Excerpt

Through invited presentations and discussions, participants explored a range of topics related to microbial evolution and co-adaptation, including: methods for characterizing microbial diversity; model systems for investigating the ecology of host-microbe interactions and microbial communities at the molecular level; microbial evolution and the emergence of virulence; the phenomenon of antibiotic resistance and opportunities for mitigating its public health impact; and an exploration of current trends in infectious disease emergence as a means to anticipate the appearance of future novel pathogens.

Contents

• The National Academies
• Forum on Microbial Threats
• Board on Global Health
• Reviewers
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Workshop Overview
  • MICROBIAL EVOLUTION AND CO-ADAPTATION: A WORKSHOP IN HONOR OF JOSHUA LEDERBERG
  • THE LIFE AND LEGACIES OF JOSHUA LEDERBERG
  • MICROBIAL ECOLOGY AND ECOSYSTEMS
  • MICROBIAL EVOLUTION, ADAPTIVE MECHANISMS, AND THE EMERGENCE OF VIRULENCE AND RESISTANCE
  • INFECTIOUS DISEASE EMERGENCE: ANALYZING THE PAST, UNDERSTANDING THE PRESENT, ANTICIPATING THE FUTURE
  • APPENDIX WO-1. INFECTIOUS HISTORY
  • Further Readings
  • Notable Web Sites
  • WORKSHOP OVERVIEW REFERENCES
• 1. The Life and Legacies of Joshua Lederberg
  • OVERVIEW
  • REFLECTIONS ON THE CAREER OF JOSHUA LEDERBERG
  • JOSH LEDERBERG REMEMBERED
  • THE LIFE AND IMPACT OF A LEGEND—JOSHUA LEDERBERG
  • REFERENCES
• 2. Microbial Ecology and Ecosystems
  • OVERVIEW
  • WAR AND PEACE: HUMANS AND THEIR MICROBIOME
  • DECIPHERING THE COMPLEX MOLECULAR DIALOGUE OF SYMBIOSIS: ESPERANTO OR POLYGLOT?
  • REFERENCES
• 3. Pathogen Evolution
  • OVERVIEW
  • BACTERIAL PATHOGENICITY: AN HISTORICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PERSPECTIVE
  • EVOLUTION OF BACTERIAL-HOST INTERACTIONS: VIRULENCE AND THE IMMUNE OVERRESPONSE
  • REFERENCES
• 4. Antibiotic Resistance: Origins and Countermeasures
  • OVERVIEW
  • ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE AND THE FUTURE OF ANTIBIOTICS
  • MICROBIAL DRUG RESISTANCE: AN OLD PROBLEM IN NEED OF NEW SOLUTIONS
  • EXPANDING THE MICROBIAL UNIVERSE: METAGENOMICS AND MICROBIAL COMMUNITY DYNAMICS
  • REFERENCES
• 5. Infectious Disease Emergence: Past, Present, and Future
  • OVERVIEW
  • EMERGING INFECTIONS: CONDEMNED TO REPEAT?
  • ECOLOGICAL ORIGINS OF NOVEL HUMAN PATHOGENS
  • GENOMIC EVOLVABILITY AND THE ORIGIN OF NOVELTY: STUDYING THE PAST, INTERPRETING THE PRESENT, AND PREDICTING THE FUTURE
  • CAN WE PREDICT FUTURE TRENDS IN DISEASE EMERGENCE?
  • REFERENCES
• Appendixes
  • A. Agenda
  • B. Acronyms
  • C. Glossary
  • D. Forum Member Biographies

Rapporteurs: David A Relman, Margaret A Hamburg, Eileen R Choffnes, Alison Mack

Suggested citation:

IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2009. Microbial evolution and co-adaptation: a tribute to the life and scientific legacies of Joshua Lederberg. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.