C. difficile Symposium - Brazil
I International and Latin American Clostridium difficile Symposium :
epidemiology, pathogenesis, prevention and treatment - 2014
Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil
November 11-12, 2014
​Borden Lacy, PhD
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN, USA
Pathogenic bacteria have evolved distinct mechanisms for delivering toxins and other virulence factors across cellular membranes and into the cytosol of host cells. We are interested in understanding the mechanism of entry in several toxin systems- the clostridial neurotoxins and the clostridial cytotoxins. Our experimental approach involves the combination of functional studies with structural methods (X-ray crystallography, EPR spectroscopy, and electron microscopy).
Elucidating the molecular structures and functions of these virulence factors alone and in complex with host receptors and membranes will reveal vital information about fundamental mechanisms in bacterial pathogenesis.
​Cirle Alcantara Warren, MD
Department of Medicin
University of Virginia (UVA)
Charlosttesville, VA, USA
Dr. Alcantara Warren's research is focused on the recognition, pathogenesis, impact, and control of enteric infections. She is also interested in the pathogenesis, diagnosis and management of inflammatory genital infections.
Dr. Warren is an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health at UVa. She is the medical director of the STD Clinic at the Charlottesville/Albermarle Health Department and on staff at the new Complicated C. difficile Clinic, providing Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT) services. She is also actively involved in mentoring international research fellows at UVa's Center for Global Health.
​Trevor Lawley, PhD
Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
Cambridge, UK
Dr. Lawley's research utilizes high-throughput genome sequencing to investigate C. difficile populations and intestinal microbial communities that are associated with health and disease, and murine infection models to identify the host genetic factors that are linked to disease susceptibility. Healthcare-associated pathogens are a major focus of the research programme.
​Esteban Chaves-Olarte, PhD
Research Centre for Tropical Diseases (CIET)
University of Costa Rica
San José, Costa Rica
Dr. Chaves-Olarte is currently Professor at the School of Microbiology and Director of the CIET at UCR. He has experience in the areas of cellular microbiology, pathogenesis and bacterial toxins. His research is mainly in the study of variants of C. difficile toxins and the mechanism of action of clostridial toxins.
Academic interests:
Cellular Microbiology, Bacterial Pathogenesis, Intracellular trafficking, Brucella and Clostridium difficile.
​Eliane de Oliveira Ferreira, PhD
Laboratory of Biology of Anaerobic Bacteria
Department of Medical Microbiology,
Federal University of Rio Janerio, RJ, Brazil
Dr. Ferreira is a biologist graduated at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, se has Master degree in Microbiology from the State University of Rio de Janeiro and a PhD in Sciences from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. She did a doctorate degree at University of Liverpool, UK and postdoctoral studies at East Carolina University, USA in the Brody School of Medicine. He is currently Adjunct Professor at UFRJ. He has experience in Medical Microbiology with anaerobic bacteria, mainly Bacteroides fragilis and Clostridium difficile. Operates on the following topics: bacterial virulence factors, electron microscopy, pathogenicity and bacterial adhesion (cells and matrix components); Genomics: molecular biology (cloning, mutagenesis) and proteomics.
SPEAKERS.
​Carlos Quesada-Gómez, Msc.
Research Laboratory of Anaerobic Bacteriology
School of Microbiology
University of Costa Rica
San José, Costa Rica
Prof. Quesada-Gómez is Adjunct Professor at the School of Microbiology, University of Costa Rica and PhD Candidate. He has experience in Medical Bacteriology, mainly anaerobic bacteria. He has papers and publications in the areas of epidemiology, antimicrobial resistance, resistance genes and virulence of C. difficile and Bacteroides. Prof. Quesada-Gómez has actively collaborated with the research group at UFC and currently continues with collaborative projects between the UCR and UFC.
Hercules Moura, MD, PhD.
Biological Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics. DIvision of Laboratory Sciences
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Atlanta, GA, USA
Dr. Hercules Moura, M.D. Ph.D., first came to CDC in 1989. He developed methods to detect and differentiate the emerging and opportunistic parasites that affect AIDS patients. Dr. Moura currently serves as a microbiologist and mass spectrometrist liaison expert in the Biological Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Laboratory (NCEH). He implemented mass spectrometric-based programs in several new areas including bacterial toxins microbial identification by MALDI-TOF MS emergency response. Dr. Moura has authored and co-authored over eighty journal articles and book chapters in microbiology proteomics and mass spectrometry. Dr. Moura has contributed greatly to microbial biomarker discovery as well as method development for detecting differentiating and quantifying protein toxins. He conceived the idea of the Endopep-MS method which consists of using mass spectrometry to detect the products resulting from the endopeptidase activity of bacterial exotoxins. Dr. Moura is currently applying proteomics and mass spectrometry for Clostridium difficile biomarker detection.
​Rodrigo O. Silva, PhD.
School of Veterinary
Federal University of Minas Gerais
Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Dr. Silva is veterinarian and has experience in the field of Veterinary Microbiology, with an emphasis on bacteriology of sporulated anaerobes.
Currently, he works mainly in the diagnosis, epidemiology, control and vaccines of Clostridium difficile in animals.
​Gerly A. Brito, MD, PhD
Department of Morphology and Department of Physiology and Pharmacology
School of Medicine
Federal University of Ceará.
Fortaleza, CE, Brazil
Dr. Brito obtained a doctorate degree in Pharmacology by UFC and post-doctorate at the University of Virginia, with training in infectious diseases, focusing on the research of the lesions induced by C. difficile in intestinal epithelial cells and human neutrophils. He is currently Full Professor of the Department of Morphology, Faculty of Medicine, UFC. Member of the Postgraduate Program in Pharmacology (level 6, CAPES). She coordinates the Postgraduate Program in Science Morphofunctional. She contributed to the creation of the Postgraduate Program in Medical Science (level 6, CAPES). She´s leader of the research group in the Center for Studies in Microscopy and Image Processing - NEMPI and Coordinator of UFC-UFRJ Program in Morphological Sciences. Prof. Brito has been working as a researcher and member of the steering committee, in INCT- Institute of Biomedicine from Brazilian Semiarid Region, where she is the Coordinator on Diarrhoeal Diseases, Malnutrition and Oral Health Program. She has excelled in studies evaluating the impact of diarrheal diseases, inflammation, and toxins of C. difficile with significant publication in this research line.