Enterococci are now a leading cause of hospital infection. With the emergence and spread of the vancomycin resistant phenotype, many of these infections cannot be treated with approved bactericidal regimens. Although a leading cause of nearly untreatable infection, enterococcal research constitutes a barely discernable fraction of the portfolios of public health research agencies. The small enterococcal research community currently is fragmented into clinical investigators (most likely to attend annual ICAAC or IDSA meetings), and basic scientists (most likely to attend annual ASM or FASEB meetings). The goal of the proposed 1st International ASM Conference on Enterococci: Pathogenesis, biology and antibiotic resistance is to bring together all clinical and basic scientists interested in addressing the increasingly urgent enterococcal problem. Coming together at a single venue will enable these scientists to meet, personally interact, and establish the basis for future collaborations. Moreover, this meeting will provide a unique point of entry for new scientists interested in tackling the resistant enterococcal problem, and needing to learn the state-of-the-art from all of the current leaders in the field.
