OddNumbers:13.00–14:30,FoyerLevel2EvenNumbers:16.50–17.50,FoyerLevel21. DiagnosticInnovationandLivestock:Towardsmoreeffectiveandsustainableapplications

ofantibioticsinlivestockfarmingKatieAdametal.,UniversityofEdinburgh

2. InvitrocomparisonofoxazolidinonesshowssuperiorefficacyoftedizolidincomparisontolinezolidagainststaphylococciMunaAleryanetal.,GlasgowCaledonianUniversity

3. AnInvestigationof5-FluorouracilResistanceinKinetoplastParasitesIbrahimAlfayezetal.,UniversityofGlasgow

4. Site-directedmutagenesisofspecificaminoacidresiduessupportsthemodelofconductanceofpentamidinethroughtheTbAQP2channelAliAlghamdietal.,UniversityofGlasgow

5. EssentialityofpSCL4,aGiantLinearPlasmidofStreptomycesclavuligerusLisAlgoraetal.,UniversityofStrathclyde

6. MultidrugResistantAcinetobacterbaumannii:AnEmergingHealthThreatinAseerRegion,KingdomofSaudiArabiaMohammedAlmaghrabietal.,KingKhalidUniversity

7. DevelopingproteinantibioticsfortreatmentofAMRPseudomonasaeruginosaMadhuriBargeetal.,UniversityofGlasgow

8. NovelAntimicrobialMechanismsinPhagocyticCellsMassimilianoBaldassarreetal.,UniversityofAberdeen

9. DevelopmentOfStreptomycesToUtiliseSustainableFeedstockInFermentationsAnnaBirkeetal.,UniversityofStrathclyde

10. Usingindividual-basedmathematicalmodelstostudyantibioticresistanceRuthBownessetal.,UniversityofStAndrews

11. DetectionofAMRandco-selectorsindrinkingwaterHelenBridle,UniversityofHeriotWatt

12. UnderstandingthechemicalwarfareofactinomycetesacrosstaxonomicandphylogeneticboundariesforacceleratedantibioticdiscoveryLaiaCastanoEspriuetal.,UniversityofStrathclyde

13. LongitudePrizePaulChapman,MarksandClerk

14. RoleofImplantNanoroughnessandBioactivecoatingonOsseointegrationandBacterialGrowthLailaDamiatietal.,UniversityofGlasgow

15. NovelStreptomycescompounddiscoverybyLC/MSguidedscreeningofgrowthconditionsChristineEdwardsetal.,RobertGordonUniversity

16. Mutantsversuscations:variableeffectsonbiofilmformationbyPseudomonasaeruginosaPA14GeorgiosEfthimiouetal.,UniversityofStrathclyde

POSTERSUBMISSIONSTake the opportunity to discuss cutting edge research during the poster presentation slots on day one!

17. Evaluationofgreaterwaxmothlarvae,Galleriamellonella,asanovelinvivomodelfornon-tuberculosisMycobacteriainfectionsandantibiotictreatmentsFrancesEntwistle,UniversityofStAndrews

18. AssessingtheimpactofchangesinnationalantibioticuseinScotlandonGram-negativeresistanceusingtheNHSScotlandInfectionIntelligencePlatformEilidhFletcheretal.,NationalHealthService

19. Characterisationofriskfactorsassociatedwithantibioticresistanceinurinaryisolatesinthecommunity:anexemplarofNHSScotland’sInfectionIntelligencePlatformEilidhFletcheretal.,NationalHealthService

20. WholeGenomeSequencing(WGS)ofEnhancedSurveillanceEscherichiacoliandStaphylococcusaureusBacteraemias(ECBandSAB)toinvestigatethedevelopmentofAMRinScottishNationalHealthService(NHS)healthboardsStephenFoxetal.,UniversityofGlasgow

21. HowdoesStaphylococcusaureusadapt,surviveandcauseinfection?Amolecularapproachfortheidentificationofnovelantibiotictargets.AndreasHaag,UniversityofGlasgow

22. GenomicMiningofThermophilicActinobacteriaforNovelAntibioticsGillianHalketetal.,UniversityofStrathclyde

23. Rapidphenotypicsusceptibilitytestingofbacteria:SLICbynameandslickbynatureRobertHammondetal.,UniversityofStAndrews

24. InvestigationsintoterpenoidsactionontheShigellasonneiprotein,DsbAbyenzymatickineticassayThaerHasanetal.,UniversityofStrathclyde

25. Antimicrobialresistance(AMR):whichmeasuresshouldweuse?RogerHumphryetal.,SRUC

26. SyntheticPhage-inducibleChromosomalIslands,theTrojanHorseagainstAMR.RodrigoIbarra-Chavezetal.,UniversityofGlasgow

27. CephalosporinresistancelevelscanbesignificantlyinfluencedinmembersofanovelE.colimultidrug-resistant,ESBL-producingclade.MartaJPiotrowskaetal.,UniversityofHeriotWatt

28. MicrotechnologiesforfastbacteriaseparationandpurificationfromclinicalsamplesMelanieJimenezetal.,UniversityofGlasgow

29. TheUseofDifferentiatedAirwayEpithelialCellCulturesforAssessingAntibioticTransportandActivitywithintheBovineRespiratoryTractClaireJonesetal.,UniversityofGlasgow

30. CharacterizationofvirulencefactorsinLeishmaniamexicanabycomparativeOmicsapproachesAbdulbasetKablietal.,UniversityofGlasgow

31. Antimicrobialresistancegenes:environmentalimpactsacrosslandscapesinNEEnglandandScotlandCharlesKnappetal.,UniversityofStrathclyde

32. ThedynamicpictureofantimicrobialresistancesinCampylobactersppisolatedfromdifferenthostreservoirsinScotland.BrunoLopesetal.,UniversityofAberdeen

33. AnovelmecCallotype,mecC3,inanewstaphylococcalspecies,StaphylococcuscaeliAlisonMacFadyenetal.,UniversityofEdinburgh

34. ExploringAurodox,Apotentialanti-virulencecompoundforthetreatmentofEscherichiacoliinfectionsofthegut.RebeccaMcHughetal.,UniversityofStrathclyde

35. EvaluationofantimicrobialresistanceandbiofilmformationofMRSAisolatesfromcompanionanimalsinScotlandKatarinaOravcovaetal.,UniversityofGlasgow

36. WhatarethetrendsinantimicrobialresistancepatternsinbacteriaisolatedfromcompanionanimalsinScotland?KatarinaOravcovaetal.,UniversityofGlasgow

37. ThedistributionofantibioticresistancegenesinfreshwaterinScotlandEulynPagalingetal.,TheJamesHuttonInstitute

38. AntibodybasedbiologicsfortreatingbacterialandfungalinfectionsSoumyaPalliyilSomanetal.,UniversityofAberdeen

39. ApplyingtheMesolenstoMicrobiology-VisualisingBiofilmArchitectureandSubstructureLiamRooneyetal.,UniversityofStrathclyde

40. FBIProbetoInvestigateIvermectinResistanceinNematodesStuartRuddelletal.,UniversityofGlasgow

41. Areantimicrobialstewardshipandsepsisawarenesscompetinggoals?AquantitativecontentanalysisofUKnationalnewspapersLynneRushetal.,UniversityofGlasgow

42. CharacterisationofInducibleAntibioticProductionbyStreptomycetesIsolatedFromHyper-aridEnvironmentsTiagoSantosetal.,UniversityofStrathclyde

43. AnalysisofthemicrobiomeofwastewaterandtheprevalenceofresistantEscherichiacoli.JaniceSpenceretal.,GlasgowCaledonianUniversity

44. BacterialAntibioticResponseinMicro-EnvironmentsDanielTayloretal.,UniversityofEdinburgh

45. Co-selectionofAntibioticResistancecausedbyaLegacyofPTEPollutioninGram-NegativeBacteriaRebeccaToneretal.,UniversityofStrathclyde

46. EstimatesofantimicrobialusageonScottishbeefanddairyfarms.SueTongueetal.,SRUC

47. OsteogenicandbactericidalpropertiesofhydrothermaltitaniananowiresontitaniumsubstratesMonicaPTsimbourietal.,UniversityofGlasgow

48. HeavyMetalInducibleAntimicrobialActivityofStreptomycesspp.IsolatedfromtheLeadhillsandWanlockheadLeadMinesinScotland.NickTuckeretal.,UniversityofStrathclyde

49. Genesofpast,presentandfuture:doeslegacypollutioncontributetoantibioticresistanceinindustrialisedestuaries?FionaHenriquezetal.,UniversityoftheWestofScotland

1.DiagnosticInnovationandLivestock:TowardsmoreeffectiveandsustainableapplicationsofantibioticsinlivestockfarmingAuthors:K.Adam,A.Bruce,G.Banda,V.Mugittu,J.Tait.Affiliation:TheInnogenInstitute;Science,TechnologyandInnovationStudies;SchoolofSocialandPoliticalScience;UniversityofEdinburghE-mail:k.adam@ed.ac.ukAbstract:Rapiddiagnosticshavepotentialtoaddressthechallengeofantimicrobialresistance(AMR)inhumansandanimals.However,successfuldevelopmentandapplicationofnoveldiagnostictoolsrequiresbothscientificinnovationandunderstandingofrelevantsocial,politicalandeconomicfactors,includingregulation.TheDiagnosticInnovationandLivestock(DIAL)projectaimstofacilitatethedevelopmentofnovel,rapiddiagnosticteststosupportdecisionsaroundantimicrobialuseinlivestockintheUKandTanzania.Thisisaninterdisciplinaryinvestigationbringingtogethersocial,veterinaryandinnovationsciences.Usinganinnovationsystemsapproach,weaimtoidentifybarriersandenablerstodiagnosticinnovation,assesstheregulatorysupportrequiredandunderstandpotentialmarketsforrapidAMRdiagnosticsinlivestock.Ourresearchisbasedonsemi-structuredinterviewsandworkshopswithdiagnosticdevelopers,regulatorsandlaboratories.Datawillbeanalysedqualitatively,usingtheStrategicPlanningforAdvancedTechnologyInnovationSystems(STRATIS)framework.Thisapproachrequirescollaborationbetweensocialandlifescientistsandwillcreateinterdisciplinarynetworksforthedevelopmentofpracticalstrategiestooptimiseantimicrobialuseinlivestock.Wearenowrecruitingparticipantsandseekingtoraiseawarenessoftheprojectamongstakeholdersfromindustry,researchandpolicy.Notes:

2.InvitrocomparisonofoxazolidinonesshowssuperiorefficacyoftedizolidincomparisontolinezolidagainststaphylococciAuthors:MunaAleryan1,BrianJones2,CurtisGemmell3andSueLang1Affiliation:1DepartmentofLifeSciences,GlasgowCaledonianUniversity,UK;2MicrobiologyDepartment,GlasgowRoyalInfirmary,UK;3UniversityofStrathclyde,UKE-mail:Muna.Aleryan@gcu.ac.uk

Abstract:

Tedizolid is a second-generationoxazolidinone approved for the treatmentof acutebacterial skinandskin-structureinfections.Thestudyaimwastocomparetheinvitroefficacyofthetedizolidandlinezolidwithvancomycinagainstplanktonicandbiofilm-associatedstaphylococci.

Clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus strains (26 MSSA, 27 MRSA) and S.epidermidis (12),includingthreelinezolid-resistant(LnzR)isolates,weretestedforsusceptibilitytotedizolid,linezolidand vancomycin using EUCAST guidelines. Susceptibility of biofilm-associated cells was assessedusinga96-wellplate-resazurinassay.Comparedtolinezolid,tedizolidMICswereupto8-foldlower.TheLnzR-cfr+isolatesremainedfullysusceptibletotedizolid,whilsttheLnzR-cfr+/G2576TandLnzR-G2576TisolatespresentedMICsupto16x greater than linezolid susceptible strains. Tedizolid at 10xMIC displayed greater efficacy than10xMIClinezolidagainstpre-formedbiofilms,reducingthebiofilmby60%and42%oftheuntreatedcontrol, respectively. Tedizolid (10xMIC) activity against biofilms formed by LnzR-cfr+ strains wascomparable to the reduction achieved with linezolid though achieved using tedizolid at aconcentration8-foldlower.Theincreasedactivityoftedizolidcomparedtolinezolidachievedusinglowerconcentrationsagainstboth planktonic and biofilm-associated cells, including cfr+ multidrug resistant strains, offers arealisticlowerdosealternativeagentinthetreatmentofstaphylococcalinfections.Notes:

3.AnInvestigationof5-FluorouracilResistanceinKinetoplastParasitesAuthors:IbrahimAlfayez,KhalidAlzahrani,JumaAliandHarrydeKoningAffiliation:InstituteofInfection,ImmunityandInflammation,UniversityofGlasgow,Glasgow,UnitedKingdomE-mail:i.alfayez.1@research.gla.ac.uk

Abstract:KinetoplastidparasitesareawidespreadgroupofflagellatedprotozoanpathogensandthedefiningfeatureoftheseparasitesisthepresenceofalargemitochondrialDNAregionknownasthe‘kinetoplast’.Themostcommonhumandiseasescausedbykinetoplastidparasitesare:1)Africantrypanosomes(Africansleepingsickness),2)Leishmaniaspecies(leishmaniasis)and3)Trypanosomacruzi(Chagas'disease).Thetwotypesofnucleotidesinthecellarepurineandpyrimidinewhichhaveaverysignificantroleinnucleicacidsynthesis(DNAandRNA)andthemetabolismofprokaryoticandeukaryoticcells.Kinetoplastidparasitesarecapableofsalvageaswellassynthesisofpyrimidinenucleotides.Kinetoplastidprotozoaexpressmanysuchmembranetransportproteinswhichenablethemtotakeupnutrients,effluxmetabolites,regulatephysiologicalconcentrations,translocatevariousmolecules,andimportorexportdrugs.Resistanceto5-fluorouracil(5-FU)wasgeneratedinbothT.b.bruceiBSFs427-wildtypeandLeishmaniamexicanapromastigotes,yieldingclonallinesTbb-5FUResandLmex-5FURes,respectively.Thegenefamilyencodingpyrimidinenucleobasetransportersinkinetoplastparasiteshasnotyetbeendiscovered.Wetrytoidentifytheseusingtheantimetabolite5-FUasaprobe.Previousworkinourlaboratories(RNA-seqandRIT-seq)analysesof5-FUresistantcelllineshasidentifiedcandidategenesforpyrimidinetransporters,includinggenesannotatedascationtransporters(Tbb-CATs),fattyaciddesaturase(Tbb-FADandLmex-FAD)andglucosetransporters(2A,1Band1E).Apartfromsomeglucosetransporters,noneofthesepotentialtransportgeneshavebeenpreviouslycharacterisedinprotozoaandassuchtheyareofinterestintheirownrightaswell.Themainaimofthisstudythereforeistoidentifythegene(s)encodingtheprotozoantransportersofpyrimidines,particularlyuracil,andassesscandidategenesthatmaybeinvolvedintransportof,orsensitivityto,5-FU.Forthiswewillusereversegeneticsapproachessuchasknockoutconstructs,targetedRNAi,andoverexpressionofthetargetgenes.Wedeterminedthesensitivityofthe5-FUand6-Azauracil(6-AU)inasKOofTbb-CATsandT.b.brucei427WTwiththeuseofalamarbluedrugsensitivityassay,andfoundnosignificantdifference.WewereunabletomakeafulldoubleknockoutfortheCATs,asthisledtothedeathofthecells,showingthattheirfunctionisessentialforthegrowthofBSFT.b.bruceiinvitro.Also,theeffectofincreasedgeneexpressionofTbb-FADinTbb-5FUResandLmex-FADinLmex-5FUReson5-FUand6-AUsensitivitieswereanalysedusingthealamarblueassay.ResultsshowednosignificantdifferencesintheEC50valuesof5-FUand6-AUbetweentheoverexpressingcelllinesandthecontrollines.Effortstoidentifythepyrimidinetransportergenesarepresentlyongoingandidentificationofthesegeneswillsignificantlyimproveourunderstandingofdrugandnutrienttransportersofkinetoplastparasites.

Notes:

4.Site-directedmutagenesisofspecificaminoacidresiduessupportsthemodelofconductanceofpentamidinethroughtheTbAQP2channelAuthors:AliEAlghamdi1,2,JaneC.Munday1,andHarryP.deKoning1Affiliation:1InstituteofInfection,ImmunityandInflammation,CollegeofMedical,VeterinaryandLifeSciences,UniversityofGlasgow,Glasgow,G128TA,UnitedKingdom2DepartmentofBiology,FacultyofScience,AlbahaUniversity,SaudiArabiaE-mail:a.alghamdi.2@research.gla.ac.ukAbstract:African trypanosomes cause sleeping sickness in humans, a disease that is typically fatal withoutchemotherapy. The treatment of HAT is based on just a few drugs: Eflornithine, Pentamidine,Melarsoprol,NifurtimoxandSuramin.Theextensiveuseoftheavailabledrugsledtotheemergenceofdrugresistance.Unfortunately,resistancetosomeofthedrugshasreachedalarminglevelsandappearstobespreading,butourcomprehensionoftheresistancemechanismsremainsincomplete.Aquaporins (AQPs) are integralmembrane proteins functioning as the cellular entry pathways forantimony oxides in Leishmania species, and in general are the conduit for glycerol, small sugars,inorganic arsenic and water. In virtually all organisms the regulation of osmotic pressure is animportantroleofaquaporins.Theaquaporinsareofdifferentsub-types:inhumantissuesthereareabout13ofaquaporins,andhundredshavebeenidentifiedinamultitudeofnon-humanspecies.InTrypanosoma,threeaquaporinsgenes,AQP1-3,havebeenidentified.Recentstudieshaverevealedthatthereisageneticlinkbetweenthisgeneanddrugsusceptibility,leadingtothehypothesisthatsomeoftheclinicaltrypanocides,specificallypentamidineandthemelaminophenylarsenicalsenterthroughtheseaquaporins.InT.bruceiaquaporins2and3genesarefoundonchromosome10inatandem array and share 83% sequence identity. Specifically, TbAQP2 was found to be a highlyefficienttransporterforpentamidineandmelarsoprolandintroductionofthisgeneintoLeishmaniamexicana made these parasites more than 1000-fold more sensitive to melarsoprol, and 40-foldmoresensitivetopentamidine.Therefore,anunderstandingofthemechanismsofAQP2-mediateddruguptakeinAfricantrypanosomeswillfacilitatetheadvancementofdiagnostictoolsandperhapsat the same time the improvement of enhanced treatments.We report here the construction ofseveralgeneticmutations(singleormultipleaminoacidsubstitutions) inAQP2to investigatetheireffects on the ability of the gene for drug sensitivity and drug transport. As part of this strategy,leucine residueswere replaced by tryptophan in three suggested sites in the Tb AQP2 gene. Theresults of introducing tryptophan residues in L84 and L118 in the TbAQP2 showed some loss ofpentamidinesusceptibilitycomparedtothewild-typecells,whereasL218showedequalsensitivitytopentamidinecomparedtothewild-typecells.AdoublemutantofL84W/L118Wdisplayedanevengreaterlossofpentamidinesusceptibility.Notes:

5.EssentialityofpSCL4,aGiantLinearPlasmidofStreptomycesclavuligerus.Authors:LisAlgora,PaulR.HerronAffiliation:SIPBS,UniversityofStrathclydeE-mail:lis.algora-gallardo@strath.ac.ukAbstract:Clavulanic acid is a β-lactamase inhibitor that is used in combinationwith the β-lactam antibioticAmoxicillin. It is produced by Streptomyces clavuligerus (phylum Actinobacteria) whose genomeincludes a linear chromosome and four linear plasmids pSCL1, pSCL2, pSCL3 and pSCL4. With alength of 1.8Mb, pSCL4 is the largest linear plasmid sequenced to date. It carries 20% of the S.clavuligeruscodingsequences,noneofwhicharethoughttobeinvolvedintheprimarymetabolismofthebacteriumandthereforeitsessentialityisquestionable.However,sequencingresultsshowedthatthegenesencodingtheterminalproteinsTapandTpgwerelocatedonpSCL4.Theseproteinsare necessary for telomere replication of linear replicons in streptomycetes. As tap and tpg areabsentfromthechromosome,itsuggeststhatS.clavuligerusmightrelyontheseplasmid-encodedproteins tomaintain thechromosomeends. In thisstudywehaveconfirmedthat tapand tpgarepresentassinglecopies in thegenomeofS.clavuligerus typestrainswhich indicates theessentialroleofpSCL4.Furtherexperimentsinvolvingdeletionofthetap-tpgoperonfrompSCL4willconfirmtheir roleonmaintenanceof chromosomal linearityand telomeric sequences.Moreover,wehaveconstructedS. clavuligerusmutants complementedwith second copiesof tap-tpg thatwepredictleavepSCL4dispensableforgrowthofthebacterium.Notes:

6.MultidrugResistantAcinetobacterbaumannii:AnEmergingHealthThreatinAseerRegion,KingdomofSaudiArabiaAuthors:MohammedK.Almaghrabi1,*,MartinR.P.Joseph1,MohammedM.Assiry2,MohamedE.Hamid1Affiliation:1DepartmentofMicrobiologyandClinicalParasitology,KingKhalidUniversity,Abha,KingdomofSaudiArabia2MicrobiologyLaboratories,AseerCentralHospital,Abha,KingdomofSaudiArabiaE-mail:malmaghrabi@kku.edu.saAbstract:Thestudyaims todetermine theprevalenceofmulti-drug resistantA.baumannii inAseer region,KingdomofSaudiArabia.Methods:Thisstudyevaluatedtheantibioticsusceptibilityofninetyfour(n=94)clinicalisolatesofA.baumannii.TheisolateswerecollectedfromthesouthregionofSaudiArabia;andnotablyAseerregion,duringtheperiodfrom15October2014to15January2015.TheisolatesweretentativelyidentifiedasA.baumanniibyroutinebenchtests;andwereconfirmedbyusingVITEK®2Compact.Thelatestinstrumentwasusedtoidentifyantibioticsusceptibilityoftheseisolates.Results:Antibioticsusceptibilityinthisstudyshowedthat69%oftheseisolatesweremulti-drugresistantstrains.Moreover,theywerehighlyresistanttocarbapenemdrugs.Severalstrainsofthese isolateswere found tobeextremely resistant to testantibiotics,andwereonly sensitive tooneortwoof them.Conclusion:Highrateofmulti-drugresistanceA.baumanniibacteraemiahasemerged in the south region of Saudi Arabia as an important health problem. Therefore, it isconsideredasanewthreat inhospitals,which requiresa tremendouseffort tostop itsescalationandspread.Keywords:Acinetobacterbaumannii,Antibiotic,Bacteraemia,Carbapenem,SusceptibilityNotes:

7.DevelopingproteinantibioticsfortreatmentofAMRPseudomonasaeruginosaAuthors:MadhuriBarge,AnneSix,DanielWalkerAffiliation: Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, college of MVLS, University ofGlasgow,Scotland,UKE-mail:Madhuri.Barge@glasgow.ac.ukAbstract:Antibiotic resistance is a global health threat and without discovery of new antibiotics we areheadingtowardsapre-antibioticserawherebacterial infectionswillbecomedeadly. Inour labweworkonagroupofproteinantibioticsproducedbygramnegativebacteriathathaveevolvedtowinand survive the intra species competition. One such protein antibiotics is pyocin S5 produced byPseudomonasaeruginosa.WeintendtodevelopapyocinS5asahighlyspecifictherapeuticforthetreatmentofPseudomonasaeruginosa, themajor causeofdeath inpatients suffering fromcysticfibrosis (CF). The primary objective is to generate methods for the production, formulation,manufactureanddeliveryofpyocinS5andasafetyprofilefordeliverybyinhalation.ToachievethiswehavedevelopedamethodforpyocinS5purification.Wehavetestedthe lyophilisedproteinatvarious time intervalandtemperatures toevaluatesuitable formulationconditions.The longtermand short-term stability tests were carried out for the formulated protein. Pyocin S5 has a greatpotential for development as a much needed therapeutic drug to treat antibiotic resistantPseudomonas aeruginosa infection and might be a suitable drug for treating people with cysticfibrosis.Notes:

8.NovelAntimicrobialMechanismsinPhagocyticCellsAuthors:MassimilianoBaldassarre,DomenicoMancusoandStefaniaSpanò.Affiliation:InstituteofMedicalSciences,UniversityofAberdeen,AberdeenUKE-mail:massimiliano.baldassarre@abdn.ac.ukAbstract:Enhancementofhostdefencesrepresentsapossiblestrategyforcombatinginfectionsandreduceantimicrobialresistance.Mechanismsunderpinningbacterialclearanceandthestrategiesusedbypathogenstoavoiditarenotcompletelyunderstood.Wepreviouslyidentifiedahosttraffickingpathwaythatpreventsthehuman-restrictedbacterialpathogenSalmonellaTyphifromsurvivinginmousemacrophages.ThisantimicrobialpathwaydependsonthehostGTPaseRab32anditsguaninenucleotideexchangefactorBLOC3.WeshowedthatincontrasttoSalmonellaTyphi,thebroad-hostpathogenSalmonellaTyphimuriuminfectmicebycounteractingtheRab32traffickingpathwaythroughthedeliveryoftwotype-III-secretioneffectors:1)GtgE,aspecificproteasecleavingRab32;and2)SopD2,aRabGTPaseactivatingprotein.Byneutralisingthishostdefencepathway,GtgEandSopD2allowSalmonellaTyphimuriumtoestablishasystemicinfection.OurrecentresultsindicatethatSalmonellaisnottheonlypathogensusceptibletotheBLOC3/Rab32antimicrobialpathwayandsuggestthatotherintracellularpathogenshaveevolvedtoneutralisethishost-defencepathwaytobeabletosurvivephagocyticcellsandtocauseinfection.Mechanismsunderlyingtheseantimicrobialprocessesandbacterialcounteractionsarecurrentlybeinginvestigated.Boostingofthisantimicrobialpathwaycouldbeexploitedinthefuturetopreventortreatbacterialinfections.Notes:

9.DevelopmentOfStreptomycesToUtiliseSustainableFeedstockInFermentationsAuthors:AnnaS.Birke1,SteveGKendrew,PaulRHerron,BenHuckle,IainS.Hunter1&PaulA.Hoskisson*1Affiliation:1StrathclydeInstituteofPharmacyandBiomedicalSciences,UniversityofStrathclyde,161CathedralStreet,G10RE;GSKE-mail:anna.birke@strath.ac.ukAbstract:Membersof theStreptomycesgenushavebeenused in industry fordecades toproducebioactivespecialised metabolites, suchasantibiotics.Primarymetabolic intermediatesare required for thebiosynthesis of these compounds. In fermentations, the carbon source available during theproductionphasehasbeen shown tohaveaprofound impactonantibioticproductionvia carbonsource-dependent regulatory mechanisms, such as carbon catabolite repression. Since bacteriausuallyexhibitpreferencesofonecarbonsourceoveranotherwiththeformeroftenbeingglucose,the range of carbon sources that can be utilised in fermentation media is often key to thefermentation performance. We are interested in broadening and optimising the cataboliccapabilitiesofselectedStreptomycesstrains, includingthe indrustriallyrelevantS.clavuligerusandthe model organism S. coelicolor, to allow usage of carbon sources obtained from sustainablefeedstocks. Using a combination of bioinformatics and molecular genetics we are comparingactinobacterialcarbonuptakeandcatabolicsystems,aswellasconstructingintegratingvectorsfortheheterologousexpressionofeitherasugarpermeaseorsugarkinasefromStreptomycesspecies.Thegenesareplacedunderthecontrolofaninduciblepromotortoenhancetheirexpressioninthecellsandallowcharacterisationofgrowthandantibioticproductionphenotypes.Notes:

10.Usingindividual-basedmathematicalmodelstostudyantibioticresistanceAuthors:DrRuthBowness,ProfessorMarkChaplain,DrGibinPowathil,ProfessorStephenGillespieAffiliation:UniversityofStAndrews,UniversityofSwanseaE-mail:rec9@st-andrews.ac.ukAbstract:Ihavedevelopedanovelindividual-basedmathematicalmodeltostudypulmonarytuberculosis(TB)diseaseprogression,theresponsetotreatmentandtheriskofresistance.Usingdiscreteelementsthatmimicthespatio-temporalinteractionsofbacteriaandTcells,themovementofcellsisgovernedbybiasedrandomwalks,whilstinteractionsaregovernedbyrulesdefinedbyotherpublisheddata.Diffusionofchemokines,oxygenandantibioticsaremodelledthroughpartialdifferentialequations.Thismodeliscapableofsimulatingmultipleantibioticsviaanintegratedpharmakokinectic/pharmcodynamicmodel.Thismodeliscurrentlybeingextendedtoinvestigatenewtreatmentapproachesformulti-drugresistant(MDR)andextensively-drugresistant(XDR)TB.Earlyresultsshowthatspatialdifferencesinantibioticdiffusionmakeitmorelikelythatresistancewilldevelop.Suchindividual-basedmodelshaveconsiderablepotentialtoaddressthiscomplexquestion.Itissimpletoadapttheframeworktoaddressotherimportantantibioticresistantinfectionsandournexttargetisthestudyofcarbapenem-resistantEnterobacteriaceae(CRE)inurinarytractinfections(UTIs).Notes:

11.DetectionofAMRandco-selectorsindrinkingwaterAuthors:DrHelenBridleAffiliation:Heriot-WattUniversityE-mail:H.L.Bridle@hw.ac.ukAbstract:ANERCfundedcollaborationwithIndiahasjuststartedfocussingonthedetectionofAMRandco-selectorsindrinkingwater.TheaimistodevelopnewsensortechnologiestosupportcasestudiesofAMRinIndianwatersutilisingthedatatomodelAMRandco-selectorinteractionsandbenchmarksensorperformanceagainstexistingtechniques.Theprojectwillrunfrom2018-2021andthisposterwillgiveanoverviewoftheprojectplansandaims.SeveralworkshopsandmeetingswillbeheldbothinScotlandandIndiaandwewouldbeinterestedtodiscusswithpotentialstakeholdersorotheracademicstoexpandthereachoftheproject.Notes:

12.UnderstandingthechemicalwarfareofactinomycetesacrosstaxonomicandphylogeneticboundariesforacceleratedantibioticdiscoveryAuthors:LaiaCastanoEspriuandKatherineDuncan,UniversityofStrathclydeAffiliation:PaulinaRakowska,NationalCentreofExcellenceinMassSpectrometryImaging,NationalPhysicalLaboratory,TeddingtonE-mail:laia.castano-espriu@strath.ac.ukAbstract:Thebacterialorderactinomycetes,isthemajorproducerofspecializedmetaboliteswithdiversebiologicalactivities.Approximately45%ofallantibioticsinclinicalusetodayareproducedbyactinomycetes.Dependingontheirgenomesize,actinomycetesmaycontainover30biosyntheticgeneclustersencodingforspecialisedmetabolites.However,onlyasmallfractionaretranscribedundernormallaboratoryconiditions.Ithasbeenobservedthatinterspeciesinteractionsmayplayaroleintheinductionofspecializedmetabolites.Thereisavastnumberandtaxonimcdiversityofbacterialstrainswhichmightcompetewithactinomycetestomaintainanecologicaladvantage.Metabolitesarelikelyproducedasadefencemechanism.Therefore,aco-culturetechniqueisaneffectivemethodtoachieveinteractionsbetweenbacteria.Tounderstandthechemicalexchangebetweenstrainsacrosstaxonomicandphylogeneticboundaries,theimpactofmicrobialinteractionswasassessedonthestrainsabilitytoproducespecialisedmetabolites.Toinvestigatethistopic,liquidco-culturetechniquewasusedformetabolitesextraction.Furthermore,thebioactivityofallmetaboliteextractsweretestedagainstESKAPEpathogens.Liquidchromatographytandemmassspectrometry(LC-MS)wasperfomedtoobtainthemetaboliteprofiles.GNPSmolecularnetworkinghasenabledthedereplicationofbiologicalextractsandcomparisonacrossthedifferentexperimentalconditions.ChemicallyinterestinginteractionswillbesubjectedtoImagingMassSpectrometry(IMS)incollaborationwiththeNationalPhyiscalLaboratory.Theresultsdemonstratethatmicrobialinteractionsinactinomycetestrainsisolatedfrommarineenvironmentstogetherwiththerecentadvancesinmassspectrometryandcomparativemetabolomicsrepresentanexicitngstrategyforprioritizingnovelchemistrytocombatantimicrobialresistance.Notes:

13.LongitudePrizeAuthors:Chapman,PaulAffiliation:Marks-ClerkE-mail:pchapman@marks-clerk.com Abstract:Threehundred years after theoriginal Longitudeprize, theBritishpublicwas asked to consider 6globally relevant issues and to vote on the one they deemed to be of most immediate publicimportance.Thewinningchallengewashowtoreducetheuseofantibiotics.The Longitude Prize 2014 is a £10m prize fund thatwill reward a competitor that can develop apoint–of–carediagnostictestthatwillconserveantibioticsforfuturegenerationsandrevolutionisethe delivery of global healthcare. The test must be accurate, rapid, affordable and easy to useanywhereintheworld.Point-of-care test kits will allow more targeted use of antibiotics, and an overall reduction inmisdiagnosisandprescription.Effectiveandaccuratepointofcaretestswillformavitalpartofthetoolkitforstewardshipofantibioticsinthefuture.Thiswillensurethattheantibioticswehavenowwill be effective for longer and we can continue to control infections during routine and majorprocedures.This poster will look to inform you further about the problem of antibiotic misuse and how theLongitudeprizehopestohelptacklethis.Notes:

14.RoleofImplantNanoroughnessandBioactivecoatingonOsseointegrationandBacterialGrowthAuthors:LailaDamiati1,VirginiaLlopis-Hernández1,MarkGinty2,AngelaNobbs2,BoSu2,GordonRamage3,RichardOreffo4,PenelopeM.Tsimbouri1,ManuelSalmeron-Sanchez1,MatthewJ.Dalby1Affiliation:1CentreforCellularMicroenvironment,UniversityofGlasgow,Glasgow,UK;2BiomaterialsEngineeringGroup,UniversityofBristol,Bristol,UK;3InstituteofInfectionImmunityandInflammation,UniversityofGlasgow,Glasgow,UK;4BoneandJointResearchGroup,UniversityofSouthampton,Southampton,UK.E-mail:l.damiati.1@research.gla.ac.ukAbstract:We are investigating the osseointegration and antimicrobial properties against Pseudomonasaeruginosa of Titanium nanotopographies. Poly(ethylacrylate) (PEA) causes a spontaneousunravelling of fibronectin upon contact which facilitates interaction with growth factors (GF),allowingultra-lowdoseGFpresentationwithhighefficiency.WearethusstudyingtheeffectofTibactericidal nanotopographies coated with PEA/FN/BMP2 to see if the coating can improveMSCgrowthanddifferentiationwhilemaintainingbacterialkill.Tinanowiresurfacesproducedthroughathermaloxidationunderalkalineconditions.SurfaceswerecoatedwithPEAusingaplasmapolymerisation.ThebiologicalcoatingwasappliedusingFN/BMP2priortoStro-1+hBM-MSCculture.PhysicalandchemicalcharacteristicswerestudiedusingSEM,AFM,WCA,andXPS.Polymer coating increased the hydrophobicity of Ti, which increased protein adsorption. FNdecreasedthehydrophobicity,whichimprovedcelladhesion.Thenumberofcell-bindingdomainsaswellastheheparin-bindingdomainincreasedonthecoatedsurfacescomparedtocoated/uncoatedflatsurfaces.Thecurrentcoatingshowedanimprovementofcellgrowth,adhesionandosteogenicgeneexpressiononTiO2nanowiresurfaces.An ideal bone implant should improve the osteogenesis and reduce bacterial adhesion.However,increasingtheimplantsurfacearea,e.g.a3Dformatcouldimprovetheosteogenicandbactericidaleffectweseek.Notes:

15.NovelStreptomycescompounddiscoverybyLC/MSguidedscreeningofgrowthconditionsAuthors:JoshuaBurns1,2,ChristineEdwards1,LindaLawton1&SamanthaLaw2

Affiliation:1TheRobertGordonUniversity,SchoolofPharmacyandLifeSciences,AberdeenAB107GJ2NCIMBLtd,CraibstoneEstate,AberdeenAB219YAE-mail:c.edwards@rgu.ac.ukAbstract:Streptomycesspeciesareamajorsourceofantibioticsbutareoftengrownunderrestrictiveconditionsthatlimitbiosyntheticgeneexpression.Theoverarchingaimofthisstudywastoidentifyconditionsthatproducenovelantibiotics,specificallyagainstGram-negativepathogens.RareStreptomycesfromtheCultureCollectionNCIMBwereinoculatedinto24-wellplatescreens,witheachplatecontaining8conditions.Nutritionalscreeninguseddifferentcarbonandnitrogensources,withagarandbrothequivalents.Stressesandelicitorsincludedsolvents,metals,andantibiotics.Samplesweretakenat5,10and15daysforUPLC/MSanalysis,andtheresultingDataprocessedwithMZmine.S.sp.wasselectedforscale-upasithadshownbioactivityagainstEscherichiacoliwith>90%inhibitionusingtheXTTassay.Genomeminingalsoidentifiedover20biosyntheticgeneclusterswithlessthan50%homologytoknownbiosyntheticgeneclusters..PrincipalComponentAnalysisshowedclearseparationbetweensolid,liquid,andtimepoints.InmediumM19,39%ofmetaboliteswerefoundonlyinliquidmedia,and19%insolid.S.sp.wasgrowninliquidM19for5days.ThesupernatantwasrunthroughaC18column,andflowthroughloadedintoahighpolarityretentionresin.Highpolarityfractionsarelessstudiedsomaycontainnovelmetabolites.InitialdereplicationidentifiedcommoncompoundssuchasActinomycinsC,D,andDesferrioxamine.MS/MSspectrawereobtainedforthesecompoundsandtheremainingunidentifiedmetabolites.NovelmetabolitediscoveryinStreptomycescanbeenhancedthroughacombinationofgenomicandmetabolomictools.Antimicrobialresistanceispredictedtocause10millionayear,withacumulativecostof$100trillionby2050(1).IncreasingthechemicalspacefromStreptomycesisavaluablemethodtocontributetothedrugdevelopmentpipline.1:Tacklingdrug-resistantinfectionsglobally:finalreportandrecommendations:ThereviewonAntimicrobialResistanceNotes:

16.Mutantsversuscations:variableeffectsonbiofilmformationbyPseudomonasaeruginosaPA14Authors:AlistairGrantandGeorgiosEfthimiouAffiliation:UniversityofStrathclydeE-mail:georgios.efthimiou@strath.ac.ukAbstract:Pseudomonasaeruginosaisanon-goinghealthhazardforhospitalsandwatersystems,asformationofbiofilmsmakesitseradicationratherdifficult.Inthisstudy,theeffectofinorganicsalts(10mMfinalconcentration)onbiofilmformationbyP.aeruginosaPA14onplasticsurfaceswasexamined,dailyupto96h.Theadditionoflithium,manganeseandcalciumionssignificantlyspeededupbiofilmformationbyPA14.Furthermore,knockoutmutantsoffivebiofilm-relatedPA14geneswerethentestedasabove,namelycupB5,PA3357,vfr,rh1AandampR.ForthePA3357,vfr,rh1Aandcrcmutants,theformationofbiofilmswithouttheadditionofsaltswaslowerthanthewildtype.AsubstantialincreaseinbiofilmformationinampRwasobserved.Biofilmformationbythevfrmutantwassignificantlyincreasedbyadditionofcalciumions.Lithiumionshadthesameeffectfortherh1Amutant,whilebiofilmformationbythePA3357mutantwasenhancedbyadditionoflithium,magnesium,manganeseandcalciumions.Conversely,theadditionofanycationintheampRknockoutappearstoinhibitbiofilmformation.OurresultssuggestthatbiofilmformationbyP.aeruginosaPA14isselectivelyregulatedbyspecificcationsratherthansimplybychangesinsurfacecharge. Notes:

17.Evaluationofgreaterwaxmothlarvae,Galleriamellonella,asanovelinvivomodelfornon-tuberculosisMycobacteriainfectionsandantibiotictreatmentsAuthors:FrancesEntwistleAffiliation:UniversityofStAndrewsE-mail:fe9@st-andrews.ac.ukAbstract:Galleriamellonella,thelarvaeofthegreaterwaxmoth,areanincreasinglypopularwhole-organismmodelforavarietyofinfectiousmicroorganisms,andareavaluabletoolforperformingrapid,cost-effectivescreensofexistingandnoveltreatmentsfortheseinfections.Here,wepresentouruseofGallerialarvaeasaninvivomodelanddrug-screeningtoolformycobacteriainfections.ThebacteriautilisedwereM.fortuitum,M.marinumandM.aurum-–larvalsurvivaldecreasedafterinfectionwithM.fortuitumandM.marinuminadose-dependentmanner,butremainedunaffectedbyM.aurum.Heat-killedbacteriadidnotcauselarvaldeath.Whereantibioticmonotherapywasefficacious,larvalsurvivalpost-infectionincreasedinadose-dependentfashion.However,efficacyvariedbetweendifferentantibioticsandspeciesofinfectingmycobacteria.Combinationsofantibioticsledtohighersurvivalofinfectedlarvaethanantibioticmonotherapy.Selectedantibiotictreatmentsthatenhancedlarvalsurvivalreducedtheoverallinternalburdenofinfectingmycobacteria,butdidnoteradicatethepathogens.AdministrationofamikacinorethambutoltouninfectedlarvaeinducedaninitialtransientincreaseinthenumbersofcirculatinghaemocytesandreducedthephagocyticrateofhaemocytesinlarvaeinfectedwithM.marinum.Notes:

18.AssessingtheimpactofchangesinnationalantibioticuseinScotlandonGram-negativeresistanceusingtheNHSScotlandInfectionIntelligencePlatformAuthors:WilliamMalcolm,CharisMarwick,JennyArmstrong,KimKavanagh,GuyMcGivern,MarionBennieAffiliation:NationalHealthScotlandE-mail:eilidh.fletcher@nhs.netAbstract:BackgroundSince2008useofbroad-spectrumantibioticsassociatedwithincreasedriskofClostridiumdifficileinfection(CDI)hasreducedacrossScotland.Thisstudyinvestigatedassociationsbetweenuseoftheseantibioticsandantimicrobialresistance(AMR)amongGramnegativebacteraemia.MethodsAntibioticusedata(2009-14)wereextractedfromHospitalMedicinesUtilisationDatabaseandPrescribingInformationSystemandcombineddefineddailydoses(DDD)per1000-population-per-monthcalculatedforco-amoxiclav,fluoroquinolonesand3rd-generationcephalosporins.DataonE.coliandKlebsiellabacteraemiaswereextractedfromroutinenationaldata.Binomialgenerallinearregressionwasusedtoquantifyassociationsbetweenproportionresistantbacteraemiasandantibioticuse.ResultsUseoffluoroquinolonesandco-amoxiclavwas35%lower,andcephalosporins41%lower,in2014comparedto2009,withsignificanttrendsovertime.ResistancetocephalosporinsandfluoroquinolonesdecreasedamongE.coli(relativereductionsof24%and17%respectively).TherewerenochangesinKlebsiellaresistance.ThereweresignificantassociationsbetweenantibioticuseandE.coliresistanceforcephalosporinsOR1.07(95%CI1.02–1.13);interpretedas7%(2-13%)increaseinresistancewitheachadditionalDDD/1000-population,fluoroquinolones[OR1.02(1.01–1.03)]andco-amoxiclav[OR1.01(1.01–1.01)].ConclusionsReductionsinuseofantibioticswithhighCDIriskhasbeenassociatedwithreducedresistanceamongE.colibutnotKlebsiellabacteraemia.Notes:

19.Characterisationofriskfactorsassociatedwithantibioticresistanceinurinaryisolatesinthecommunity:anexemplarofNHSScotland’sInfectionIntelligencePlatformAuthors:WilliamMalcolm,EilidhFletcher,KimKavanagh,CamillaWiuff,AshutoshDeshpande,CharisMarwick,MarionBennieAffiliation:HealthProtectionScotland,NHSNationalServicesScotland,UniversityofStrathclyde,NHSGreaterGlasgowandClyde,UniversityofDundeeE-mail:eilidh.fletcher@nhs.net,w.malcolm@nhs.net,kim.kavanagh@strath.ac.uk,camilla.wiuff@nhs.net,ashutoshdeshpande@nhs.net,c.z.marwick@dundee.ac.uk,m.bennie@nhs.netAbstract:BackgroundThethreatfromresistancetomultipleantibioticsisgrowing.Multidrugresistancereducestreatmentoptionsandincreasesthepotentialfortreatmentfailure.Inthecommunityurinarytractinfections(UTI)arecommonandantibiotictreatmentusuallyempirical.Thisstudyusedroutinenationaldatatocharacterisefactorsassociatedwithantibioticresistanceinurineisolates.MethodUrineisolatesfromnationalsurveillance(2012to2015)werelinkedwithhospitalactivityandcommunityprescribingdatasetsatpatientlevel.Riskfactorsassociatedwithresistantandmulti-resistantisolateswereassessedusingmultivariablemultinomiallogisticregression.ResultsOf40,984isolates:45%wereresistant;27%multi-resistant;and28%susceptibletotheantibioticstested.Antibioticexposureinthe6monthspriortoaurineisolatewasstronglyassociatedwithmulti-resistance;thoseprescribed³4differentantibioticshadOR6.09(95%CI5.16-7.19).Cumulativeantibioticexposurehadadose-responserelationship-multi-resistancewasobservedinindividualswith³29DDDofanyantibiotic(OR6.54;95%CI5.88-7.27)inthe6monthspriortotheisolate.ConclusionThisstudyidentified,andquantified,riskfactorsformulti-drugresistanceinurineisolates.Thisevidencebaseisnowinformingdevelopmentofpatient-centredprescribingdecisionsupporttoolsfortreatmentofUTIandtoimproveantimicrobialstewardship.Notes:

20.WholeGenomeSequencing(WGS)ofEnhancedSurveillanceEscherichiacoliandStaphylococcusaureusBacteraemias(ECBandSAB)toinvestigatethedevelopmentofAMRinScottishNationalHealthService(NHS)healthboardsAuthors:Dr.StephenFox1,Dr.CosmikaGoswami1,Dr.KerryPettigrew2,Dr.RobinYoung3,Dr.ElizabethDickson4,LauraImrie5,Dr.FionaMurdoch5,Dr.MartinConnor6,Prof.JohnCoia4,Prof.ColinMcCowan3,Prof.MatthewHolden2,Prof.AlistairLeanord1,Prof.ThomasEvans1Affiliation:1InstituteofInfection,ImmunityandInflammation,UniversityofGlasgow,Scotland,UK2SchoolofMedicine,UniversityofSt.Andrews,Scotland,UK3RobertsonCentreforBiostatistics,InstituteofHealthandWellbeing,UniversityofGlasgow4ScottishMicrobiologyReferenceLaboratories,Glasgow,Scotland5HealthProtectionScotland,CliftonHouse,CliftonPlace,Glasgow,UK6DepartmentofMicrobiology,DumfriesandGallowayRoyalInfirmary,Dumfries,Scotland,UKE-mail:Stephen.Fox@glasgow.ac.ukAbstract:EscherichiacoliandStaphylococcusaureusarethetwomaininfectiveorganismsthatcausebacteraemia.Bacteraemiasareasignificantandgrowingcauseofpatientmortalityandmorbidity.ThisgrowthinbacteraemiasisconsideredtobeduetoanincreaseinAMR.ToinvestigateAMRdevelopmentwecollected~700ECBandSABisolateswithEnhancedSurveillancedatafromNHShealthboardsacrossScotland(2013-2015)forwholegenomesequencing.WeidentifiedthekeyAMRgenesinbothECBandSABisolates.TheECBstrainST131andtheSABstrainST22bothhadsignificantlyhigherAMRgenesandbothpredominatedinhospital-associatedinfections(HAI).NetworkanalysisofAMRgenesandphenotypicresistancesshowedstrongassociationsbetweenantibioticsthatarelargelyconfinedtohospitalusee.g.3rdgenerationcephalosporins).Thissuggests,currentantibioticuseisgeneratingcross-resistancetootherAMRagents,probablythroughtheacquisitionofplasmidscontainingmultipleAMRdeterminants.Genome-wideassociationstudies(GWAS)andRandomForestclassificationofAMRSABgeneswasperformedinlinkagewithclinicaldata.TheqacAMRgeneswerehighlyassociatedwithHAIsandinpatientswitheczemaorotherskinbreakriskfactors.WholegenomesequencingwithenhancedsurveillancedatamayidentifythekeyAMRdeterminantsthatregulatethecomplexhost/microbialinteractions.Notes:

21.HowdoesStaphylococcusaureusadapt,surviveandcauseinfection?Amolecularapproachfortheidentificationofnovelantibiotictargets.Authors:AndreasF.HaagAffiliation:InstituteofInfection,ImmunityandInflammation,UniversityofGlasgow,G128TAGlasgowE-mail:andreas.haag@glasgow.ac.ukAbstract:S.aureus can cause a huge variety of diseases as it is able to adapt its lifestyle tomany distinctmicroenvironments found in the diverse host niches it inhabits. To adapt to changing hostenvironments,S.aureusneedstosensechangesinitssurroundingandalteritsmetabolisminawaythat best ensures its survival. To this end, S.aureus contains 16 individual signalling relays calledtwo-component signal transduction systems (TCS). Thesemolecular sensors can be considered asthe eyes and ears of the pathogen and trigger adaptive changes in the bacterium following theexposure toa signal.Apart fromvery fewcases, thesignallingmolecules sensedby theseTCSaremostly unknown and the precise networks of genes specifically targeted by them are not welldefined.Adaptation to changing environments is crucial for staphylococcal survival during infection andtherefore presents an attractive target for developing new drug/antibiotics that can preventS.aureustorespondtoexternalstimuli.WeaimtodefinethesignallingcascadeofS.aureusTCSandtheir role in bacterial adaptation and virulence. This researchwill eventually provideuswith newtargetsforthetreatmentandpreventionofS.aureusinfections.Notes:

22.GenomicMiningofThermophilicActinobacteriaforNovelAntibioticsAuthors:GillianHalket,KatherineDuncanandPaulHerronAffiliation:StrathclydeInstituteofPharmacyandBiomedicalSciences,UniversityofStrathclyde,GlasgowE-mail:gillian.halket@strath.ac.ukAbstract:Theoveruseofantibioticshasledtomicrobialinfectionscontinuallyevolvingresistance,creatinganacuteneedtodiscovernewdrugs.Thisresearchprojectaimstorevisitnaturalantibioticdiscoveryinthispost-genomicera,byapplyinggenomicmining techniquesand for the first time, combining itwithrecentlydevelopedmethodsofmolecularnetworking.Over50%ofantibioticsareproducedbymesophilicActinobacteria,yetthermophilicActinobacteriahave also historically yielded important compounds such as the antibiotics thermomycin andanthramycin. Most compounds from mesophilic Actinobacteria are thermolabile resulting in thepotentiallossofeffectivenessduringstorage.Consequently,revisitingextremeenvironmentswithaview to exploration of thermostable alternatives to currently available antibiotics, may providebioactivecompoundswithenhancedproperties.Seventeen putative thermophilic Actinobacteria have been isolated from compost. Their physicalattributeswererecordedandtheiridentityisbeingdeterminedby16SrRNAsequencing.Theabilityof each strain to kill a panel of ESKAPE pathogens will then be analysed, indicating potentialbioactive compounds. Next generation DNA sequencing will be applied to candidate strains andpotential gene clusters encoding bioactive compounds predicted. Metabolite profiling linked totemperature based de-replication will be used, followed by a molecular networks approach incombinationwith the genomic data, identifyingmetabolites that are known antibiotics and thosethataretrulynovel.Notes:

23.Rapidphenotypicsusceptibilitytestingofbacteria:SLICbynameandslickbynatureAuthors:RobertJ.H.Hammond,KerryJFalconer,TomHPowell,StephenH.GillespieAffiliation:UniversityofStAndrewsE-mail:rjhh@st-andrews.ac.ukAbstract:Toolstodetectthesusceptibilityofbacteriarapidlyarenecessaryifwearetoturnthetideofincreasingantimicrobialresistance.Untilacomprehensivesetofmoleculardiagnostictoolsareproducedphenotypicresistancewillremainnecessary.Wehaveintegratedseveraltechnologiesinournovelsusceptibilitymethodology.SLIC:ScatteredLightIntegratedCollectorwhichisamethodofdetectingverysmallnumbersofbacteria,approximately10/mL.Weharnessthistodeterminesusceptibilityrapidly.Wepresentdatathatshowsthatwecandistinguishphenotypicsusceptibilityfromresistanceinminutes.Thismeansthataresultisavailableinamuchshortertimethanconventionalmethodologies:E.coli,S.aureus,andK.pneumoniaeresultsareallavailableinlessthan3,5and10minutes,respectively.Thetestingplatformisrobustandcouldbeautomateditis,moreover,easytoproduceathighvolumeandlowcost.SLICsusceptibilitycomparesfavourablywiththepublishedturn-aroundtimeforotherdevicesonthemarket.VITEK2(standardofcareinScotland)takes>7hourstodetermineMICbreakpointsforpathogenswhereasittakesSLIC<30minutesformultipleantibiotics.Detectingsusceptibilityrapidlyisessential.AtoolsuchasSLIC-susceptibilitycouldbetheidealpartnerforMALDI-TOFidentificationallowingacomprehensiveorganismcharacterisationwithinanhourofisolation.Suchadevelopmentcouldtransformthediagnosticlandscape.Notes:

24.InvestigationsintoterpenoidsactionontheShigellasonneiprotein,DsbAbyenzymatickineticassayAuthors:ThaerHasana,b,VeroniqueSeidelaandPaulHerronaAffiliation: aStrathclyde Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, University ofStrathclyde,Glasgow,UK,G40RE,bUniversityofAnbar,Ramadi,Anbar,IraqE-mail:thaer.hasan@strath.ac.ukAbstract:Multidrugresistant(MDR)Shigellastrainshavenowbecomeprevalentworldwideespeciallyindevelopingandnewly-industrialisedcountries.DsbAisabacterialperiplasmicthiol-disulphideoxidoreductaseandisthekeycomponentofthedisulphidebondfamilyenzymes.DsbAcatalysisthefoldingofsecretedproteinsofwhichmanyarevirulencefactors.Terpenoidsareoneofnovelagentswhichusedasanti-virulencebytargetingtheactivityofDsbA.ThefirstlabellingofDi-E-GSSGwassuccessfulandtheproductshowedanincreasinginRFUafteraddingreducingfactor(DTT).DsbAproteinisshowedabilitytoconvertDi-E-GSSGintoE-GSHwithin15min.GeraniolisoneoftwelveterpenesthatusedinthisstudyshowedasignificantactivityininhibitionofreducingstatebyDsbA.Invivoexperiments,S.sonneiwildtypeandcomplementaryonecancatalysistheE-GSHandformDi-E-GSSGagainwhencomparedtoDsbAmutantstrain.Geraniolcanalsoinhibitthiscatalystwhenitwasaddedtomediawithsame42μMconcentration.Toourknowledge,thisisthefirsttimethatShigellaDsbAhasbeenshowntocatalaseGSHtoGSSG,whichstronglysupportthehypothesisthatcatalysisofGSHtoGSSGinthehostcellcytosolisimperativeforShigellatosurvive,proliferateandestablishinfection.Geraniolisconsideranovelagentandpromisinganti-virulencetherapeuticinShigellainfectionbytargetingDsbAprotein.Notes:

25.Antimicrobialresistance(AMR):whichmeasuresshouldweuse?Authors:R.W.Humphry,S.C.Tongue,J.Evans,C.Webster,G.J.GunnAffiliation:SRUC,Scotland’sRuralCollegeE-mail:Roger.Humphry@sruc.ac.ukAbstract:Itisnotclearthatwhenwemeasureantimicrobialresistancewealwaysusethebestmeasure.Surveillanceshouldbeappropriateforthequestionsinhand.ExistingglobalAMRsurveillancehasvariouslimitationsandofgreatestimportancetothisstudyare:a)studiesarefrequentlybasedonclinicalsamples(bias);b)thereisalackofevidence-basedstandardization.Typicallythemethodchoseninvolvestheselectionofasingleisolatepersampleandtestingofthatisolate.InthisposterwedescribetheresultsforoneantibioticagainstE.colianddemonstratethattheperceivedlevelofresistanceisgreatlydependentonthemethodchosen.Directplatingmethodwasmuchmorelikely(34%)toshowresistancethantestingsevenindividualisolates(15%).Thisevidenceisareminderthatprevalenceestimatesareverysensitivetothemethodofmeasurementusedand,therefore,thatthemethodshouldbeappropriateforthequestionbeingaddressed.Notes:

26.SyntheticPhage-inducibleChromosomalIslands,theTrojanHorseagainstAMR.Authors:RodrigoIbarra-Chavez1,2,JonathanM.Cooper1,JoseR.Penadés2Affiliation:1DivisionofBiomedicalEngineering,CollegeofScienceandEngineering,UniversityofGlasgow,Glasgow,UK2InstituteofInfection,ImmunityandInflammation,CollegeofMedical,VeterinaryandLifeSciences,UniversityofGlasgow,Glasgow,UKE-mail:v.ibarra-chavez.1@research.gla.ac.ukAbstract:

With the emerging global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), diagnosis and treatment ofinfectious diseases has becomemore difficult than ever.We need to consider new paradigms intherapyandinnovativealternativesthatcanallowustorapidlydetectbacteriaatthepoint-of-care.Hereweusesyntheticphage-induciblechromosomalislands(PICIs)tocombinethetwoconceptsofdiagnostics and therapy to "seek & destroy" specific bacteria. These novel biosensors allow thedetection and elimination of the pathogen by using the pathogen itself to modify its genomespecificallytoproduceareporter(seek)and/orakillingswitch(destroy).

Detection of pathogenic bacteria is achieved by targeted transfer of a fluorescent reporter gene,whichcaneasilybevisualised.Wehavealsoadaptedthedetectionprotocolfortheuseinlow-cost,portablepapermicrofluidic devices. Eliminationof thepathogen is facilitatedby thedeliveryof aCRISPER-Cas9 system targetingmethicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus or other antibioticresistancecassettesinEscherichiacoli.Thus,PICIsprovideaversatileplatformforthedetectionandtargetedeliminationofspecificbacterialpathogens.

Notes:

27.CephalosporinresistancelevelscanbesignificantlyinfluencedinmembersofanovelE.colimultidrug-resistant,ESBL-producingclade.Authors:MartaJPiotrowska1,SusanHarris1,RobertJGoldstone1,2,RubyQi1,DavidGESmith1Affiliation:1Heriot-WattUniversity,IB3,Edinburgh,EH144AS2TheFrancisCrickInstitute,London,NW11ATE-mail:m.piotrowska@hw.ac.ukAbstract:The problemof antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an increasing concern in the presentworld andmultidrug resistance (MDR) to several classes of antibiotics is becoming one of themajor publichealththreats.E.coli isoneof theWHO“highpriority”organisms inwhichantibiotic resistance iswidespread.InE.coliAMRisencodedincoreandaccessorygenomeandwecarriedoutagenomicsurvey of antibiotic resistance on the population level to determine the distribution of resistancegenesacrossE.coliphylogeneticgroups.SomeE.colisubgroupsshowparticularlyhighprevalenceof MDR. Cephalosporins represent one of the frontline antibiotic groups used to treat E. coliinfections.Cephalosporinsbelongtothewiderclassofβ-lactamantibioticsandmanyare“essentialmedicines”. Later (3rd & 4th) generation cephalosporins are susceptible to Extended Spectrum β-lactamase(ESBL)-producingstrainsandarehighlightedasaparticularconcern.WeareinvestigatingresponsesofESBL-producingE.colitocephalosporinsthroughexplorationoftheresistanceprofilesto different cephalosporins and how environment (oxygen and pH) shape the response of ESBLstrainstotheseantibiotics.Notes:

28.MicrotechnologiesforfastbacteriaseparationandpurificationfromclinicalsamplesAuthors:MelanieJimenez,JulienReboudandJonCooperAffiliation:BiomedicalEngineeringDivision,UniversityofGlasgowE-mail:Melanie.Jimenez@glasgow.ac.ukAbstract:Traditionalmethodstoidentifyaninfectionarebasedonbacteriacultureandrequireseveraldaysto establish a positive result. During this interim period, potentially ineffective broad-spectrumantibioticsareoftenadministeredthatmay leadtotheemergenceofresistantbacteria.Ourworktackles the challenge of rapid diagnosis by engineering a suite of new microsystems capable ofperforming fast, user-friendly purification of bacteria from clinical samples. Recognised as a keyenabling step within the diagnostic workflows (before detection), sample processing remains achallengedueto i) the lowconcentrationofbacteria inbodily fluids, ii) thedifficulty inprocessingoftencomplexfluids(e.g.blood)andiii)thewiderangeofbacteriaspeciestobedetected.Here,wecombine new microfluidic-based separation approaches with smart bio-mimicking receptors toisolate,withinminutes,harmfulbacteriainsmallvolumesoffluids(<100ml).Thesetechnologieswillpromotetheuseofcurrentlylimited,advancedbacteriadetectionandcharacterisationassays,e.g.usingnextgenerationsequencing,whichrequirefastsampleprocessingfordiagnosticsclosetothepatientatthepointofneed.Thetechnologiesproposedherehavethepotentialtofastenadoptionof such advanced approaches in the clinical workflow, enabling a targeted and personalisedapproachtotherapy.Notes:

29.TheUseofDifferentiatedAirwayEpithelialCellCulturesforAssessingAntibioticTransportandActivitywithintheBovineRespiratoryTractAuthors:ClaireJones,CatherineBerry,RobertDaviesAffiliation:UniversityofGlasgowE-mail:claire-jones6@hotmail.co.ukAbstract:Mannheimiahaemolyticaisconsideredoneofthemostprevalentbacterialagentsassociatedwithbovinerespiratorydisease(BRD).Theemergenceofantibiotic-resistantstrainsofthispathogenrepresentsaseriousthreattothecontrolofBRDandthedevelopmentofnewtherapeuticsareurgentlyrequired.However,thereiscurrentlyalackofappropriatein-vitromodelsforstudyingdrugtransportandefficacyintheveterinaryfield.Thisstudyutilizeddifferentiatedbovineairwayepithelialcells(BAECs)grownatair-liquidinterfacetoassesstransportandantimicrobialactivityofselectedantibioticsusedinBRDtreatment.Wefirstinvestigatedthetransportoffiveantibioticsacrosstheepitheliumanddemonstrateddifferingratesoftransport.Theseresultssuggestdifferencesinthetransportpropertiesoftheantibioticsand/orthepresenceofdifferenttransportmechanisms.Usingametaphylactictreatmentapproach,wenextdemonstratedthatmarbofloxacinprovidedimmediateantimicrobialactivityandpreventedinfectionofepithelialcellswithM.haemolytica.Usingatherapeutictreatmentapproach,wesubsequentlyshowedthatmarbofloxacinandflorfenicolexhibiteddelayedantimicrobialactivityalthoughthebacteriawereeventuallyeliminatedandtissuerecoveryfollowed.ThisstudyhashighlightedthatdifferentiatedBAECscanbeusedtostudyantibiotictransportandactivityandoffersapotentialin-vitroscreeningtoolfordrugdevelopment.Notes:

30.CharacterizationofvirulencefactorsinLeishmaniamexicanabycomparativeOmicsapproachesAuthors:AbdulbasetKabli,MichaelBarrett,RichardBurchmoreAffiliation:UniversityofGlasgowE-mail:Abdummk@hotmail.comAbstract:Leishmaniahavetheabilitytohijackthehostimmunesystemandadoptsophisticatedstrategies,involvingvirulencefactors,todevelopandsurvivewithinthemammalianhost.Leishmaniaparasitessurvivewithinmacrophages,insideaparasitophorousvacuole,bymodulatingmacrophagesignalingpathways.Themolecularcommunicationbetweenhostandparasitedecidestheoutcomeofinfection,butisincompletelyunderstood.WehavecomparedgenotypeandphenotypeofanattenuatedLeishmaniamexicanalinewithavirulent,isogenicwildtypeprecursor.Weaimtoidentifykeyvirulencefactorsandtoexplorethepotentialoftheattenuatedlineasavaccinecandidate.

ThecurrentstudyhasbeenconductedonpromastigotesofLeishmaniamexicanaanditinvolvescomparativemulti-omicsapproachestoidentifythemoleculesthatcontributetoLeishmaniavirulence.Logphasepromastigotesofwildtypeandattenuated(H-line)weregrowninparallelinmediacontaining10%FBS,andtheywereharvestedformulti-omicsanalyses.Forcomparativeproteomicanalysis,proteinextractswerelabelledusing6-plexTMTandanalyzedwithLC-MS/MS.Formetabolomics,metaboliteswereextractedwithChloroform/Methanol/Water(1:3:1)andanalyzedwithLC-MS.Fortranscriptomics,RNAwasisolatedandconvertedintoalibraryoftemplatemoleculesforclustergenerationandDNAsequencing.WefoundtwelveproteinsdifferentiallyexpressedinattenuatedLeishmania(FC≥1.5andFDR≤0.05)and26identifiedmetabolites(FC≥1.5andFDR≤0.05),whereastranscriptomicsdatafound67transcriptsthatweredifferentiallyexpressed(FC≥2andFDR≤0.05).Correlationofthesedatarevealsthatthepentosephosphatepathway(PPP)andnucleotides(pyrimidineandpurine)metabolismaresignificantlyalteredinattenuatedLeishmania.Furthermore,anucleobaseandabiopterintransporterweresignificantlydownregulatedinproteomicsanalysis.

Notes:

31.Antimicrobialresistancegenes:environmentalimpactsacrosslandscapesinNEEnglandandScotlandAuthors:CharlesW.Knapp1,DavidW.Graham2,Yong-GuanZhu3,ClareMcCann2,Jian-QiangSu3,TanyaPeshkur1,MartinCooke2,RupertHough4,ThomasFreitag4,LisaAvery4Affiliation:1.UniversityofStrathclyde2.NewcastleUniversity3.ChineseAcademyofSciences-Xiamen4.JamesHuttonInstituteE-mail:charles.knapp@strath.ac.ukAbstract:Antimicrobialresistanceisincreasinginnatureandthreatenstheeffectivenessofourdrugtherapiesandinfectioncontrol.However,itremainsdifficulttodistinguishwhatoriginatesfromhumanactivitiesorwhatisnatural.Therefore,wemustextendthescaleanddepthofmonitoringeffortstobetterunderstandwhatisdrivingtheincreasesinresistancetraits.ThisprojectutilisedtwocollectionsofpreviouslycharacterisedsoilstocompareandcontrastdistributionsofARgenesunderwidelyvaryingconditions,rangingfromurban,agriculture,legacymining,andpristineruralenvironments.Fromthesoils,DNAwereextractedandquantifiedforover230ARgenesineachsample.Thesesoilinventoriesprovideduswell-characterisedsoilsandthewealthofinformationthatdescribesboththesoilsandtheimpactsatsourcelocations.Theprojectgeneratedanastonishing70,000AR-relateddatapoints(300+locationsx230genes),eachwithextendedbackgroundinformationonenvironmentalconditions-creatingamongthelargestgeographicrepresentationofARgenedistributionacrosslandscapesevercreated,sufficientlydetailedtomakecross-cuttingobservationsoflandscapeeffectsonacquiredvsinnateARlevels.Notes:

32.ThedynamicpictureofantimicrobialresistancesinCampylobactersppisolatedfromdifferenthostreservoirsinScotland.Authors:BrunoS.Lopes1*,NorvalJ.C.Strachan2,MeenakshiRamjee1,AnneThomson1,MarionMacRae1SophieShaw3andKenJ.Forbes1Affiliation:1SchoolofMedicine,MedicalSciencesandNutrition,UniversityofAberdeen,Foresterhill,Aberdeen,UnitedKingdom,AB252ZD.2SchoolofBiologicalSciences,CruickshankBuilding,UniversityofAberdeen,St.MacharDrive,Aberdeen,UnitedKingdom,AB243UU.3CentreforGenomeEnabledBiologyandMedicine,23.StMacharDrive,OldAberdeen,AB243UUE-mail:bruno.lopes@abdn.ac.ukAbstract:Campylobacter is the most common cause of bacterial gastroenteritis in Scotland with 5796reported cases in 2017, a 9.1% increase compared to 2016. Our studies show that retail chickenplays a major role in the epidemiology of human cases of campylobacteriosis. The antibioticresistancecrisisnotonlymakeseffectivetreatmentofseverefoodborneinfectionsdifficultbutalsofacilitatesspreadof resistances indifferentgroupsofbacteria.Hence, it is important tostudy thefarmtoforktransmissionofresistantstrainswhichmayhaveamajor impactonpublichealthandeconomy.We analysed a total of 6689Campylobacter jejuni andC. coli genomes associatedwithhumans and other host reservoirs such as chicken, turkey, sheep, cattle, pigs and wild bird forresistancetofourdifferentclassesofantibiotics.Wefound29%(n=1962)hadmutationsconferringresistance to fluoroquinolones, 0.8% (n=59) had mutations associated with macrolide resistance,32% (n= 2118) harboured a tetracycline resistance gene and 88% of isolates harboured a β-lactamasegene.ST5136,oneof themostcommonstrains inclinical infections,wasalso themostprevalent multi-drug resistant C. jejuni strain being resistant to at least four different classes ofantimicrobialsandwasassociatedexclusivelywithpoultryhostreservoirs.Notes:

33.AnovelmecCallotype,mecC3,inanewstaphylococcalspecies,StaphylococcuscaeliAuthors:MacFadyenAC1andPatersonGK1Affiliation: 1Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and The Roslin Institute, University ofEdinburgh,EasterBush,Campus,Midlothian,EH259RG,UK.E-mail:alison.macfadyen@ed.ac.ukAbstract:Methicillin-resistance in staphylococci is conferred by an alternative penicillin-binding protein(PBP2a/2’) with low affinity for most β-lactam antibiotics. PBP2a is encoded bymecA which iscarriedonamobilegeneticelementknownasSCCmec.AvariantofmecA,mecC,wasdescribedin2011. mecC has been found in Staphylococcus aureus from humans and awide range of animalspeciesaswellasasmallnumberofotherstaphylococcalspecies.Integrationintothechromosomeby SCCmec is mediated by a group of serine recombinases, CcrAB and CcrC. Recently, we haveidentifiedanovelmecCallotype,mecC3,encodedbyanewstaphylococcalspecies,Staphylococcuscaeli,82B.WecarriedoutgenomesequencingtoallowforanaccurateassemblyandcomparativegenomicstudyoftheSCCmecregionencodingmecC3.NotonlyismecC3anovelallotype,itisalsoencoded within a SCCmec element distinct from those previously connected with mecC, whichincludesccrA5B3,apreviouslyunseenpairingassociatedwithmecC,andccrC.TheSCCmecelementofS.caeli82B, isdissimilartothearchetypalSCCmecXIencodingmecC inS.aureus and tootherelementsencodingmecC,whichhighlights thediversecontext inwhichmecCmaybefound.Notes:

34.ExploringAurodox,Apotentialanti-virulencecompoundforthetreatmentofEscherichiacoliinfectionsofthegut.Authors:RebeccaMcHugh(1),PaulHoskisson(1)andAndrewRoe(2)Affiliation:(1)StrathclydeInstituteofPharmacyandBiomedicalSciences,UniversityofStrathclyde,161CathedralSt,GlasgowG40RE(2)InstituteofInfection,ImmunityandInflammation,UniversityofGlasgow,SirGrahamDaviesBuilding,120UniversityPlace,Glasgow,G128TAE-mail:rebecca.mchugh@strath.ac.ukAbstract:Anti-virulencecompoundsrepresentanovelsolutionforuntreatablebacterialinfections.Thesecompoundstypicallypreventpathogenesisbyinhibitingasinglevirulencefactorwithouteffectthegrowthoftheinfectingbacteria.Hence,theyarelesslikelytoexertselectivepressuresuponbacteriawhichleadtotheevolutionofresistance.Aurodox,aspecialisedmetaboliteofsoilbacterium,Streptomycesgoldiniensis,hasrecentlybeenidentifiedasaninhibitoroftheEnteropathogenicEscherichiacoli(EPEC)TypeThreeSecretionSystem(T3SS).Inourinitialstudies,wehavedemonstratedtheanti-virulencecapacityofAurodoxbyfullycharacterisingitsinhibitoryeffectontheT3SSofEPECinadditiontocarriersofahomologousT3SSEnterohaemorrhagicEscherichiacoli(EHEC)andCitrobacterrodentium.ThroughtheuseofRNA-seqtranscriptomeanalysis,GFP-fusionreporterassaysandtissueculturemodels,wehaveshownthatAurodoxinhibitsEHECepithelialattachmentatatranscriptionallevel,bydownregulatingtheexpressionofLocusofEnterocyteEffacement(LEE)geneswhichencodefortheT3SS.Currently,theproductionofAurodoxisdifficultduetothelowfermentationyield,resultinginhighpurchasecosts.Therefore,wehaveusedwholegenomesequencingtoidentifythegeneswhichencodeforAurodoxproductionandhaveidentifiedaputativeAurodoxBiosyntheticGeneClusterwhichwewillthereforeusetoimproveanddiversifyAurodoxproduction.Notes:

35.EvaluationofantimicrobialresistanceandbiofilmformationofMRSAisolatesfromcompanionanimalsinScotlandAuthors:CeliaDiazNicieza1,WillieWeir2andKatarinaOravcova3Affiliation:1SchoolofLifeSciences,CollegeofMVLS,UniversityofGlasgow2SchoolofVeterinaryMedicine,CollegeofMVLS,UniversityofGlasgow3InstituteofBiodiversity,AnimalHealthandComparativeMedicine,CollegeofMVLS,UniversityofGlasgowE-mail:Katarina.Oravcova@glasgow.ac.ukAbstract:Methicillin-resistantStaphylococcusaureus(MRSA)isamajorhealththreatinhumanandveterinarymedicinecausinginfectionswithoutundergoinganyhostadaptation;rangingfrommildskininfectionstolife-threateningbloodstreaminfections.VeterinaryclinicalMRSAisolatesfromdogsandcatsinScotlandwereinvestigatedfortheirsusceptibilitytooxacillinandfusidicacidandtheirabilitytoformbiofilms.Theaimsweretodeterminewhetherisolatesfromcertainbodysiteswerebetterbiofilmformersandwhethersub-inhibitoryantibioticconcentrationscontributedtoenhancedbiofilmformation.Oxacillinresistancewasconfirmedinall27MRSAisolates.Fusidicacidresistancewasdetectedinfour(15%)isolates.Allisolatesformedbiofilmsasmeasuredbycrystalvioletassay.Strainsisolatedfromnostrilswerestatisticallybetterbiofilmformersthanisolatesfromotherbodysites.Atrendofincreasedbiofilmbiomasswhenculturedinsub-inhibitoryconcentrationsofoxacillinandfusidicacidwasobservedin81%and85%ofisolates,respectively.Theincreasedbiofilmformation,however,wassignificantintwoisolates(7%)foreachantibiotictested.Overall,sinceanimalshavebeensuggestedasantimicrobialresistance(AMR)reservoirs,thisstudyemphasisestheneedformoreintensivesurveillanceofantimicrobialresistanceinanimalsandtheroleofbiofilmformationincontributingtoAMRmaintenance.Notes:

36.WhatarethetrendsinantimicrobialresistancepatternsinbacteriaisolatedfromcompanionanimalsinScotland?Authors:CiaranMcMonagle1,WillieWeir1andKatarinaOravcova2Affiliation:1SchoolofVeterinaryMedicine,CollegeofMVLS,UniversityofGlasgow2InstituteofBiodiversity,AnimalHealthandComparativeMedicine,CollegeofMVLS,UniversityofGlasgowE-mail:Katarina.Oravcova@glasgow.ac.ukAbstract:Antimicrobialresistance(AMR)isoneofthemajorhealthconcernsfacingtheworldinthecomingyears.Companionandproductionanimalsarethoughttobealargereservoirofresistancegeneswiththecapacitytotransfertohumansthroughzoonoticinfectionsandhorizontalgenetransfer.Theintestinalmicrobiomeoftheseanimalsisofinterestasitharboursdiversemicrobeswithpathogeniccapacity.ThisstudyanalysedbacteriologydatafromtheUniversityofGlasgow’sVeterinaryDiagnosticServiceswiththeaimtoidentifyAMRtrendsbetween2001and2016.Atotalof31680veterinaryEscherichiacoliisolateswereinvestigatedforthepresenceofphenotypicco-resistancepatternsin20antimicrobialclasses,withsulphonamidesfoundtosharethemostresistances.In13oftheseclassesover90%ofisolatesharbouredaco-resistancewithsulphonamide,followedbyhighfrequenciesofco-resistanceinisolatesresistanttopenicillins,aminoglycosidesandtetracyclines.Aselectionof47caninefaecalandGITE.coliisolateswastestedforthepresenceofgeneticdeterminantsofitsESBLphenotype,withblaTEMfoundtobethemostprevalent(59%)andfollowedbyblaCTX-M(6%).ThesegenesareoftenpresentinhumanclinicalESBLstrain,suggestingasharedpoolofAMRgenesandcompanionanimalsasapotentialreservoirofAMR.Notes:

37.ThedistributionofantibioticresistancegenesinfreshwaterinScotlandAuthors:EulynPagaling,JosephPalmer,LisaAveryAffiliation:TheJamesHuttonInstitute,Craigiebuckler,Aberdeen,AB158QHE-mail:Eulyn.Pagaling@hutton.ac.ukAbstract:TheNationalWatersInventoryforScotland(NWIS)wasdevelopedbyTheJamesHuttonInstitutetoprovideanationalbaselinestudyofthestateofScotland’swaterresource,whichisrequiredtounderstandresiliencetotheaccumulatingcatchmentpressuresofdeliveringnationalobjectivesforfoodandrenewableenergyproduction,watersupplyforpeople,ecologyandindustry.Thisresourceconsistsofwaterssampledfromprimarilyend-of-catchmentsites.DNAwasextractedfromthesewaters,andscreenedforfaecalindicatororganisms,microbialdiversity(viathe16SrRNAgene)andantibioticresistancegenes,includingresistancestotetracycline(primarilyanimalusage)andβ-latam(primarilyhumanusage).Thisdatawascorrelatedtolandusecharacteristicsandotherwatercharacteristics.ThisresearchprovidesspatialandtemporaldistributiondataofantibioticresistanceinScotland.Notes:

38.AntibodybasedbiologicsfortreatingbacterialandfungalinfectionsAuthors:SoumyaPalliyil1,LilyFogg1,SamiAlawfi2,SoniaGabrielaMurilloBarrera2,CarolMunro2,MiguelCamara3,AndrewPorter1Affiliation:1ScottishBiologicsFacility,UniversityofAberdeen,2MRCCentreforMedicalMycology,UniversityofAberdeen,3CentreforBiomolecularSciences,UniversityofNottinghamE-mail:soumya.palliyil@abdn.ac.ukAbstract:WithintheScottishBiologicsFacility,wehavedevelopedaportfolioofmonoclonalantibodybasedbiologicsfortheearlydetection,diagnosisandtreatmentofbacterialandfungalinfections.Threeofourantimicrobialantibodyprojectswillbeshowcasedintheposter.1. Immunomodulation of the quorum sensing signal molecules (QSSMs) of Pseudomonas

aeruginosa by monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) as a novel approach to prevent P. aeruginosainfections

2. UsingmAbsastoolsfortheearlydetectionofQSSMsinbodilyfluidsasapossiblefirstcluetoanundiagnosedlunginfectioninCysticFibrosispatients

3. AnewclassoftargetedandfungalspecificmAbsfortreatinglife-threateningCandidainfections.• Virulence factors help pathogens to invade the host, evade host defence mechanisms and

establishdisease.Antibodiesareanattractivemethodofcontrollingbacterialvirulenceby, forexample, blockingquorum sensing signalling as these ‘anti-pathogenic’ drugs are less likely toencouragethedevelopmentofresistanceinbacteriacomparedtoconventionalantibiotics.

• An immunoassay-based diagnostic system exploiting the high sensitivity of anti-QSSM mAbscould be developed to detect the presence of specific markers of Pseudomonas infection(homoserinelactones,quinolones)inbodilyfluidssuchasbloodandurine.

• The emergence of multi-drug resistant Candida species is a global concern and we havedemonstrated the growth inhibitory activity of our anti-Candida antibodies using amulti-drugresistantstrain.

Notes:

39.ApplyingtheMesolenstoMicrobiology-VisualisingBiofilmArchitectureandSubstructureAuthors:LiamM.Rooney†1,LeeMcCann2,PaulA.Hoskisson1andGailMcConnell2Affiliation:1StrathclydeInstituteofPharmacyandBiomedicalSciences,UniversityofStrathclyde,Glasgow,U.K.2DepartmentofPhysics,SUPA,UniversityofStrathclyde,Glasgow,U.K.E-mail:liam.rooney@strath.ac.ukAbstract:Biofilms confer chemical andmechanical resistance to their constituentbacteria and facilitate thespreadofantimicrobialresistance[1],establishingthemasafocusofAMRresearch.Understandingthe structure of biofilms is critical to developing novel methods of biofilm eradication. Previousstudies show fractal-like spatial distributions of cells within biofilms resulting from cell-cell/cell-surface interactions [2, 3, 4]. However, their 3D architecture has largely been overlooked, perhapslimited by the capabilities of current imaging techniques where the size of the field of view issacrificed for increased spatial resolution, or vice versa. Here we use the Mesolens, an opticalmicroscopewithauniquecombinationoflowmagnification(x4)andhighnumericalaperture(0.47)which has an imaging volume of 6x6x3 mm with a lateral resolution of 700 nm and an axialresolutionof7µm [5].TheMesolensallows imagingofwhole livecolonybiofilmswithsub-cellularresolutioninasingledataset.Wereportintra-colonyspatialstructures(measuringca.15µm)whicharise as an inherent property of biofilm formation in Escherichia coli. Observations ofmicrobeadtranslocation assays suggest that these features play a role in structural support and nutrientuptake. This finding contributes to fundamental principles of structural biology and bacterialcommunityorganisation.Notes:

40.FBIProbetoInvestigateIvermectinResistanceinNematodesAuthors:StuartRuddell,ProfAntonyPage,DrDavidFranceAffiliation:UniversityofGlasgowE-mail:s.ruddell.1@research.gla.ac.ukAbstract:Parasiticnematodes(roundworms)areresponsibleformanydiseasesaroundtheworld.TheWorldHealth Organisation (WHO) estimates 1.5 billion people suffer from helminth (parasitic worm)infections.[1] Inadditiontohumaninfection,parasiticnematodesrepresentsignificantpathogensintheagricultural industry. IntheUKsheepindustry, infestationwithGIparasitescostsanestimated£84millionperannum.[2]Severalanthelminticsareavailabletotreatnematodeinfections,themostsuccessfulbeingthe16-membered macrocyclic lactone ivermectin (IVM). The importance of IVM is exemplified by itsinclusionintheWHOListofEssentialMedicinesanditsdiscoveryearningthe2015NobelPrizeforMedicine. Resistance to IVM is a global burden and pockets of IVM resistant nematodes arebecomingincreasinglynumerous.[3]ThemechanismsofresistancetoIVMarecurrentlyunknown.Toinvestigatetheprimarymechanismofresistance,afluorescentprobe(FBI)(consistingofabodipyfluorophore covalently attached to IVM) was synthesised and administered to C. elegans. FBIsuccessfullydeterminedthepreviouslyunknownuptakerouteofIVMtobeamphidal.Furthermore,noprobewasobservedinresistantstrains.Thesefindingsareconsistentwithourhypothesisthataprimarymechanismof IVMresistance innematodes is impaireddruguptakeasaresultofamphiddysfunction.References:[1]J.Bethony,etal.,Lancet.2006,367,1521[2]G.J.Nieuwhof,S.C.Bishop,AnimalScience2005,81,23-29[3]D.Yates,etal.,Int.J.Parasitol.2004,34,1075Notes:

41.Areantimicrobialstewardshipandsepsisawarenesscompetinggoals?AquantitativecontentanalysisofUKnationalnewspapersAuthors:RushL(MBChB)¹,PattersonC¹,McDaidL¹,HiltonS¹.Affiliation:¹MRC/CSO,SocialandPublicHealthSciencesUnit,UniversityofGlasgowE-mail:lynne.rush@gla.ac.ukAbstract:BackgroundAntimicrobialresistance(AMR)ispredictedtoberesponsiblefortenmilliondeathsgloballyeveryyearby2050.Reducingunnecessaryprescribingisvitalbutmaybecomplicatedbyarecentmediafocusontheneedforearlierrecognitionandmanagementofsepsis.ThisstudyisthefirsttocomparehowAMRandsepsisarerepresentedinUKnewspapers.MethodsQuantitativeanalysisof458articlesaboutsepsisandantimicrobialresistancepublishedin11UKnationalprintnewspapersbetween30thJanuary1988and31stDecember2016.FindingsAMRwasframedasaglobalissuewithmultipledriversandsolutionsimpactingthefuture,whereassepsiswaspresentedascurrentlycausingsubstantialmortalitythatislargelypreventablethroughimprovedawareness.Fewarticlesidentifiedaneedtobalancetimelymanagementwiththelonger-termrisksofoveruseofantibiotics.ArticlesaboutsepsiscontainedpersonalnarrativesaboutaffectedindividualsthatwererareinarticlesaboutAMR.InterpretationLackofrecognitionoftherelationshipbetweensepsisandAMRispotentiallydamagingtopromotionofrationalprescribingandthustoensuringavailabilityofeffectivetreatmentforsepsisinthelongerterm.Ifemotivenarrativesaboutsepsisinfluenceperceptionsabouttheneedfortreatmenttheymaynegativelyimpactoneffortstopromotereducedprescribing.FundingUKMedicalResearchCouncil(MC_UU_12017/15&(MC_UU_12017/11))/ScottishGovernment’sChiefScientistOffice(SPHSU15andSPHSU11).Notes:

42.CharacterisationofInducibleAntibioticProductionbyStreptomycetesIsolatedFromHyper-aridEnvironmentsAuthors:TiagoSantos1,JanaSchniete1andPaulHerron1*Affiliation:1StrathclydeInstituteofPharmacyandBiomedicalSciences,UniversityofStrathclyde,Glasgow,UK.*Email:paul.herron@strath.ac.uk.E-mail:tiago.santos@strath.ac.ukAbstract:The increase of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the biggest threats to human health.Currentpredictionsestimatethatby2050AMRwillcause10milliondeaths.Amajorbottleneck isthe high rediscovery rate of existing molecules and thus reduced discovery of novel bioactivecompounds. One way to tackle this problem is to explore extreme environments in hope foridentifyingnewuniquemetabolicpathways.The lackofprecipitationandhigh solar radiationmakes theAtacamaDesert inChile theultimateariddesert onEarth. This extremeenvironment is often compared to the conditionsobservedonMars. Ourmain goal is the discovery and identification of novel secondarymetabolites from theAtacamaDesert.Seventeen isolates from two distinct soil samples were identified using 16S rRNA as the samespecies, Streptomyces phaeoluteigriseus DSM 41896. Bioactivity assays using clinically relevantpathogens confirmed their potential for secondarymetabolitesproduction.Growth inhibitionwasobservedagainstBacillussubtilis,StaphylococcusaureusandEnterococcusfaecalis.These findings can lead to the identification of novel bioactive metabolites against some of themajorthreatstocurrenthumanhealth.Wearecurrentlyinvestigatingthepotentialforinductionofsomeofthesemetabolitesusingarangeofdifferentsalts.Notes:

43.AnalysisofthemicrobiomeofwastewaterandtheprevalenceofresistantEscherichiacoli.Authors:TarteelShuaib1,JohnCraft1,ColinHunter2andJaniceSpencer1Affiliation:SchoolofHealthandLifeScience,GlasgowCaledonianUniversity1;SchoolofEngineeringandBuiltEnvironment,GlasgowCaledonianUniversity2E-mail:Janice.Spencer@gcu.ac.ukAbstract:Increasingenvironmentalantimicrobialresistance(AMR)isanacknowledgedmajorpublichealthconcern.Importantinthisriseistheprevalenceofextended-spectrumβ-lactamase(ESBL)Enterobacteriaceae.EscherichiacolicarryingblaESBLgenesonplasmidsarethemostfrequentlyisolatedspeciesproducingESBLs.WastewatertreatmentplantshavebeensuggestedashotspostsforemergenceanddisseminationofAMR.Thisstudyinvestigatedthechangesinthemicrobiomecompositionusing16Sribosomalsequencingatvariouspointswithinanupgradedtricklingfilterwastewatertreatmentplant.Thediversityandabundanceofbacteriawassignificantlydifferentateachsamplingpointwiththediversitybeinghigherintheinfluentthaneffluent.FortythreestrainsofE.coliwereisolatedatvariouspointsintheplantandthesensitivitesto18antibioticswasinvestigated.Almost50%oftheseisolateswereresistanttoatleastoneantibioticand26%wereresitanttotwoormoreantibiotics.12strains(28%)werefoundtobeESBLproducingconfirmedbythedoubledisctestandPCRdetectingblaTEM,blaSHV,andblaCTX-M.ThisdataprovidesvaluableinsightintothecompositionofthemicrobiomeofwastewaterandtheantimrcrobialresistanceprofileofE.coliisolatedfromwastewater.Notes:

44.BacterialAntibioticResponseinMicro-EnvironmentsAuthors:DanielTaylor(RosalindAllen,SimonTitmuss)Affiliation:UniversityofEdinburghE-mail:Daniel.Taylor@ed.ac.ukAbstract:Acommonmethodofquantitativelystudyingbacterialgrowthkineticsisthroughtheuseofamultiwellplatereader.Thispieceofequipmentconfinesbacterialcoloniesin~100µL"wells"whilsttheirgrowthkineticsaretrackedovertimeusingopticaldensitymeasurements.Itiscurrentlyunclearwhetherthegrowthkineticsofbacterialcoloniesgrownin100µLwellsaccuratelymimicsthatofgrowthin-situasclinicalinfectionscanoccurinbiologicalnichesofmuchlowervolume,suchasthosefoundineukaryoticcellinteriorsorbiofilms.InmyresearchIhavedevelopedandtestedastandalonemicrofluidicsystemthatallowsfortheencapsulationofsmallbacterialcolonieswithinmicrofluidicdropletsof~50µmradius.Eachconfinedcolonyisindependentfromthenextand500-1000dropletscanbestudiedconcurrently.Thisallowsmetocontrastthegrowthkineticsofbacterialcoloniesgrownunderantibioticinhibitioninatraditionalmultiwellplate,withthoseofbacterialcoloniesgrowninspatialconfinementcomparabletothatofanin-situinfection.Furthermore,itallowsmetostudylargenumbersofreplicatessimultaneously,allowingforstatisticallysignificantconclusionstobedrawnfromaninherentlystochasticsystem.Notes:

45.Co-selectionofAntibioticResistancecausedbyaLegacyofPTEPollutioninGram-NegativeBacteriaAuthors:RebeccaTonner1,KiriRodgers2,TanyaPeshkur1,IanMacLellan2,RoderickWilliams2,AndrewHursthouse2,FionaHenriquez2,CharlesW.Knapp1*Affiliation:1CentreforWater,Environment,SustainabilityandPublicHealth,DepartmentofCivilandEnvironmentalEngineering,UniversityofStrathclyde,GlasgowUK2UniversityofWestofScotland,PaisleyUKE-mail:rebecca.tonner@strath.ac.uk

Abstract:Antimicrobialresistantbacteriacanbecomeharbouredinsedimentsofpost-industrialestuaries.Subsequently,theirresistancetraitscouldbeenrichedbypollutantsdepositedinthesediments.Recentevidencestronglysuggeststhismayposehazardsthatnotonlyaffectsthehealthcaresector,butcouldalsoimpacttourismandtheaquacultureindustries.TheRiverClyde,UKwaschosenforthisstudyduetoitsextensiveindustrialhistory,andthreesiteswerechosentosamplefromrepresentingdifferentlevelsandtypesofindustrialactivities—twohighlypollutedandonerelatively“pristine”site.Weextractedandanalysedformetalpollutants(or“potentiallytoxicelements”,PTE),andothergeochemicalcharacteristicsforallsedimentcores.Gram-negative,entericbacteriawereisolatedfromallsedimentcoresfromthethreesites.Theirsusceptibilitiestoantibioticsandmetalswereassayed—determiningminimuminhibitoryconcentrations(MIC)andminimumbactericidalconcentrations(MBC).Theresultsindicatethatco-selectionofPTEsandantibioticresistancedoesoccur,andthisimpactsbacteriathatarepotentialhumanpathogens.HigherconcentrationsofmetalsintheenvironmentcorrelatedtoantibioticresistanceandhigherMICstometalsthanamongbacteriafoundinlesspollutedsites.Tocontinuetoprotecthumanhealth,theinteractionsbetweenenvironmentalandhumanhealthmustbefullyunderstood.Thisstudyprovidescriticalinformationbehindthespecificcausesofantibioticresistanceduetoalegacyofpollution.Notes:

46.EstimatesofantimicrobialusageonScottishbeefanddairyfarms.Authors:R.W.Humphry1,M.K.Henry1,A.Reeves1,C.Correia-Gomes1,G.J.Gunn1,R.Smith2,G.Innocent3,S.C.Tongue1Affiliation:1EpidemiologyResearchUnit(InvernessCampus),Scotland’sRuralCollege(SRUC),King’sBuildings,WestMainsRoad,EdinburghEH93JG,U.K.2c/oR.Humphry,EpidemiologyResearchUnit(InvernessCampus),Scotland’sRuralCollege(SRUC),King’sBuildings,WestMainsRoad,EdinburghEH93JG,U.K.3BiomathematicsandStatisticsScotland,JamesHuttonInstitute,Invergowrie,Dundee,DD25DA,U.K.E-mail:Sue.Tongue@sruc.ac.ukAbstract:Theglobalfocusonantimicrobialresistancehasledtotheusageofantimicrobialscomingincreasinglyunderscrutiny.Antimicrobialusage(AMU)inlivestockproductionisonetargetareaforimprovingantimicrobialstewardship.Consequently,livestocksector-specifictargetsforreductioninAMUhavebeenintroducedatUKlevelbytheResponsibleUseofMedicinesinAgriculture(RUMA)TaskForce.Estimatesofon-farmAMUarerequiredtoestablishbaselinesandsetmeaningfultargets;intheabsenceofamechanismtodothisforthecattlesector,nosuchbaselinesexist.ThisstudydemonstratestheuseofveterinarypharmaceuticalsalesdatatoestimatecurrentAMUandtoestablishabaselineagainstwhichtojudgefutureeffortstoreduceAMU.Veterinarypharmaceuticalsalesdatafor75cattlefarms(beefordairy)fromoneScottishveterinarypracticedatabasewereusedasaproxyestimateofon-farmAMU.ThemeanlevelsofsalestodairyfarmswerebelowtheRUMAtargetfor2020;themeanlevelsofsalestobeeffarmswereveryslightlyabovetheRUMA2020target.TheoutputshaveprovidedinitialestimatesforthissectortoScottishGovernmentandtheVeterinaryMedicinesDirectorate,onwhichtobasepolicydevelopmentandfurtherworkinthisarea.Notes:

47.OsteogenicandbactericidalpropertiesofhydrothermaltitaniananowiresontitaniumsubstratesAuthors:P.M.Tsimbouri1*,L.Fisher2,N.Holloway3,T.Sjostrom2,A.H.Nobbs2,R.M.DMeek4,B.Su2,M.J.Dalby1Affiliation:1CentrefortheCellularMicroenvironmentUniversityofGlasgow,Glasgow,UK2SchoolofOralandDentalSciences,UniversityofBristol,Bristol,UK3GoldenJubileeNationalHospital,Clydebank,Glasgow,UK4DepartmentofOrthopaedics,QEUH,Glasgow,UKE-mail:penelope.tsimbouri@glasgow.ac.ukAbstract:NanotopographicalcuesonTihavebeenshowntosupportcelldifferentiationandselectivegrowth.Boneremodellingisaconstantprocessandtheuseofnanotopographicalfeaturestopromotecelladhesionandboneformationishopedtoimproveosteointegrationandclinicaloutcomes.Furthermore,infectionbybiofilmformationonsurgicalimplantsisamajorissue.OuraimistoidentifynanotopographiesonTisurfacesthatwouldbeoptimalforbothboneremodellingandforreducingriskofbacterialinfection.Primaryhumanosteoblast/osteoclastco-cultureswereseededontoTisubstrateswithTiO2nanowiresformedunderalkalineconditionsat240oCfordifferenttimes(2,2.5or3h).Cellgrowthandbehaviourwasassessedbyimmunofluorescencemicroscopy,histochemistry,SEMandquantitativeRT-PCRmethods.BacterialgrowthonthenanowiresurfaceswasassessedbyconfocalmicroscopyandSEM.Fromthethreesurfacestestedthe2hnanowiresurfacesupportedosteoblastandtoalesserextentosteoclastgrowthanddifferentiation.Atthesametimebacterialviabilitywasreducedto60%onthe2hnanowires.Hencethe2hsurfaceprovidedoptimalboneremodelingininvitroconditionswhilereducinginfectionrisk,makingitafavourablecandidateforfutureimplantsurfaces.ThisworkwasfundedbyEPSRCgrantEP/K034898/1.Notes:

48.HeavyMetalInducibleAntimicrobialActivityofStreptomycesspp.IsolatedfromtheLeadhillsandWanlockheadLeadMinesinScotland.Authors:TalalSalih1,LeenaNieminen1,AlisonMacFadyen2,NicholasTucker1*Affiliation: 1Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science, University of Strathclyde,Glasgow,Scotland,UK2Royal(Dick)SchoolofVeterinaryStudies,UniversityofEdinburgh,EasterBushCampus,Midlothian,Scotland,UnitedKingdomE-mail:nick.tucker@strath.ac.ukAbstract:Thereisarealandurgentneedfornewantibioticstocombattheriseofantibioticresistance.Thereare also an increasingnumberof reports that correlate resistance toheavymetalswith antibioticresistance. It has also been shown that triggering the expression of cryptic gene clusters inStreptomycesmightyieldnovelantibiotics.Here,weisolatedStreptomycesstrainsfromsedimentscontaminatedwith heavymetals from a former industrial site in Scotland and these strainswereassayed forheavymetal dependent antimicrobial activity.Wehaveuseda combinationgenomicsand transcriptomics to investigate these novel strains, providing a phylogenetic context andmolecular evidence towards the discovery of the gene clusters responsible for antibioticbiosynthesis. Our findings highlight the potential of using heavy metals for activation of silentsecondarymetabolitegeneclustersinStreptomycesisolatedfromextremeenvironmentsfornaturalproduct discovery. These findings are supported by the fact that these compounds are producedonly inpresenceofsub-inhibitoryconcentrationsofheavymetalsbutnot in theabsenceofmetalinduction.Wholegenomesequencinghasenabledustoinvestigatethetaxonomyandbiosyntheticcapacityofthestrainswhilsttranscriptomicandmetabolomicanalysesareallowingustoinvestigatethechangesthatoccurundermetal-inducingconditions.Keywords:Streptomyces,heavymetal,antibioticinductionNotes:

49.Genesofpast,presentandfuture:doeslegacypollutioncontributetoantibioticresistanceinindustrialisedestuaries?Authors:KiriRodgers1,TatyanaPeshkur2,IainMcLellan1,RoderickWilliams1,RebeccaTonner2,AndrewHursthouse1,CharlesKnapp2,FionaL.Henriquez1Affiliation: 1InstituteofBiomedicalScienceandEnvironmentalHealthResearch,SchoolofScience,UniversityoftheWestofScotland,Paisley,PA12BE,UK,2DepartmentCivilandEnvironmentalEngineering,UniversityofStrathclyde,Glasgow,G40NRE-mail:Fiona.Henriquez@uws.ac.ukAbstract:The legacy of past pollution exists inmany estuaries of industrialised cities. Persistent pollutants,historicallydischargedintowaterways,havebecomeincorporatedintosedimentlayersasarecordof past, unregulated release. Preliminary reports have shown that pollution legacies have thepotential of affecting antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in exposed bacteria. The sediment zonesbecomereactorswiththebiochemicalstressorstostimulatetheproductionanddisseminationofARgenes. By co-selection processes the genes could simultaneously select for genes for antibioticresistance. Herein, we report evidence of the emergence of AMR is sediment cores of the ClydeEstuary.Notes: