MICROBIOLOGY ARTICLES

This year's British Society for Microbial Technology Annual Microbiology Conference will be held on 11 May at the RAF Museum in Hendon, North London. It will cover a range of different topics but this year there is a particular focus on different aspects of antimicrobial resistance. Here, BSMT Chair Dr Mark Wilks, on behalf of the organising committee, introduces some themes of the meeting.

Esmita Charani looks at the global issues presented by antimicrobial resistance and considers the strategies and policies that need to be created and properly implemented to tackle the problem at a local level in communities around the world.

Infectious disease testing for three West Midlands hospital trusts has been centralised at the Coventry and Warwickshire Pathology Services laboratories. However, when the pandemic hit, there was a need for rapid SARS-CoV-2 testing at each trust. Here, Lisa Berry and Mandip Hira discuss the decision to decentralise testing, and how this helped to streamline patient management for all infectious disease testing.

Sepsis improvement programmes have received criticism in recent years, with some claiming that they have resulted in increased hospital antimicrobial consumption. But should we be targeting sepsis management or should we be looking elsewhere for solutions, including better integration of diagnostics? Louise Frampton reports.

Group B Streptococcus is the most common cause of life-threatening infection in newborns, and in the UK on average two babies a day develop the infection. Now, the charity Group B Strep Support has called for greater awareness of the disease and for hospitals to enroll in the ongoing GBS3 trial.

The Genomic & Microbiology Revolution: In Technology we Trust? was the title of the 37th Annual Microbiology Conference of the British Society for Microbial Technology, held at the RAF Museum at Hendon on 19 July. A fascinating programme looked at a range of different aspects of technology applied to microbiology, here summarised by Mark Wilks on behalf of the BSMT committee.

The healthcare environment continues to present a risk of infection transmission, so what can we do to protect patients in a post-pandemic era? The Central Sterilising Club’s 60th anniversary annual scientific meeting showcased the latest evidence for best practice, highlighting some of the potential threats that need to be addressed.

Aini Suraya Nizam and Lynne Lawrance examine the role of uncertainty in antimicrobial susceptibility testing, following the introduction by EUCAST of the concept of the Area of Technical Uncertainty in this sector of medical microbiology.

Last year’s annual conference of the BSMT took place in May as a webinar, inevitably on COVID-19. This year the BSMT decided to postpone the conference until July 2022 to maximise chances of holding a face-to-face event. Here, Mark Wilks, on behalf of the BSMT, provides a preview.

The Annual Microbiology Conference hosted by the British Society for Microbial Technology has been the beneficiary of support and sponsorship from a range of relevant companies. With this year’s return to a face-to-face event, the following commercial colleagues have grasped the opportunity to attend this important event.

The 37th Annual Microbiology Conference of the BSMT will be the organisation’s first full face-to-face meeting for over two years. Here, BSMT committee member David Westrip previews the conference

The British Society for Microbial Technology has adapted to changing circumstances throughout its 37-year existence. Evolving from its origins in multipoint technology, it now organises annual microbiology conferences covering a wide range of topics.

Surface transmission has been identified as an important route of pathogen spread, especially within the healthcare environment. Here, Jade Pallett discusses viral and bacterial transmission and looks at the key issues and evidence.