[Seminar] Genomic characterization of Enterococcus faecium [new hour]

Seminar

Title: Genomic characterization of Enterococcus faecium: from harmless gut commensal to nosocomial pathogen

Speaker: Willem van Schaik

Affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology of the University Medical Center Utrecht in The Netherlands

Abstract

Enterococcus faecium is a common inhabitant of the intestines of humans and animals and is present in many different natural environments. In the past two decades, however, E. faecium has rapidly emerged as an important multi-drug resistant nosocomial pathogen around the world and is now frequently responsible for hospital-acquired infections. These infections are difficult to treat because E. faecium has many intrinsic and acquired resistances to antibiotics.

Here, I will describe our recent work on comparative and functional genomics of E. faecium. Using genome sequencing we have obtained important insights into the evolutionary trajectories that have led to the emergence of E. faecium as a nosocomial pathogen. These genome sequences have also facilitated the of high-throughput functional genomic approaches to study E. faecium biology. We recently developed an efficient way to generate and screen transposon mutagenesis libraries in clinical E. faecium strains, allowing us to identify and functionally characterize E. faecium genes that are involved in antibiotic resistance and contribute to gut colonization. The use of genomics to study E. faecium opens up avenues for the development of novel interventions against this important multi-drug resistant nosocomial pathogen.
 

CV

Willem van Schaik (38) performed his PhD research on the stress response of Bacillus cereus at Wageningen University in The Netherlands. After his PhD he worked as a post-doc at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, France on the regulation of virulence gene expression in Bacillus anthracis. In 2007, he moved to the Department of Medical Microbiology of the University Medical Center Utrecht in The Netherlands, where he became an Assistant Professor 2010. His current research focuses on the genomics of antibiotic-resistant opportunistic bacteria (including Enterococcus faecium) and the evolution of drug resistance. Willem is Academic Editor for PLOS ONE. His Google Scholar profile can be found here and his Twitter here.