microbiologytoday vol35|feb08 quarterly magazine of the society for general microbiology life on us skin microbes s. aureus: ‘superbug’ life in your mouth bacteria in the bowel human endogenous retroviruses contents vol35(1) regular features 02 News 34 Meetings 44 Hot off the press 08 Microshorts 36 Schoolzone 48 Going public 10 Addresses 40 Gradline 50 Reviews other items 08–Microshorts articles 12 Life on us 26 A lifelong commitment to Robin Weiss bowel bacteria Humans are mobile ecosystems that harbour a wide range of Gerald Tannock micro-organisms. Commensal bacteria in the bowel of young humans play a vital role in determining their future health. 14 Skin microbes Mark Farrar & Richard Bojar 30 Human endogenous Despite the harsh environment in which retroviruses: from they live, microbes on the skin are amazingly diverse. ancestral pathogens to bona fide genes 18 S. aureus: a ‘superbug’ David Griffiths & Simon Foster Cécile Voisset Although S. aureus can be a killer, it is not always harmful Human retroviruses have invaded our germ-line for centuries and it has a tough fight to survive on our bodies. and now make up ~8% of our genomes. 22 Microbial life in the 52 Comment: Microbes as mouth climate engineers Dave Spratt Dave Reay The surfaces of the oral cavity offer a home to a Policy-makers around the world can no longer ignore the variety of microbial communities. role played by micro-organisms in climate change. Cover image Image taken in ultraviolet light of a woman’s hands covered in bacteria. Coneyl Jay / 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. 3 SGM; 10 Digital Vision / Getty; 35, 37, 51 Comstock / Jupiter Images; 41, 45 Stockbyte; 49 Ablestock / Jupiter Images claims of advertisers © 2008 The Society for General Microbiology––ISSN 1464-0570––Printed by Latimer Trend & Company Ltd, Plymouth, UK be guaranteed. news New Editor-in-Chief for JGV at the Institute of Virology SGM Council November meeting highlights in Glasgow with a remit to Professor Richard Elliott establish recombinant DNA technologies with negative SGM Prizes 2008 Joint ASM/SGM Burnet/Hayes Postgraduate Professor Elliott began his 5-year term of office on strand RNA viruses, and Council approved the following awards: Travel Awards 1 January. from here my interest The Australian Society for Microbiology (ASM) and the I undertook my graduate studies in Oxford, under the in bunyaviruses grew. I Fleming Prize SGM have agreed to establish ASM/SGM Burnet/Hayes supervision of the late Dr David Kelly, investigating protein was awarded an MRC Dr Cameron Paul Simmons, Oxford University Clinical Postgraduate Travel Awards. This scheme is designed to synthesis by a large DNA virus, frog virus 3. In 1979 I Senior Fellowship in 1986 Research Unit, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh benefit PhD students in both countries by giving them the moved to the laboratory of Dr Peter Palese in New York for and then appointed to a City, Vietnam, for his achievements in exploiting cutting- opportunity of travelling overseas to present their work and postdoctoral training, taking a conscious decision to study Personal Chair by Glasgow edge molecular and immunological techniques in the study experience the best of microbiology in the partner country. an RNA virus (influenza virus) and to learn more about viral University in 1995. I of human tropical and emerging infections. Two awards will be made per annum, one in each country. nucleic acids. At that time cDNA cloning and nucleic acid served as Joint Head of the Excellent PhD students will be able to apply to attend the Marjory Stephenson Prize sequence determination were technologies still in their Division of Virology in Glasgow from 1998 until September annual meeting of either the ASM or the SGM where they Professor Alan B. Rickinson FRS, University of Birmingham, infancy, and I was involved in cloning influenza genome 2005 when I moved to the University of St Andrews to take are expected to make a presentation. They will then be able for outstanding achievements in research relating to the segments, including the first influenza B virus hemagglutinin up the Chair of Virology. I was elected a Fellow of the Royal to visit laboratories which carry out research relating to their molecular biology and immunology of Epstein–Barr Virus gene. In 1981 the opportunity to return to the UK arose Society of Edinburgh in 1999. interests. The society of the country of origin will cover and the immune surveillance and evasion of Burkitt’s the costs of international air fare and national travel (as lymphoma. appropriate), accommodation and subsistence; the society European Society for Clinical Virology SGM of the host country will provide the conference registration Peter Wildy Prize SGM has been delighted to accept the invitation of the ESCV Council to provide fee. Details will be announced on the SGM website. Council Dr Christopher Smith, University of Cambridge, for administrative and financial services with effect from 2008. The Society will be processing developing innovative ways of publicising and explaining SGM Finances all membership subscription applications and renewals and provide banking and accounting Nominations achievements and problems in science, especially At the end of the third quarter of 2007 SGM’s finances services for ESCV. The membership database will be hosted on the secure SGM server 2008 microbiology, to the public, such as radio broadcasts, the were in a healthy state. Council decided to choose the and online credit card payments will be available, a new facility for ESCV members. Most Nature podcasts and The Naked Scientists website. tobacco-restricted option of Charishare for the UK equity communications will be carried out by email. ESCV officers will continue to organize the Professors Iain Hagan component of the Society’s investments portfolio. Society’s very successful scientific meetings and manage their website (www.escv.org). and Bert Rima, retire A more detailed appreciaton of the prizewinners’ work will from Council in September appear elsewhere in Microbiology Today. The lectures will be Review of Council composition and functions ESCV President, Bruno Lina, commented, ‘Through this agreement, ESCV’s management can 2008. Nominations delivered at SGM meetings in 2008. A short oral report was received from Petra Oyston who is become more professional than in the past, and Executive Officers of ESCV will be able to focus are invited to fill three chairing the working group looking at the responsibilities of on scientific matters rather than having to worry about administrative problems. Also, regular vacancies on Council. All The SGM Medal members of Council, the roles of SGM officers and Elected replacements of Officers, as required by the Society’s Constitution, can take place without nominations must include Council agreed to create a new prize, called the SGM Members, and the functioning of Council. A written report creating breaks in continuity of administration.’ the written consent of the Medal. This will be bestowed annually (starting in 2009) will be presented at the next Council meeting in February The ESCV arose from the merger of two European virology organizations in 1997. It aims nominee and the names of on an individual from anywhere in the world whose 2008 for detailed consideration. to bring together scientists and clinicians throughout Europe and to promote public health the proposer and seconder, research is of internationally high reputation and has been Journal of General Virology and advance education, particularly medical education, in Clinical and Basic Virology. ESCV both of whom must be of significance in reaching beyond microbiology. The Professor Richard M. Elliott, University of St Andrews, will became a charity registered in England and Wales in 2003 and its registered office is already Ordinary Members. Prize comprises a Medal and a cheque for £1,000. The start as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of General Virology, in at Marlborough House, SGM’s headquarters. winner will deliver a lecture at an SGM meeting. A search January 2008 for a period of 5 years (for profile see p. 2). Members submitting committee will accept nominations until 31 August 2008 The President Robin Weiss thanked the retiring Editor- nominations should ([email protected]) and make a People in-chief, Professor Geoffrey L. Smith, for all his efforts in indicate the main area of recommendation to Council in November 2008. Congratulations to… microbiological interest of maintaining and increasing the quality of the journal, and for his contributions to Council. Professor Clive Ronson (Otago University, of the General Advisory Committee on their nominee, who must Associate Membership have been an ordinary Safety of computer-stored information New Zealand) who has been elected as a Science by the Food Standards Agency. It was reported to Council that the new Associate member of the Society Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand. This body will offer independent advice on Membership category, to include recent graduate and Council learned that the Society was in the process of for at least two years. upgrading its email and internet connections and had taken Brian G. Spratt (Professor of Molecular how the FSA collects and uses scientific postgraduate students, early career postdoctoral fellows, Nominations should be further measures to increase the security of its computer- Microbiology at Imperial College London) evidence.