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Kenneth Bayles, Ph.D. |
The National Conference on Gram-Positive Pathogens, which started Sunday and runs through today, focuses on bacteria such as staphylococcus (a.k.a., staph), streptococcus (a.k.a., strep) and anthracis (a.k.a., anthrax). These bacteria are known as Gram-positive pathogens.
In the research world, people who study one type of Gram-positive pathogen don’t often have an opportunity to interact with researchers who study other kinds of bacteria, said Kenneth Bayles, Ph.D., associate professor of pathology/microbiology at UNMC.
The conference, which is being held at the Embassy Suites in downtown Omaha, is a chance to bring researchers of various bacteria together, Dr. Bayles said.
“They are definitely similarities among the bacteria,” Dr. Bayles said. “This meeting is a chance to discuss those similarities and maybe help each other with our research.”
The conference has featured several keynote speakers, including Theresa Koehler, Ph.D., professor of microbiology and molecular genetics at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, and a leading researcher of anthrax.
On Monday, Dr. Koehler spoke of her studies of the factors making anthrax so lethal, Dr. Bayles said.
The agenda for the final day of the conference features a presentation by Steven Projan, Ph.D., vice president of biological technologies at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and a leader in antibacterial development for staph infections.
The conference’s importance is highlighted by a recent rise in concern about some Gram-positive pathogens that has been stoked by an increase in staph infections and the potential use of anthrax in terrorist attacks, Dr. Bayles said.