Michael Gilmore, MS, PhD 
Sir William Osler Professor,
Harvard Medical School Senior Scientist,
MA Eye and Ear Infirmary Associate,
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
2:00 pm
Saturday, February 2, 2013
International Academy of Endodontics, Annual Meeting
The Fairmont Hotel
Dallas, Texas
“Enterococcal Pathogenesis”
Microbes and their hosts have evolved stable, delicately balanced relationships over hundreds of millions of years. Suddenly, 60 years ago, microbes that colonize humans (and domestic animals in close contact with humans), typified by the enterococci, encountered lethal levels of antibiotics - repeatedly. As a consequence, they developed mechanisms to promote acquisition of antibiotic resistances, but along with those came traits that destabilize the host/microbe balance and increase pathogenicity. During the ‘Antibiotic Era’ the enterococci have emerged as leading multidrug resistant hospital pathogens. Enterococcal infection also has become a leading cause for endodontic revision. The genomic era is telling us much about the nature of the rugged genus, Enterococcus, and their propen- sity to infect and persist, even in hostile environments.
Attendees will learn:
1. What exactly are enterococci and where do they come from?
2. What do we know about their ability to cause disease?
3. What do we know about their ability to persist in harsh environments?
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