ESCMID Study Group for Epidemiological Markers - ESGEM
News & Activities
ESGEM Executive Committee election results
The ESGEM Executive Committee elections have concluded and the following members have been elected for the term of 2023-2025:
- Natacha Couto, UK (Chair)
- Angela Novais, Portugal (Secretary)
- Sandra Reuter, Germany (Education Officer)
- Sylvain Brisse, France (Science Officer)
- Benjamin Peter Howden, Australia (Treasurer)
The new Executive Committee will take office during the ESGEM meeting at ECCMID this year.
We thank all previous Executive Committee members for their excellent work over the last years and are looking forward to continuing this work.
You can find the full election report here
2022 Annual Report Published
The Annual Report showcasing the achievements of the previous year is now available to view. Be sure to check out the report to see what the Study Group was able to accomplish in 2022 as well as what they plan for the future.
ESCMID Conference
13th International Meeting on Microbial Epidemiological Markers (IMMEM XII)
Co-organised by ESGEM and ESCMID
14 – 17 September 2022, Bath, UK
“Establishing whole genome sequencing at the core of epidemiological surveillance”
The 13th International Meeting on Microbial Epidemiological Markers (IMMEM XIII) took place in the wonderful city of Bath, UK, from 14th to 17th September 2022. Altogether, 381 participants from 43 countries covering all continents convened to discuss and exchange ideas on various aspects of microbial strain typing and characterization within the over-arching theme ‘Establishing whole-genome sequencing at the core of epidemiological surveillance’. Almost 200 abstracts were accepted and 14 were selected for oral presentations. ESCMID and ESGEM granted free attendance to the conference for 12 early career scientists from all around the world. Four Travel grants were approved for attendants from Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC) sponsored by ESCMID and ESGEM. The application of next-generation sequencing to answer diverse questions in the fields of research, public health, human and veterinary medicine was central to most of the sessions and topics at IMMEM XIII. The conference was structured into 12 sessions on four days; the symposia had various formats from classical 1-2 h sessions with controversial debates, workshop-like sessions and a final “lessons learnt from COVID pandemic” interview format.
See the conference programme page here
ESCMID Postgraduate Education Course
Moving beyond single species outbreaks: the role of mobile genetic elements
Co-organised by ESGEM and ESCMID
7 – 8 July 2022, Online
Course Objectives: Outbreaks mediated by the dissemination of mobile genetic elements are increasing in frequency and represent a serious threat for healthcare facilities and public health authorities. These elements carry highly relevant resistance genes that can cross the strain, species and even genus barrier, making it challenging to detect and manage in an outbreak scenario. In this course, we discussed how a deeper understanding of the biology, ecology and transmission of mobile genetic elements can aid in outbreak prevention and management. We saw examples of such scenarios and learnt how to accurately reconstruct mobile genetic elements with experts in the field.
Course material in the ESCMID eLibrary
ESCMID Postgraduate Education Course
Next-generation sequencing in routine clinical microbiology and infectious diseases
Co-organised by ESGMD, ESGEM and ESCMID
27 – 29 September 2021, Online
Course Objectives: With a multitude of benefits, Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology is revolutionizing microbiological diagnostics and NGS is on the way on becoming the new gold standard. The workshop will highlight opportunities and challenges with this technology and present how it can be used in clinical diagnostic settings.
Course material in the ESCMID eLibrary
2021 Annual Report Published
The Annual Report showcasing the achievements of the previous year is now available to view. Be sure to check out the report to see what the Study Group was able to accomplish in 2021 as well as what they plan for the future.
ESGEM Executive Committee election results
The ESGEM Executive Committee elections have concluded and the following members have been elected for the term of 2021-2023:
- Guido Werner, Germany (Chair)
- Natacha Couto, UK (Secretary)
- Angela Novais, Portugal (Education Officer)
- Kristin Hegstad, Norway (Science Officer)
- Benjamin Peter Howden, Australia (Treasurer)
The new Executive Committee will take office during the ESGEM meeting at ECCMID this year.
We thank all previous Executive Committee members for their excellent work over the last years and are looking forward to continuing this work.
You can find the full election report here
2020 Annual Report Published
The Annual Report showcasing the achievements of the previous year is now available to view. 2020 was a challenging year due to COVID-19, but check out the report to see what the Study Group was able to accomplish or plan for the future.
ESCMID Conference
12th International Meeting on Microbial Epidemiological Markers (IMMEM XII)
Co-organised by ESGEM and ESCMID
18 – 21 September 2019, Dubrovnik, Croatia
“Moving towards genome-based pathogen surveillance – lessons learnt and challenges ahead”
Since the mid 1980s, the ESCMID study group ESGEM has organized a tri-annual meeting called International Meeting on Microbial Epidemiological Markers (IMMEM). Altogether, 275 participants from 35 countries covering all continents convened to discuss and exchange ideas on various aspects of microbial strain typing and characterization. The programme consisted of scientific sessions, workshops, and two days of poster discussions. The application of next generation and whole genome sequencing to answer various research, public and veterinary (public) health questions was a central topic. IMMEM-XII again managed to attract an international audience and clearly demonstrated that the key issues of IMMEM and the aims and objectives of ESGEM work are more current and in demand than ever.
Read the full report on the congress by clicking here
New Executive Committee takes office
April 16, 2020
ESGEM has a new executive committee composed of:
- Chairperson: Prof. Guido Werner, Germany
- Secretary: Dr Natacha Couto, Netherlands
- Treasurer: Prof. Edward Feil, United Kingdom
- Education officer: Dr Joao Andre Carrico, Portugal
Mario Ramirez and Dominique Blanc as members of the election committee invited the membership to nominate candidates and vote. The results of the elections are the following:
- Number of members with voting right: 96
- Number of voters: 44 (45.8%)
Candidates:
- João André Carriço, Portugal 30, elected
- Guido Werner, Germany 30, elected
- Edward Feil, United Kingdom 27, elected
- Natacha Couto, The Netherlands 20, elected
- Sandra Reuter, Germany 10, non-elected
- No preference 2
The new executive committee is elected for two years.
ESCMID Postgraduate Education Course
3rd Course on Principles of Molecular Microbiological Diagnostics
Co-organised by ESGEM, ESGMD and ESCMID
17 – 19 January 2018, Maastricht, Netherlands
Course Objectives: Basic information on microbiological molecular diagnostics and set-up; Advanced education (interactive workshops) on technical items (participants can discuss their own questions with experts); Advantages and pitfalls of specific techniques; Setting up molecular diagnostic laboratory (low resource settings); Typing approaches for infection control; New MDx techniques (NGS, automation, multiplex, mass spectrometry); Emerging fields in MDx (microbioma diagnostic applications; electronic nose expectations, etc.); Future perspectives of MDx in the clinical microbiological laboratory
Course material in the ESCMID eLibrary
ESCMID Postgraduate Education Course
Workshop on Migrants’ Health
Co-organised by ESGCP, ESGVH, ESGEM, ESGMYC, the Ministry of Health of Oman, the ESCMID Task Force for Emerging Infections (EITaF), WHO EMRO, ECDC
8 – 10 March 2018 Muscat, Oman
Course Objectives: to highlight the initiatives for monitoring migrants’ health, prevent and control infectious diseases in migrants in GCC and EMRO; to discuss the impact of migrants on the health systems of the hosting countries especially for vaccine preventable diseases, importation of communicable diseases and AMR; to present the ways to enhance GCC / EMRO preparedness for infectious diseases in migrants during peace and conflict; to highlight the importance of intergovernmental and international organizations collaboration required to address migrants’ health needs in GCC / EMRO; to discuss the role and impact of migrants on the elimination programs for TB, malaria, HIV and hepatitis B and C viruses, and what strategies countries can follow to address the challenge; to discuss the ways on how countries can establish surveillance and integrated research for migrants’ health
Course material in the ESCMID eLibrary
ESCMID Postgraduate Technical Workshop
Diagnostic Microbiology: MALDI-TOF, Bacterial Genomics, Metagenomics, Automation and Molecular Microbiology
Co-organised by ESGMD, ESGEM, the University and the University Hospital of Lausanne
25 – 28 September 2018, Lausanne,Switzerland
To further improve patients care, it is crucial to continue to develop new tools providing faster results, with a broader diversity of pathogenic agents with very high sensivity and specificity. To reach these goals, it is important to be aware of the new innovative methods that have recently been developed and to exchange knowledge and ideas on the future of diagnostic microbiology, including the emerging indications of metagenomics for non-infectious diseases such as obesity and asthma. This course thus aims to provide a unique platform to learn about the strengths and limitations of new diagnostic tools including Maldi-TOF, molecular diagnosis, genomics and metagenomics, as well as novel innovative technics such as nanoplasmonic sensors and atomic force microscopy. The course also offers a unique opportunity for participants to gain practical experience during the twelve different practicals led by local microbiologists.
Course material in the ESCMID eLibrary
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