CONTENTS Page MAIN SYMPOSIUM New challenges to health: the threat of virus infection 3 GROUP SYMPOSIUM CELLS & CELL SURFACES GROUP Wall-less organisms 5 Offered posters 7 CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY GROUP Antibiotic resistance 9 Offered posters 12 CLINICAL VIROLOGY GROUP Monitoring and treatment of blood-borne viral infections 17 EDUCATION GROUP Benchmarking in microbiology 23 ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY GROUP Microbe/pollutant interactions: biodegradation and bioremediation 25 Offered posters 30 FERMENTATION & BIOPROCESSING and PHYSIOLOGY, BIOCHEMISTRY & MOLECULAR GENETICS GROUPS Biotransformations 41 Offered posters 43 MICROBIAL INFECTION GROUP joint with BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETY New enzyme targets for antimicrobial agents 49 Offered posters 51 MICROBIAL INFECTION GROUP Activities and actions of antimicrobial peptides 55 Offered posters 57 PHYSIOLOGY, BIOCHEMISTRY & MOLECULAR GENETICS GROUP Microbiology of nitric oxide 59 Offered posters 61 SYSTEMATICS & EVOLUTION GROUP joint with INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE ON SYSTEMATIC BACTERIOLOGY Genomics: Beyond the sequence 65 Offered posters 68 VIRUS GROUP Post-transcriptional control of virus gene expression 71 INDEX OF AUTHORS 79 LATE SUBMISSIONS 83 Society for General Microbiology – 148th Ordinary Meeting – Heriot-Watt University – 26-30 March 2001 - 1 - Society for General Microbiology – 148th Ordinary Meeting – Heriot-Watt University – 26-30 March 2001 - 2 - Main Symposium New challenges to health: the threat of virus infection Full chapters of the following presentations will be published in a Symposium - New challenges to health: the threat of virus infection – published for the Society for General Microbiology by Cambridge University Press. MONDAY 26 MARCH 2001 0900 Surveillance and detection of viruses C.J. PETERS (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Atlanta) 0945 Dynamics and epidemiological impact of microparasites B. GRENFELL (University of Cambridge) 1100 The emergence of human immunodeficiency viruses and AIDS R. WEISS (Windeyer Institute of Medical Sciences, University College, London) 1145 Calicivirus, myxoma virus and the wild rabbit in Australia: a tale of three invasions B. RICHARDSON (University of Western Sydney, Australia) 1400 Influenza A viruses A. HAY (National Institute for Medical Research) 1445 Hepatitis viruses as emerging agents of infectious diseases S. LEMON (University of Texas, USA) 1600 The continuing threat of bunyaviruses and hantaviruses R. ELLIOTT (University of Glasgow) 1645 Morbilliviruses: dangers old and new T. BARRETT (Institute for Animal Health, Pirbright) TUESDAY 27 MARCH 2001 0900 Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies C. WEISSMANN (Imperial College School of Medicine at St Mary’s) 0945 Endogenous retrovirus and xenotransplantation J.P. STOYE (National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill) 1100 Gammaherpesviral infections and neoplasia in immuno-compromised population C. BOSHOFF (University College London) 1145 The proteins of Marburg and Ebola viruses - functions and potential roles in pathogenesis H.-D. KLENK (Med Zentrum fuer Hygiene und Med Mikro Philipps Universitaet, Marburg) 1400 Epidemic dengue/dengue haemorrhagic fever as a public health problem in the 21st century D. GUBLER (CDC, Fort Collins, USA) 1445 Borna disease virus – a threat for human mental health? L. BODE and H. LUDWIG (Robert Koch Institut, Berlin / Freie Universitaet Berlin, Germany ) 1600 Antiviral drug development and the impact of drug resistance G. DARBY (GlaxoWellcome, Stevenage) Society for General Microbiology – 148th Ordinary Meeting – Heriot-Watt University – 26-30 March 2001 - 3 - Society for General Microbiology – 148th Ordinary Meeting – Heriot-Watt University – 26-30 March 2001 - 4 - CELLS & CELL SURFACES GROUP Wall-less organisms TUESDAY 27 MARCH 2001 module that specifies which morphogenetic networks 0900 Comparative genomics and pathogenicity of (involved in cell shape maintenance and septum formation) mycoplasmas the associated acyl serine transferase module attaches to. S. RAZIN Chlamydia trachomatis (Ctr) lacks the information for PBP Dept of Membrane and Ultrastructure Research, The fusions of class A. By denoting the PBPs by the numbering of Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem the encoding ORFs, C. trachomatis has the information for a 91120, Israel free-standing PBP Ctr D551 and two PBP fusions of class B, Due to their minute genome and cell simplicity mycoplasmas the 647 amino acid residues PBP Ctr D270 and 1080 amino were among the first organisms subjected to complete genome acid residue PBP Ctr D682. The two PBP fusions of class B are sequencing. The genomic projects have contributed most inactivated by b-lactams at therapeutically achievable conspicuously to our understanding of the molecular biology concentrations and their inactivation is associated with the and evolution of mycoplasmas. Accordingly, mycoplasmas formation of reticulate bodies of abnormal morphology, evolved as a branch of gram-positive bacteria by reductive suggesting that these PBPs are involved, individually and evolution, losing considerable portions of their ancestors’ collectively, in the synthesis, from lipid II, of an essential cell chromosomes in this process. The significant genome envelope polymer (whose structure remains unknown). The compaction was made possible by adopting a parasitic cell-cycle proteins FtsZ, a GTPase which holds other proteins lifestyle. Supply of nutrients from their host facilitated the of the divisome together and provides the driving force for loss of genes for many assimilative, metabolic and regulatory cytokinesis, MraW, FtsW and RodA are strictly conserved processess. To keep to the parasitic lifestyle, mycoplasmas among the peptidoglycan-containing bacteria. C. trachomatis developed rather sophisticated mechanisms to colonize their produces MraW (ORF D272-encoded), FtsW (ORF D760- host and resist the host’s immune system. This required a encoded) and RodA (ORF D726-encoded) but not FtsZ. The significant number of genes devoted to adhesion and question of which connections may exist between the generation of antigenic variation systems, consisting mostly presumed wall polymer synthesized by the PBP fusions of of membrane lipoproteins. Some of the lipoproteins and class B and the process of cell division also remain derived lipopeptides are active immunomodulators, playing unanswered. an important role in mycoplasma pathogenesis. Ref.: J.M. Ghuysen and C. Goffin. Antimicrob. Agents The mycoplasmal genomic projects have brought us much Chemother. 1999, 43 :2339-44 / C. Storey and I. Chopra. closer to achieving the goal of complete deciphering, in Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 2000, 45 :303-5. molecular terms, of the machinery of a self-replicating cell. M. genitalium is, thus far, the organism closest to the theoretical 1145 Sex specific pathogenic Spiroplasmas of insects minimal cell capable of self-replication. Global transposon MICHAEL E.N. MAJERUS mutagenesis was applied to test the effects of specific gene Dept of Genetics, University of Cambridge disruptions on growth. Of the 480 protein coding genes in M. Many species of invertebrate are infected by inherited genitalium 265 to 350 appear essential under laboratory bacterial symbionts. These symbionts have traditionally growth conditions. In the case of DNA replication, been classified into mutualists (beneficial), parasitic transcription, and translation, it seems that the minimal set of (harmful) and commensal (neutral). Symbionts that are genes has already been established in M. genitalium and M. predominantly transmitted vertically are almost totally pneumoniae. There is still very much to do to identify the dependent on the success of their host. It appears to follow unclassified open-reading frames (ORFs) that have no that such symbionts should evolve strategies that increase database match, prove experimentally the DNA-based host survival or at least ameliorate costs on their host. This predictions, and assign functions to proposed ORFs with thesis, however, ignores symbionts that manipulate their hitherto unknown functions. Cell protein analysis, applying hosts to the symbionts’ benefit, even when this is to the the ‘Proteome’ and ‘Transcriptome’ approaches are amongst detriment of the host. The inheritance of these bacteria is the major directions currently taken to define structurally and typically through the female host. Consequently, a variety of functionally the entire complement of mycoplasmal cell strategies involving manipulation of host reproduction, proteins. usually in favour of female compared to male hosts have evolve. These include feminisation, parthenogenesis 0945 Wall peptidoglycanless chlamydiae induction and male-killing. JEAN-MARIE GHUYSEN and COLETTE GOFFIN Most research on these ‘ultra-selfish’ bacteria has Centre for Protein Engineering, University of Liège, concentrated on a -proteobacteria, such as Wolbachia. Belgium Following internalization into host cells, chlamydial However, Spiroplasmas have been found to cause male-killing elementary bodies which are metabolically inert differentiate in hosts from three orders of insects, Coleoptera, Diptera and into reticulate bodies which undergo binary fission (and then Lepidoptera. Typically male death occurs early in differentiate back into elementary bodies which are released embryogenesis. The vertical transmission efficiencies of through cell lysis). Chlamydiae are peptidoglycanless gram- these Spiroplasmas is usually high (> 0.95). Prevalences negative bacteria despite the