Rick Randall & Steve Goodbourn against TB? We have learnt a lot since Isaacs and Lindenmann described ‘the interferon’ in 1957, but the story is not over. Hazel Dockrell Although it is a good indicator of TB vaccine immunogenicity, heterogeneity means there may not be an easy answer when 164 Chemokines, it comes to gamma interferon. receptors and virus 200 Comment: Microbiology – infection a degree of concern? Edward Wright Sue Assinder Chemokine receptors are sometimes hijacked Analysis of the SGM undergraduate prize scheme suggests by pathogens to gain entry to cells and initiate we should be wary, but not too concerned about the decline infection. of microbiology departments. Cover image Polarized light micrograph of crystals of human interferon. Phillip A. Harrington, Peter Arnold Inc. / Science Photo Library 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, Ten Alps Publishing, London Office, 10 Savoy Street, London WC2E 7HR–t 0207 878 2316–f 0207 379 7118–e [email protected] Regular feature images pp. 147 SGM; 179, 181, 195 Comstock / Jupiter Images; 185, 193 Stockbyte; 189, AbleStock / Jupiter Images; 199 Digital Vision / Getty claims of advertisers © 2007 The Society for General Microbiology––ISSN 1464-0570––Printed by Latimer Trend & Company Ltd, Plymouth, UK be guaranteed. news New category of membership for 2008 SGM Council June meeting That SGM is pleased to announce a new category of membership: Members will have the same benefits as before, such as SGM strategy longest Associate Membership. It embraces the former categories special concessions and grants for attending SGM meetings. Following up on earlier considerations of Strategy Group running of Technician, Postgraduate Student and Retired Membership, The annual subscription for Associate Membership is recommendations, Council discussed ways of networking experiment but aims to support a whole range of other microbiologists. only £25. All Associate Members will be eligible for special with other societies and scientific organizations. It was Associate Membership is also open to microbiologists discounted registration fees to attend SGM meetings and noted that the BBSRC Director of Research has approached again resident in the UK or Republic of Ireland employed receive Microbiology Today. Eligibility for grants remains the the society with a view to collaborating on setting up Imran Hayat really in universities, research institutes, hospitals/HPA or same as before – see www.sgm.ac.uk/grants to check out strategic networks, as recommended in the Dorman Review enjoyed reading Dr Jean commercial institutions, whose salaries are no higher than the schemes that apply to you. of Microbial Science. SGM has also been invited by Defra Lindenmann’s article in £25,000 p.a. gross. It is intended for graduate scientists, Existing Technician, Postgraduate Student and Retired to carry out an independent review of their research into the February issue of the research assistants, postdoctoral fellows, biomedical Members will be automatically converted to Associates, but bovine TB in the UK. magazine which has stirred scientists, clinical scientists, etc., as well as technicians. up some debate about the if you are an Ordinary Member and are eligible to change Council review Experts Postgraduate Student Associate Membership is still available to the Associate category, look out for the invoice to renew world’s longest running The internal review of the composition of Council, its to anyone registered for a microbiology higher degree your subscription which will be arriving any time now. This wanted! experiment. He agrees functions and workings as well as the responsibilities of worldwide, subject to the £25k salary cap. Retired Associate contains full details of what to do. with Richard Jackson that members of Council and roles of SGM officers, chaired by SGM needs the field experiments Petra Oyston, is ongoing. you! at Rothamsted are the All change for SGM meetings SGM membership SGM actively promotes longest running biological As a result of requests to alter the structure of SGM meetings and observations of changes Council approved a new category of membership, termed microbiology to the media experiments, but disagrees in the profile of subject areas within microbiology, Council held a full review of the entire ‘Associate Membership’. This will include recent graduates, and helps journalists obtain with Tim Mahony about the meetings system earlier this year. It was carried out by a small working party made up of postgraduate students, early career postdoctoral fellows, accurate information. claim about the pitch drop Council members, Group conveners and Marlborough House staff. The recommendations clinical trainees, technicians, biomedical scientists and To do this we need experiment in the Guinness were considered and endorsed with very minor changes by conveners in May and approved retired members (see p. 146 for details). scientists to answer their Book of Records! at June Council. questions. With so many Review of scientific meetings and group structure ‘There are a number of The existing group structure is to be replaced by five divisions (Prokaryotic microbiology, microbiological stories much older experiments, Hilary Lappin-Scott reported on the recommendations Eukaryotic microbiology, Virology, Education and Irish). Each scientific division will be in the press these days, my favourite being that agreed by a Working Party earlier this year. Radical changes divided into four themes (Microbial diversity and evolution; Fundamental microbiology; more experts are urgently of Lord Kelvin’s artificial are planned, including a new organizational structure Translational and applied microbiology; Infectious disease) to ensure that all areas of required to join our existing glacier experiment started for delivering the science and a different timetable for microbial science are covered. The programmes for SGM meetings will be devised through database of contacts. in 1887 which can still meetings. See p. 146 for details. The new system will be a matrix management system, starting with the 2009 spring meeting in Harrogate. Each Whether you have dealt be seen at the Hunterian phased in from September 2007 and take over in the spring division will be headed by a chair and chair-elect, who will sit on the Scientific Meetings with the media for years Museum at Glasgow of 2009. Council approved these proposals, thanked Hilary Committee responsible for making decisions on policy and meetings content. The Scientific or never spoken to a University. The world’s for chairing the review and welcomed her preparedness to Meetings Officer will have a deputy under the new system. SGM members will also be able journalist in your life, we longest running experiment serve for one more year beyond her term of office (until to propose sessions for consideration, via a form on the website. want to hear from you. We is the Oxford Electric Bell or September 2009) to see the changes through. can offer help with media Clarendon Dry Pile* at the There will still be two meetings a year, in spring and autumn, each lasting 3½ days, but training if necessary and we University of Oxford which the timetable of the meetings has been formalized. There will be up to four concurrent SGM journals always check first that you has rung continuously since symposia each morning and flexible sessions in the afternoons. These can be workshops, The Microbiology editorial office has made significant are willing to deal with an 1840. The experiment training courses, debates, offered papers, mini-symposia, etc. Poster viewing will now take progress in introducing the Bench>Press system for enquiry. was set up to determine place in the early evenings, with drinks. manuscript processing and journal production. It is hoped Everyone’s an expert or test the theory of We look forward to implementing this exciting new system which aims to provide balanced to complete the implementation of this system for all four in their own