Bacillus ACT 2007 - International Conference on Bacillus anthracis, B. cereus and B. thuringiensis

We apply for financial support from the Norwegian Research Council to help us organize the Bacillus ACT 2007 Conference in Oslo. The Conference will gather scientists from around the world (Europe, Americas, Asia) studying the group of closely related pat hogenic bacteria encompassing Bacillus anthracis, B. cereus and B. thuringiensis (ACT). Their close genetic relationship is particularly interesting, given that one species is highly toxic to mammals including man (B. anthracis, causing anthrax), and has been used as a biological weapon (US, September 2001), while another (B. thuringiensis) is the world's most widely used biological pesticide. It is therefore used in vast amounts as a replacement for chemical pesticides, since it is able to produce toxins which kill the insect pests at the larvae stage. The third bacterium, B. cereus, is one of the most common causes of bacterial food poisoning in Norway and many other countries, and a common polluter organism in dairies and hospitals. Recently, B. cereus strains have emerged that cause anthrax-like symptoms in man, indicating a potential for B. cereus as an emerging pathogen. The fact that these bacteria are spore-formers may make them highly resistant to disinfection as well as pasteurization, and they may reside as spores in the environment for long periods of time (decades, perhaps centuries), constituting reservoirs for disease. The Bacillus ACT 2007 conference will allow the dissemination and exchange of novel scientific findings and ideas. The pre vious meetings in the series were held in Santa Fe (NM), USA in 2005, and in Nice, France in 2003. The meeting consists of oral (all plenary) and poster sessions, over a total of four days. More than 220 abstracts have already been recieved and more than 300 participants have currently registered (limit set at 370). Several of our research group's international collaborators will be attending the meeting, allowing important scientific discussions on common projects.