Following the earthquake, the XIX International Seminar on Amebiasis will now take place next April (24-28 April, 2018) in Puebla, Mexico.
The submission deadline for Abstracts for the XIX International Seminar on Amebiasis will take place this October (2017) in Puebla, Mexico, is fast approaching - 1st August 2017!
Links to the websites for two relevant conferences have been added to the front page. The XIX International Seminar on Amebiasis will take place this October (2017) in Puebla, Mexico, while Frontiers in Parasitology, co-organised by Entamoeba Researcher Dr Serge Ankri, will take place next March (2018) at the Weizmann Institute in Israel.
The second announcement of the XVIII Seminar on Amoebiasis can be found here.
Dear Colleagues,
I am please to announce the publication of the (long awaited) book edited by Professors Tomo Nozaki and Alok Bhattacharya, entitled "Amebiasis. Biology and Pathogenesis of Entamoeba". There are 33 chapters contributed by many researchers in the field. The publisher's information on the book can be found here.
Dear Colleagues,
Dr Mark Bonner has asked me to draw the following to your attention:
An Entamoeba gingivalis book in English :
To Kiss or Not To Kiss. A cure for Gum Disease. Mark Bonner. Editions Amyris 2013
EAN: 978-28755-2016-6 To order the book please follow the link.
Entamoeba gingivalis pictures at: http://www.parodontite.com/fr/album-photos.html
Entamoeba gingivalis films - a playlist is available at: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1DDBE20B71C14FA8
A link to new Entamoeba histolytica movies recently made at LSHTM by Science Photo Library has been added here
Dear Colleagues,
This is to remind you that the next Seminar is taking place in Mérida, México, from the 1st to the 5th of March 2013 and registration is open at http://www.seminaronamebiasis2013.unam.mx . The deadline for abstracts has been extended until the 15th of December 2012.
Unfortunately, an application for funds to support the Workshop that was planned to precede the Seminar was turned down and so that event has had to be cancelled, but the organisers would like to make it clear that the Seminar is most definitely still going ahead!
Best wishes,
Graham
XVII Seminar on Amebiasis, Mérida, México, 2013 and EMBO Workshop on Diarrheal Diseases
Information and registration information on these conferences are now available on the meeting web site: http://www.seminaronamebiasis2013.unam.mx
Serum sources
Prof. Sudha Bhattacharya is looking for a commercial source of adult bovine serum that has been tested for its ability to support growth of axenic Entamoeba histolytica. Can anyone help? If so please contact her at this e-mail address.
Financial support
A limited number travel and registration awards are available through EMBO for participants who plan to attend the amoebiasis2012 meeting. The awardees will be selected by the organizing committee on the basis of abstracts that have been submitted. The awardees will be informed by first week of January, 2012. Those who wish to avail themselves of these awards should write to either Nancy Guillen or Alok Bhattacharya by the middle of December.
Registration is now open and the details of the conference and the registration forms are available on the conference website, www.amoebiasis2012.com.
--
Alok Bhattacharya
Schools of Life Sciences & Computation & Integrative Sciences
Jawaharlal Nehru University
New Delhi-110067
Amebiasis 2012
We are proposing to hold the next Amebiasis Conference from March 4-7th, 2012 at Khajuraho, India. Khajuraho is a world heritage site and is famous for 11th century temples. It is located in central India and is well connected by air and rail.
Please mark your calendar and let us know about your intention of attending this conference latest by May 31st, 2011. This will help us to plan the logistics. We will be sending you the details by June, 2011.
The conference E-mail: amebiasis2012@gmail.com
--
Alok Bhattacharya
Schools of Life Sciences & Computation & Integrative Sciences
Jawaharlal Nehru University
New Delhi-110067
Dr Nancy Guillén of the Pasteur Institute would like to draw your attention to an upcoming conference - the 1st European Conference of Microbiology and Immunology, which will take place in Budapest, Hungary, between the 12th and 14th of May in 2011. Conference information can be found here.
Another upcoming European conference occurring at a similar time is the 21st European Conference on Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, which will take place in Milan, Italy, between the 7th and 10th of May 2011. Conference information can be found here. Why not combine the two?!
Photographs provided by Dr Mark Bonner and Dr Krishna Khairnar are now available.
The latest version of the Montreal Amebiasis Workshop timetable has been added to the Entamoeba Homepage. This includes the titles and authors of all presentations and posters. The organisers also wanted me to let you know that they welcome "late breaking" posters (accepted until September 10th). Anyone who wishes to display a poster linked to their oral presentation is welcome to do so but will have to inform the organisers by the end of August.
A postdoctoral position is available to study Entamoeba histolytica. Our lab takes molecular, genomic, and cellular approaches to study the biology of E. histolytica. We have broad interests, which include pathogenesis, development, and gene expression.
Qualified candidates should have a PhD or MD with experience in molecular biology and genetics. Experience in molecular parasitology is helpful but not required. Applications from women and minorities encouraged.
Please send a CV with names of 3 references to Upi Singh
A Message from Dr Mark Bonner:
Dear Colleagues,
Dr Mark Bonner is proud to invite the members of the Amoebiasis research community to hold a future workshop on Amoebiasis in Montreal in Sept 22-24, 2010.
As it has been in the past, the periodic workshops on Amoebiasis provide an opportunity for scientists and graduate students to meet and to present the latest findings as well as to engage in active discussions on the basic biology of the parasite, its pathogenesis, as well as to discuss the latest advances in diagnosis, therapy and vaccination.
Montreal is the second-largest city in Canada. The city was ranked 16th in a list of the world's 25 most liveable cities. Contributing factors included a strong-arts community, booming aerospace industry and a vast network of free wireless internet. With access to six universities and twelve junior colleges in an 8 kilometer (5 mi) radius, Montreal has the highest concentration of graduate students of all major cities in North America.
The end of September 2010 is a very nice time of the year to be in Montreal and it would give enough time to prepare an interesting workshop following the vey successful Guanajuato workshop of Feb. 2009.
We propose Hotel Le Crystal de la Montagne hotel as the meeting place in the vibrant heart of the city, a minute from the Quartier International, galleries, museums and the best addresses for shopping or fine dining and enjoying the city’s many charms... It is one of the nicest hotel in Montreal, and it offers the perfect combination of elegance, comfort, technology and personalized services.
http://www.crystaldelamontagne.com/
Crystal Hotel five stars has a special rate at 199 dollars a night for this amoebiasis meeting.
At this time of the year, end of September, Montreal is also the host of one of many activities of the world.
We hope to meet you all in Montreal.
On behalf of the International Institute of Periodontology, and AMIB.fr
Best regard
Mark Bonner dmd
1100 de la Montagne, suite 2002
Montreal, Qué, Canada
H3G 0A2
Tel.: 514 658 3505
I would like to apologise for the lack of updates to these pages over the past 2 months. This has been out of my control due to changes to the servers here. The Entamoeba Homepage URL has now changed to entamoeba.lshtm.ac.uk but the old address will continue to work, automatically redirecting visitors to the new site. However if you do have the site bookmarked it might be worth updating the link as I do not know how long the forwarding will continue to function.
Best wishes,
Graham
Message received today:
Dear Graham,
You might be aware that the white paper application that we had submitted for resequencing some of the E. histolytica strains has been approved. Outside of ICDDR,B, other Entamoeba researchers have shown their interests to contribute to this project by providing axenic strains for sequencing.
Will it be possible for you to put an announcement in the Entamoeba Homepage asking if anyone would be interested to sequence their axenic Entamoeba histolytica strains through this project? Interested persons can contact me by e-mail (ika3t@virginia.edu) for more details. Initially, I would need some clinical information (such as "culture condition", "clinical category", "year of isolation" and "origin of isolation", etc.) about the proposed strain. If there are any liver abscess and corresponding intestinal strains isolated from the same ALA patient available for this project that would be great.
We will greatly appreciate your help in this regard.
With best regards,
Ibne Karim
*****************************************
Ibne Karim M. Ali, PhD
Research Associate
Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health
University of Virginia Health System
Room 1705A Carter Harrison Research Building
345 Crispell Drive
Box 801340
Charlottesville, VA 22908-1340
USA
It is with great sadness that I have to report the death of Louis S. "Buddy" Diamond on the 6th of September, 2009, aged 89. Buddy's health had been poor for some time but it appears that no one outside his family was aware of his deterioration. The news came as a great shock to the amoebiasis community.
There is no doubting the pivotal role Buddy played in the development of research into amoebiasis, as well as in other fields, although he himself was always modest about his achievements. Many current researchers benefited from spending time in his lab at the NIH in Bethesda, MD, and from his knowledge and expertise. Some of his achievements are listed here.
As the opportunities to recognise his contributions arise they will be listed on these pages.
A position is available to undertake graduate studies in the laboratory of Dr Jeffrey Silberman to study the molecular systematics and taxonomy of Entamoeba. Further details of the position and the project can be found here.
The first announcment of a conference on amebiasis to be held in Montréal, Canada, in September 2010 and additional information including registration and accommodation forms can be found here
This book contains several chapters written by members of the amoebiasis community that both synthesise a lot of information published in recent years but also in many cases present new analyses. Abstracts of all the chapters and additional information about the book can be seen here
Some adjustments to the entry page of this site have been made. The Entamoeba references link now goes directly to the PubMed search rather than the old EndNote file link page. The old 'Amebiasis Newsletter' link has been replaced with one to Entamoeba and amoebiasis related pages in Wikipedia - I would encourage all of you to help keep these accurate and up to date. Graham
A postdoctoral position is available to study Entamoeba histolytica. Our lab takes molecular, genomic, and cellular approaches to study the biology of E. histolytica. We have broad interests, which include pathogenesis, development, and gene expression.
Qualified candidates should have a PhD or MD with experience in molecular biology and genetics. Experience in molecular parasitology is helpful but not required. Applications from women and minorities encouraged.
Please send a CV with names of 3 references to: Upi Singh
Dear Colleagues,
The titles and authors for oral and poster presentations at the upcoming Seminar are now available. I look forward to seeing many of you there!
Graham
Dear Colleagues,
I am sorry to have to inform you that Peter Sargeaunt's widow Trixie died this past weekend after a long illness. She accompanied Peter to a number of conferences and was well known to many in the amoebiasis field.
Sincerely,
Graham
Dear Colleagues,
The Seminar on Amebiasis organisers have decided to extend the submission deadline for abstracts to October 30th, the same date as the deadline for Registration for the conference. Information on the conference, registration and preparation of abstracts can be found on the Seminar website.
Best wishes,
Graham
Dear Colleagues,
I have been asked to remind you of two deadlines that are approaching.
The deadline for electronic submission of Abstracts for the Seminar is October 15th, 2008. This is also the deadline for applications for EMBO travel grants (which should be submitted to Dr Jaco Verweij.
The deadline for Registration and Accommodation is October 30th, 2008.
The format for Abstracts and the Registration/Accommodation form can both be found on the Seminar website.
Best wishes,
Graham
Dear Colleagues,
We are very happy to announce that the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) has agreed to give financial support to the Amoebiasis meeting in GUANAJUATO, MÉXICO February 24-28, 2009. Researchers, postdocs and graduate students (in advanced stages of their thesis work) who will not be able to participate without financial assistance, especially from non-western countries, can apply for a travel grant to assist in their expenses. Candidates will have to make an active contribution to the meeting. Applications with an abstract for their presentation can be submitted to j.j.verweij@lumc.nl before 15 October 2008. Grantees will be notified by Dec 10th.
Dr. Jaco J. Verweij
Parasitologist
Department of Parasitology
Department of Medical Microbiology
Leiden University Medical Center
Postbus 9600
2300 RC Leiden
The Netherlands
Dear Colleagues,
It is with sorrow that I have to inform you of the death of my former PhD student Dr Mehreen Zaki, last week in Glasgow. Mehreen joined my lab in 1998 from the Aga Khan University in Pakistan, where she had been working with Prof. Viqar Zaman. For her thesis Mehreen started investigating polymorphic DNA markers in Entamoeba histolytica in order to develop a new strain-typing system. Initially intending to isolate microsatellites, she instead uncovered the many short tandem repeat loci that eventually proved to be part of the unique tRNA gene organization in these organisms. During her time with me she co-authored 6 publications and was awarded her PhD in 2002. She went on to work with Robert Insall at the University of Birmingham, working on both Entamoeba and Dictyostelium, and went with that group last year when they moved to the CR-UK Beatson Institute for Cancer Research in Glasgow. While in Birmingham she had required heart surgery and the surgeons thought that they had taken care of the problem. However, recently her heart problems recurred and last week it finally failed. It was a big shock to me as I was unaware of the more recent developments. She was a very good scientist but an even better person, and was liked instinctively by everyone who met her. We'll miss her very much.
Graham Clark
Dear Colleagues,
I have recently tested another batch of adult bovine serum that is suitable for axenic cultivation of Entamoeba histolytica and Entamoeba dispar. Axenic growth of E. histolytica HM-1:IMSS and E. dispar SAW 760 was at least as good as that in the serum I am currently using (medium LYI-S-2 with 15% ABS).
This batch is from Sera Laboratories International Ltd (SLI). Catalogue number S-202-F (500ml bottles) Batch number M106028. This batch is of USA origin which may make importation easier for some of you.
As before the material is available on a first come-first served basis. There are 50 bottles available.
I hope this information is helpful.
Sincerely,
Graham
Dear Colleagues,
In case anyone is able to attend, I now have the funeral details for Peter Sargeaunt.
The funeral will be at 11.00 am on Friday 18th July at:
The Royal Memorial Chapel
The Royal Military Academy
Sandhurst
Surrey
This will be followed by cremation at Easthampstead Crematorium, and then by a small reception.
Anyone who would like to attend needs to contact Peter's daughter Janice by e-mail, as in order to get into Sandhurst you have to go through security and names have to be provided ahead of time.
A personal reflection on Peter and his accomplishments has been provided by his long-term colleague and friend John Williams and can be found here.
Sincerely,
Graham
Dear Colleagues,
The response to the announcement of Peter Sargeaunt's death has led to a number of e-mails of condolence being sent to me. These have been forwarded to John Williams, who in turn plans to collate them for presentation to the family. I am therefore writing to invite any others among you who wish to do so to contribute either your personal recollections of Peter or professional appreciations of his work for this electronic 'book of condolence'.
If you prefer to contact the family directly the address to use is that of one of Peter's daughters: Janice Holsgrove, 10 Church Hill, Camberley, Surrey, GU15 2HH, UK. Unfortunately, Peter's wife Trixie is herself seriously ill.
Sincerely,
Graham
Dear Colleagues,
I have recently tested two lots of serum that are suitable for axenic cultivation of Entamoeba histolytica and Entamoeba dispar. Axenic growth of E. histolytica HM-1:IMSS and E. dispar SAW 760 was comparable to that in serum I am currently using (in medium LYI-S-2 with 15% serum), although you may experience a small initial drop in yield.
The first lot is from PAA Laboratories. Catalogue number B15-011 Lot number B01107-1647 for 500ml bottles.
The second lot is from Sigma Aldrich and is available from their regional offices in Germany and the USA, as well as the UK. Catalogue number B9433-500ML Lot number 018K8413.
The material is available on a first come-first served basis from both suppliers.
I hope this information is helpful.
Sincerely,
Graham
Dear Colleagues,
I regret to inform you that we have just been notified of the death of Peter Sargeaunt. Peter is best known for the work on isoenzyme analysis of Entamoeba histolytica isolates that was undertaken with John Williams here at the London School. This work was fundamental to the eventual recognition of Entamoeba dispar as a separate species, a suggestion he first made in the early 1980s.
I hope to post a more complete appreciation on the Entamoeba Homepage in the near future.
Sincerely,
Graham
A postdoctoral position is available at Stanford University to study the biology of Entamoeba histolytica. Our lab has broad interests including parasite pathogenesis, transcriptional control and developmental regulation. We use a variety of genetic, cell biological, bioinformatic, and genomic approaches to tackle these projects. More information can be obtained here.
Candidates must have a PhD or MD or equivalent degree and a strong background in molecular biology, cell biology, or genomics. Start date is flexible.
Applicants should send an email with a cover letter indicating research interests, curriculum vitae, potential start dates, and the names and contact info of three individuals familiar with the applicant's credentials to Upi Singh. I will be at the Molecular Parasitology meeting in Sept 2008 if anyone wishes to meet and discuss possible research avenues.
A post-doctoral position is available in the School of Biological Sciences, University of Liverpool.
This project will use massively parallel sequencing and SNP genotyping to understand pathogen population structure and identify genes responsible for Virulence in E. histolytica. This is an exciting opportunity to explore the biology of an understudied pathogen using new genomic methods.
The project is funded by The Wellcome Trust for 3 years under the direction of Prof Neil Hall (Liverpool), Dr Graham Clark (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) and Dr Steve Paterson (Liverpool).
You should have a PhD in a biological subject and have experience of sequence analysis. Knowledge of bioinformatics or parasitology would be advantageous.
Applications and further details through the University of Liverpool:
http://www.liv.ac.uk/working/job_vacancies/research/R-567720.htm
Closing date 13th June
Informal enquiries to Neil Hall
The assembled and annotated E. dispar and E. invadens genomes are now available through Pathema at TIGR/JCVI.
A web site with additional information about the Seminar is now available: http://www.cinvestav.mx/seminarioamibiasis09/. Any further questions can be addressed to the Meeting Secretariat at: seminaronamebiasis2009@yahoo.com.mx
The following announcement was received today:
DEAR COLLEAGUES:
This is to inform you that we opened de pre-registration for the next XVI Seminar on Amebiasis 2009 and EMBO workshop "Amebiasis: Molecular approaches in an important but neglected disease". In the attachment you can find the format to proceed with the pre-registration.
The web-page with all the information about the seminar will be available on one week. I will let you know.
My best regards
Cecilia Ximenez
The following message was received this morning:
Dear colleagues,
My name is Robert Molestina, Collection Scientist of protozoan pathogens
at the Biodefense and Emerging Infections Research Resources Repository
(BEIR). BEIR was established by NIAID and is managed by ATCC to provide
reagents for Category A, B, and C priority pathogens and emerging
infectious disease agents to the scientific community
(http://www.beiresources.org/). A major focus of our group is to expand
our biological resources in BEIR for Entamoeba histolytica given its
status as a category B priority pathogen by NIAID. I would like to
extend an invitation for you to consider depositing materials into BEIR
in order to make them available to the rest of the research community.
This is not restricted to isolates but also antisera, plasmids, and
genetic libraries. Importantly, scientists registered in BEIR may
request reagents online and there is no charge for the materials
themselves, but recipients are responsible for shipping and handling
fees. In addition, secure storage, community access, and distribution is
provided while protecting the intellectual property rights of the
depositor. I want to thank you for your time and wish you the best in
your future endeavors. If you have any questions regarding our resources
in BEIR please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Robert Molestina, Ph.D.
Collection/Research Scientist
ATCC/BEIR
10801 University Blvd.
Manassas VA 20110-2209
Phone: 1-703-365-2700 ext. 2628 (lab ext. 2291)
Email: rmolestina@atcc.org
www.atcc.org
A new release of the annotated E. histolytica genome has been deposited into GenBank by the team at TIGR/JCVI. The scaffolds can be found with the following accession numbers: DS571145:DS572673.
The following request for information was received today. Please contact Dra. Gonzales directly if you can help.
Re: information on new or ongoing clinical trials on antiamoebic drugs
Dear Dr. Clark,
I am Dr. Maria Liza M. Gonzales, a pediatric infectious disease specialist and Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of the Philippines. I am currently doing a systematic review on drug therapy for amoebic colitis under the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group. The objective of the review is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of all the antiamoebic drugs used for the treatment of amoebic colitis or amoebic dysentery. This review is relevant particularly in developing countries like the Philippines where amoebiasis is still an important public health problem.
In this regard, I would appreciate any information you may be able to give me regarding ongoing clinical trials or unpublished clinical trials on use of antiamoebic drugs for the treatment of amoebic colitis. I would also be very grateful if you would be able to refer or introduce me to any researcher you may know who is currently doing trials on antiamoebic drugs since it would likewise also be crucial to contact them.
Thank you for your time. I would truly be grateful for any assistance that you may be able to extend to me regarding this matter.
Sincerely yours,
Ma. Liza M. Gonzales, M.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics
College of Medicine-Philippine General Hospital
University of the Philippines
Taft Avenue, Manila 1000
Philippines
email: lizmgonzales@yahoo.com
Telefax: +63 2 6355690
A new release of the E. dispar genome has been deposited into GenBank by the team at TIGR/JCVI. The data now gives 4.3X coverage of the genome and the entries can be found here.
The recipe for Robinson's medium in the Laboratory Manual has been corrected after a colleague spotted an error (thanks Eash!).
The following advertisment has been received today::
The University of Virginia Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health invites applications for a Research Assistant responsible for the study of the Transmembrane Kinases of the parasite Entamoeba histolytica, including their cloning, expression in E. coli and assessment of in vitro and in vivo kinase activity, as well as variations in their expression in clinical isolates of E. histolytica. Requirements include a Master’s degree in the basic sciences with specialization in parasitology, biochemistry or enzymology, as well as publications in parasitology, experience in working with the parasite and with molecular and biochemical techniques.
Please send CV and 3 letters of reference to:
Emily W. Gray,
Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health,
UVA Health System,
P.O. Box 801340,
Charlottesville, VA. 22908-1340.
Position open until filled. The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.
A photograph of the participants at in the recent Amoebiasis Workshiop in Amsterdam has been received and can be seen here. A full size version of the picture can be obtained here.
The following advertisment has been received today:
Postdoc Position in Mechanisms of Gene Regulation in E. histolytica
The University of Virginia is seeking a postdoctoral-level scientist to serve as a Research Associate in support of work studying transcription in the eukaryotic parasite Entamoeba histolytica. The recent release of the E.histolytica genome gives us the opportunity to develop high throughput techniques to answer some of the fundamental questions about the biology of amebiasis.
Experience in protozoan research, microarray and related molecular biology and/or animal models desired. University of Virginia offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package. Qualified candidates should submit a letter of interest and resume, including salary requirements to:
C. Gilchrist
Dept. of Medicine/Division of Infectious Diseases,
Building MR4, Rm 2126,
PO Box 801365
Charlottesville VA 22908, USA
The University of Virginia is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. .
I have been notified by Dr Diamond of the recent deaths of two of his former NIH colleagues. Gene Weinbach died in early May following a long illness. Gene collaborated with Buddy on a number of biochemical analyses of E. histolytica in the mid- to late-1970s, and later worked on Giardia. Jim Dvorak died suddenly at the end of March. Although better known for his work on Trypanosoma cruzi, he collaborated on an important study of DNA replication in E. histolytica in the mid-1990s. Both had strong connections with Japan, especially with Dr. Nozaki and the group of Professor Takeuchi..
The program for the Amoebiasis sessions in the upcoming meeting in Amsterdam has been posted here.
Dear Colleagues,
The FLU foundation is willing to contribute a total of € 5000,- on partial travel grants for developing country scientists. Researchers for whom such partial funding (approximately € 500,- per person) will enable them to participate in the meeting should send a copy of their abstract before the 12th of March to Jaco Verweij.
Deadline for submitting your abstract for the amoebiasis meeting is March 15. The amoebiasis meeting is organized as a side-meeting of the European Congress on Tropical Medicine and International Health. Therefore abstract submission and registration is possible on the congress website www.trop-amsterdam2007.com . Although very welcome to register for the congress as well, you have the option for registration to the amoebiasis meeting only as well.
Please be aware that the amoebiasis meeting already starts in the morning of May 24th at 8.30 before the opening of the congress. The registration fee for the amoebiasis meeting includes a special dinner in the evening on May 24th.
We hope to meet you all in Amsterdam.
On behalf of the organizing committee,
Jaco Verweij
Dear Colleagues,
The deadline for submitting your abstract is March 15. The congress website www.trop-amsterdam2007.com is open for submitting your abstract and application to attend the meeting.
Please be aware that the amoebiasis meeting already starts in the morning of May 24th at 8.30 before the opening of the congress. The registration fee for the amoebiasis meeting includes a special dinner in the evening on May 24th..
We hope to meet you all in Amsterdam.
On behalf of the organizing committee,
Jaco Verweij
Dear Colleagues,
I have recently tested a new batch of adult bovine serum from Sera Labs International. Axenic growth of E. histolytica HM-1:IMSS and E. dispar SAW 760 was equal to that in serum I am currently using (in medium LYI-S-2 with 15% serum).
The batch number is 801027 and the catalogue number is S-202-F for 500 ml bottles. The company has 45 x 500ml bottles of this batch
I know that some of you have been using a previous batch from this company and have been happy with the results. Please contact them at sales@seralab.co.uk to order.
Sincerely,
Graham
Dear Colleagues,
I regret to announce that I have been notified of the recent death of Margarita de la Torre on 31st of December, 2006, in Mexico City. During her career she co-authored 32 papers and trained many investigators in the cultivation of Entamoeba.
Dr Louis Diamond, who knew her for almost 40 years, writes: "I doubt that many who work with HM-1:IMSS know that it was Margarita who isolated this strain in xenic culture, monoxenized it with T. cruzi, and then hand-carried it to my lab where it was axenized. Or, that she was the first person to maintain an axenic culture of E. histolytica in all of Mexico."
One incident in Margarita's career has achieved almost legendary status. Following the great Mexican earthquake of 1985 Margarita made a heroic effort to save the many cultures she had in her care at the Hospital General, going back into the building to rescue them even though the building was badly damaged.
A symposium to honour Margarita is to be held in Mexico City on March 22nd, 2007.
Sincerely,
Graham
Further information has been received from Dr. Jaco Verweij regarding the Amoebiasis Workshop to take place in conjunction with the 5th European Congress on Tropical Medicine in May 2007. A letter of invitation and information on how to submit abstracts can be found here.
I hope to see many of you there!
Graham
As many of you will know, the E. histolytica genome is in the process of being reassembled and manually curated at TIGR. The re-annotated genome will be available through the 'Pathema Bioinformatics Resource Center' based at TIGR. Although not yet fully operational, the relevant web page has been linked to the 'Entamoeba Homepage' so that it can be easily accessed. I encourage you to explore the features that will be available in due course!
Graham
The following message was received from Dr Jaco Verweij:
Dear Colleagues,
The preregistration for the Entamoeba workshop in Amsterdam 2007 was very succesfull. We have applied for support from EMBO especially for the participation of younger scientists and hope to place the call for abstracts in October. Researchers who have preregistered will be notified by e-mail.
Best wishes,
Jaco J. Verweij
Department of Parasitology
Department of Medical Microbiology
Leiden University Medical Center
Postbus 9600
2300 RC Leiden
The Netherlands
tel +31-71-5265080
J.J.Verweij@lumc.nl
Dear Colleagues,
I have been contacted by two suppliers of adult bovine serum that is suitable for use in axenic cultivation of Entamoeba species. Both Sera Labs Inc and PAA Laboratories have batches of serum on reserve for us but will be releasing this stock back into their general pool in 6 and 2 months respectively. So now would be a good time to plan your future needs for this serum if you wish to obtain it from either of these sources!
The details of the tested serum are as follows:
Sera Labs - batch number 302026; catalogue number S-202-H for 100 ml and S-202-F for 500 ml bottles; contact sales@seralab.co.uk
PAA Labs - batch numbers B01105-0507 and B01105-1148; catalogue numbers B11-011 for 100ml and B15-011 for 500ml bottles; contact through www.paa.com
Both also supply gamma-irradiated and heat-inactivated serum on request and ship worldwide.
I hope this information is helpful.
Sincerely,
Graham
The following announcement was received today from Bill Petri:
The announcement of a Workshop on Amoebiasis to take place in Amsterdam, The Netherlands in May 2007 has been received today. The announcement letter can be seen here. Those interested are asked to fill in an send a preregistration form to the organiser, Dr. Jaco Verweij.
The abstracts of presentations made at the recent XV Seminar on Amebiasis are now available on-line here.
I have recently tested a new batch of adult bovine serum from Sera Labs International. Growth of E. histolytica HM-1:IMSS and E. dispar SAW 760 was approximately equal to that in serum I am currently using (in medium LYI-S-2 with 15% serum). Although there was an initial slight drop in numbers they soon reached normal levels again.
The batch number is 302026 and the catalogue number is S-202-H for 100 ml and S-202-F for 500 ml bottles. These are priced at GBP 5.50 and GBP 25 respectively. It is also available heat-inactivated or gamma-irradiated and the company will ship 'anywhere'!
I know that some of you have been using a previous batch from this company and have been happy with the results. Please contact them at sales@seralab.co.uk to order.
Graham
I regret to announce that I have been notified of the recent death of Professor Tilly Bakker-Grunwald of Osnabrück, Germany, on 25th of February, 2006.
I have recently tested two batches of Adult Bovine Serum for their ability to support growth of Entamoeba in axenic culture. As this continues to be a problem component of the medium for many of us I thought I would let you know about the latest source. The new supplier is PAA (www.paa.com). The catalogue number is B11-011 for 100ml and B15-011 for 500ml. They also supply heat inactivated or gamma-sterilised serum. The successful batches I tested were B01105-0507 and B01105-1148, which were sourced from Australia and New Zealand respectively. PAA is also less expensive than many other sources of serum I have used...
In both cases growth of E. histolytica HM-1:IMSS and E. dispar SAW 760 using the test serum was equal to that with serum I am currently using (in medium LYI-S-2 with 15% serum).
I hope this information will be useful to you.
Best wishes,
Graham
I have received the following information from Dr Glen McGugan (gmcgugan@niaid.nih.gov) regarding a new source of Adult Bovine Serum suitable for cultivation of (at least) E. histolytica HM-1:IMSS in axenic medium - a company in the USA called Gemini BioProducts. The catalogue number is 100-101 and the lot number tested was C10710C.
Dear Colleagues,
I have updated the Directory of Researchers, adding a few new names and changing the contact information of one or two others. If you are aware of individuals on this list who are no longer in the field or whose details are incorrect, please let me know.
I have also decided to discontinue updating the reference pages. This is partly due to difficulty in finding the time to do so on a regular basis but the pages are also redundant given that almost all published papers are listed on PubMed. On PubMed abstracts are also available as well as additional related links. In addition, references can be exported in a format compatible with import into reference software like EndNote. I hope this decision does not inconvenience anyone to much! I have added a link to the 'Amoebiasis References' page that allows automatic searching of PubMed for Entamoeba publications.
Best wishes for a safe and productive 2006 to you all.
Graham
I regret to announce that I have been notified of the recent death of Professor Roberto Kretschmer. In the words of Professor Isaura Meza, "he was an extraordinary person in every sense besides being a pillar in Amebiasis research in Mexico"
The first announcement for the XV Seminar on Amebiasis has been received and can be read here (information removed 1 May 2008). This time the Seminar will be held in Oaxaca instead of Mexico City. Expressions of interest should be sent in as soon as possible.
Dear Colleagues,
Over a year ago I asked for information on potential sources of adult bovine serum due to Sigma's decision to discontinue this item in their catalogue. A number of you responded and I posted the information on the Entamoeba homepage. Several of you noted that the serum you were using was unsatisfactory or needed filtering before use. It became clear that additional sources would be welcome.
I was recently contacted by a company here in England (Sera Laboratories International) who provided me with a sample of their product to test. I have tested it on 5 axenic strains of E. histolytica and one E. dispar, plus E. invadens, E. moshkovskii and E. terrapinae, all growing in LYI-S-2. In all cases the serum supported excellent growth although an initial drop in numbers occurred in some strains.
The cost is GBP33 per 500ml and the company ships internationally. The batch I tested contains only 100 bottles of this size (catalogue number S-202, batch number 805024) so it may not last long if you plan to order some. My contact at the company is Jenny Murray (jennym@pobox.com) and the company web site is http://www.seralab.com. And, no they are not paying me a commission!
I hope that this information will be of interest to some of you. If you find other sources of good serum please let me know and I will post the information on the web site as before.
Best wishes,
Graham
We would like to remind you that the deadline for abstract submission is
June 30, 2004.
Kindly submit your abstracts before this date as per the instructions on the
Workshop website.
All further information regarding the Workshop can be found on this site.
We would also like to remind young scientists that the deadline for
submitting their stipend applications is JUNE 30, 2004.
Please do not hesitate to contact the Secretariat at embo@targetconf.com
for any further information.
Sincerely,
David Mirelman
on behalf of the Workshop Organizing Committee
The Second Announcement of an EMBO Workshop on Amebiasis, to take place in Israel in November 2004 has been received from Professor David Mirelman. The tentative programme, registration, accomodation and other information can be found here (information removed 1 May 2008).
The First Announcement of an EMBO Workshop on Amebiasis, to take place in Israel in November 2004 has been received from Professor David Mirelman. The invitation and additional information can be found here (information removed 1 May 2008)>
After receiving input from the amoebiasis community, Dr. Bill Petri has revised the draft document. The text of the final document submitted can be found here.(information removed 1 May 2008)
The following message was received from Dr. Bill Petri. The text of his draft document can be found here.(information removed 1 May 2008)
Please send a CV and the names of three references by email to:
Upinder Singh, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Departments of Internal Medicine and Microbiology
Stanford University School of Medicine
S-141 Grant Building
300 Pasteur Drive
Stanford, CA 94305-5107
Office phone: (650) 723-4045
Lab phone: (650) 724-3891
Fax: (650) 724-3892
Email: usingh@stanford.edu
Please note that I have moved from the Harvard School of Public Health to Boston University, where I am surrounded by experts in cell biology and glycobiology (see address below).
I hope to see many of you in Paris in May.
John
John C. Samuelson, MD.-Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine
715 Albany St, Evans 426
Boston MA 02118
Phone 617 414 1054
FAX 617 414 1041
email: jsamuels@bu.edu
http://www.tigr.org/tdb/e2k1/eha1/
Please forward any problems with the web pages and or comments to enta@tigr.org.
Regards
Brendan
Dr Brendan Loftus
Parasite Genomics
TIGR
9712 Medical Centre Drive
Rockville
MD 20850
(Ph) 301-838-3543
(Fax) 301-838-0208
(Email) bjloftus@tigr.org
Postdoctoral position, University of California at San Diego
To study molecular and cellular biology and pathogenesis of Giardia lamblia:
Giardia is a major cause of waterborne intestinal disease and is also of basic biological interest as one of the earliest known eukaryotic organisms, with both prokaryotic and eukaryotic properties.
Giardia is also a valuable model for study of the prokaryotic-eukaryotic divergence and we are actively involved in biological aspects of a giardial genome project.
Requirements: Experience in molecular biology and preferably biochemistry and cell biology.
Frances D. Gillin, Ph. D.
Professor of Pathology and Infectious Diseases
Member, Center for Molecular Genetics
email: fgillin@ucsd.edu
http://medicine.ucsd.edu/molpath/faculty/gillin_f/
For information or to apply, please contact Dr. Gillin by email
Current references and interview are needed.
SOME RECENT PAPERS
Sun CH, Palm D, McArthur AG, Svard SG, Gillin FD.
A novel Myb-related protein involved in transcriptional activation of
encystation genes in Giardia lamblia.
Mol Microbiol. 2002 Nov;46(4):971-84.
Reiner DS, Hetsko ML, Meszaros JG, Sun CH, Morrison HG, Brunton LL, Gillin FD.
Calcium signaling in excystation of the early-diverging eukaryote, Giardia lamblia.
J Biol Chem.
2002 Oct 22 [epub ahead of print]
Langford TD, Housley MP, Boes M, Chen J, Kagnoff MF, Gillin FD, Eckmann L.
Central importance of immunoglobulin A in host defense against Giardia
spp.
Infect. Immun. 2002 Jan;70(1):11-8.
McArthur AG, Morrison HG, Nixon JE, Passamaneck NQ, Kim U, Hinkle G, Crocker MK,
Holder ME, Farr R, Reich CI, Olsen GE, Aley SB, Adam RD, Gillin FD, Sogin ML.
The Giardia genome project database.
FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 2000 Aug
15;189(2):271-3.
Eckmann L, Laurent F, Langford TD, Hetsko ML, Smith JR, Kagnoff MF, Gillin FD.
Nitric oxide production by human intestinal epithelial cells and
competition for arginine as potential determinants of host defense against
the lumen-dwelling pathogen Giardia lamblia.
J. Immunol. 2000 Feb
1;164(3):1478-87.
Dr. Nancy Guillén of the Pasteur Institute, Paris, has announced the dates for an EMBO Workshop entitled "Pathogenesis of amoebiasis: from genomics to disease" that will take place at the Pasteur Institute from the 19th to the 21st of May, 2003. Further information and registration forms can be found here.
A message from Professor Alok Bhattacharya
"Conference on Amebiasis and the Biology of Entamoeba histolytica"
Dear Friends,
In view of the recent terrorist attacks in the USA, we are extending the deadline for registration and the submission of abstracts for the forthcoming "Conference on Amebiasis and the Biology of Entamoeba histolytica" to November 15, 2001.
However, we would appreciate greatly if all foreign participants send us their passport details as early as possible, and not later than November 1, 2001 so that the formalities can be completed at our end. This is needed to avoid delays in procuring your visas.
The foreign participants also kindly note that we have changed our banker's office address. The old office was in WTC. Kindly visit the amebiasis conference site (http://www.indebo.com/ameba) to get the new office address.
With warm regards,
Alok Bhattacharya, Convenor
School of Life Sciences,
Jawaharlal Nehru University,
New Delhi-110067, India
Fax# 91 11 6165886
e-mail: alokbhattacharya@hotmail.com
The release of additional single pass sequence reads has been announced by TIGR. The sequences now total almost 80,000 representing about two-fold coverage of the genome. These sequences have been assembled into contiguous stretches where possible and these are also available through the TIGR website for the project.
The release of 9495 additional single pass sequence reads has been announced by TIGR. The sequences have been deposited in GenBank and are also available through the TIGR website for the project.
The second announcement for this conference has been received and can be seen on the page that has been set up for the conference here. (information removed 1 May 2008)
A Postdoctoral position is immediately available in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Stanford University for research aimed at understanding the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis of Entamoeba histolytica. A variety of molecular, genetic and genomic approaches will be used to dissect the virulence determinants involved in causing invasive disease. Funding is available through a variety of sources including NIH and Fogarty International health training grants. Interested individuals should contact:
E-mail: usingh@stanford.edu
Dear Friends,
The last amoebiasis meeting in India was held over a decade ago. It has been the general feeling that India should put together another meeting of amoeba researchers. Realising that postponement will not make the task easier, we have decided to take the plunge. What follows is a "First Announcement" of the proposed Conference "International Conference on Amoebiasis and the biology of Entamoeba histolytica". In India, the past blends with the present and history is everywhere. To give you a glimpse of it we have selected Agra as the venue of the meeting. Agra was the capital city of the greatest mughal emperor Akbar and is littered with monuments of aesthetic beauty; the most breathtaking of them being the Taj Mahal. What better to deliberate on the nitty-gritties of Entamoeba biology than the romantic environs of Agra.
Dates: February 10-13, 2002
Arrangement: Luxury coach from Delhi on 10th morning, stay and conference at
a palace hotel in Agra, return on 13th evening.
Agra: It is located close to Delhi and takes about 3 hours by road. It is also close to many tourist destinations of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The weather is very comfortable at this time of the year. The temperature varying between 10 to 25 °C.
Registration*: The cost includes coach expenses, stay at the hotel for three
nights, all meals and conference.
Twin sharing: $ 350
Single : $ 450
Please let us know if you are interested to attend the conference at the
following address latest by March 15th :
Alok Bhattacharya
Amebiasis2001@yahoo.co.in
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Alok Bhattacharya (New Delhi, India)
Sudha Bhattacharya (New Delhi, India)
Graham Clark (London, UK)
Anuradha Lohia (Calcutta, India)
William Petri (Charlottesville, USA)
M. P. Sharma (New Delhi, India)
Egbert Tannich (Hamburg, Germany)
* There is a special rate for participants from India in rupees
More information can be found at the symposium website.
Dear Colleague:
The XIV Seminar on Amebiasis will be held November 27th-30th, 2000, at El Colegio Nacional in Mexico City. We hereby invite you to present recent advances in basic, clinical and epidemiological research on Entamoeba histolytica and related Entamoeba species. Instructions for the presentations will be sent in a later communication. However, in order to estimate the number of participants, we would appreciate if you could provide us with the tentative title(s) of your presentation(s), as requested in the attached form,(removed 1 May 2008) no later than January 31st, 2000. Further information will be sent to those interested.
Additional information regarding the XIV Seminar on Amebiasis will be posted on the seminar's Entamoeba Homepage site. (removed 1 May 2008)
We look forward to seeing you there!
The Organizing Committee
Dear Colleagues,
I am sorry to inform you that our genome project proposal to NIH was not approved for funding. In May NIH decided to shift from RO1s to cooperative agreements to support genomic activities from a list of approved "priority" organisms. Entamoeba histolytica was not on the list of approved organisms (http://www.niaid.nih.gov/ncn/nl0699.htm). This shift in policy may have affected the review of our grant. I felt it was an extremely well written grant. Najib El Sayed, The Institute of Genomic Research, did an excellent job of putting together a well designed and clearly presented proposal.
Since NIH funding will not be possible for at least two years we will have to rethink the options for other sources of funding and proceeding with this very important project. I would like to thank you everyone for your letters and support.
Best wishes,
Barbara Mann
Dept of Int. Med/ Div. Inf Dis.
MR4 Bldg, Room 2115
Charlottesville, VA 22908
ph (804) 924-9666
fax (804) 924-0075
bjm2r@virginia.edu
Position available -
BOSE INSTITUTE
P-1/12, C.I.T. SCHEME VIIM
KANKURGACHI, CALCUTTA - 700 054
ADVT. NO. BI/ACA/03/99
I. DEPARTMENT OF BIOCHEMISTRY
(a) Lecturer/Sr.Lecturer - 3 Posts (Pay Scale-Rs.8000-275-13500/Rs.10000-325-15200 respectively)
*Age - Below 35 years
Essential Qualification : Good academic record with a doctorate degree. 3/4 years post-doctoral experience for Lecturer/Sr. Lecturer respectively with publications of commendable merit in the respective field as follows :
(i) Bacteria/Bacteriophage,
(ii) Yeast and (iii) Protozoan Parasite.
Desirable Qualification : Ability to carry out independent research. Acquaintance with modern techniques of research.
Applications mentioning the Post with Department applied for and the Advt. No. along with complete Bio-data of the candidates, copies of certificates duly authenticated, testimonials, credentials, list of Publications etc. should reach the office of the Registrar, Bose Institute, P-1/12, CIT Scheme VII-M, Kankurgachi (Adj. to E.S.I. Hospital, Kankurgachi), Calcutta- 700054, latest by 01.03.99 for applicants within the Country and by 31.03.99 for applicants outside the Country. Applicants already employed in Govt./Semi Govt./Undertakings should apply through proper channel. Selection of candidates may not be restricted within the applicants only.
* Age limit is relaxable in case of exceptionally qualified candidates and also for SC/ST candidates as per Rule.
The Institute Authority reserves the right to reject any/all applications without assigning any reason what-so-ever.
Due the cancellation of the ASTMH meeting in Puerto Rico I have rescheduled the E. histolytica Genome Symposium for October 19 at the Institute of Genomic Research in Gaithersburg, MD (near Washington D.C.).
I apologize for the short notice however if you would like to attend please let me know no later than Oct. 13.
Barbara J. Mann, Ph.D.
Dept of Int. Med/ Div. Inf Dis.
MR4 Bldg, Room 2115
Charlottesville, VA 22908
ph (804) 924-9666
fax (804) 924-0075
bjm2r@virginia.edu
Bad news.
The ASTMH meeting in San Juan for October 18-22, including the session on the Entamoeba genome project, is cancelled, as of this afternoon. It will not be rescheduled. The next meeting of ASTMH will be in Washington DC from 11/28/99-12/2/99.
The hotel could not repair hurricane damage in time (our person on site today has told us there are only 100 hotel rooms available as emergency personnel have filled up what habitable rooms are there, and only 5/12 meeting rooms are functional. The hotel has stated they cannot host the meeting).
I apologize for the terrible inconvenience. Please spread the word to everyone that you can think of. ASTMH will send out a mass e-mail to all registered for the meeting.
Sincerely,
Bill
William A. Petri, Jr., M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Medicine, Microbiology, and Pathology
University of Virginia School of Medicine
Room 2115 MR4 Building
Charlottesville VA 22908
Abstract deadline is JUNE 1, 1998.
For additional information about the genome project please contact Bill Petri at wap3g@avery.med.virginia.edu
