UNMC hosts international conference on pathogens

Ken Bayles, Ph.D.

Mark Rupp, M.D.

Expanding our knowledge base about dangerous antibiotic resistant pathogens such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), and GroupA streptococci (flesh-eating bacteria) will be the focus of a major conference in Omaha this week hosted by UNMC.

A total of 165 scientists from around the world are in town for the International Conference on Gram-Positive Pathogens at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 555 S. 10th St.

The conference, which opened on Sunday and ends today, has brought together scientists from throughout the United States, as well as Portugal, England, Denmark and Poland.

This marks the second time the conference has been held in Omaha, said Ken Bayles, Ph.D., associate professor in the department of pathology and microbiology and lead organizer of the conference. In 2006, UNMC hosted the inaugural conference, which focused on virulence factor regulation.

“This conference emerged from a wonderful collaboration that has developed between several investigators in the Midwest who study various Gram-positive pathogens,” Dr. Bayles said. “What we have found through our interactions is that there is an incredible amount to be learned from each other.

“What we have found through our interactions is that there is an incredible amount to be learned from each other.” Ken Bayles, Ph.D.

“The considerable overlap of systems within these different Gram-positive pathogens is such that the study of one organism provides a new and insightful perspective into several others. Thus, the result of these interactions has been the generation of new research ideas and the development of several new collaborative projects.”

Dr. Bayles said the conference will be entirely devoted to Gram-positive pathogens, touching on a variety of topics including physiology, pathogenesis and antibiotic resistance. It will focus on antibiotic action and resistance mechanisms.

In 2005, UNMC formed a research group focused on the local and national problem of staphylococcus infections. In addition to Dr. Bayles, other members of the group include: Paul Fey, Ph.D., Steven Hinrichs, M.D., Paul Dunman, Ph.D., and Mark Rupp, M.D., all of UNMC, as well as Greg Somerville, Ph.D., of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; and Creighton University’s Richard Goering, Ph.D.

“The UNMC group has become a world leader in the study of these pathogens,” Dr. Rupp said. “Tomorrow’s new antibiotics and vaccines will be driven by a better understanding of the pathogenesis and biology of these pathogens — and that is what this conference is all about.

“It’s a major honor for UNMC to be hosting this international conference. The conference keeps getting bigger and better, and it’s putting Omaha and UNMC on the map.”

This year’s featured conference speakers include: Dr. Alexander Tomasz, The Rockefeller University; Dr. Kim Lewis, Northeastern University; Dr. Debra Bessen, New York Medical College; and Dr. Louis Rice, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center.