I am extremely honored and appreciative of receiving the Peggy Cotter Travel Award for Microbe 2024 that aided me in attending the meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, this year. The science that was showcased at this year’s meeting was nothing less than riveting. There were various session types available to attendees: career talks, courses/workshops, cross-track plenaries, in-depth symposiums, meet the experts, mini-conferences, panel discussions, and track hubs. I am fortunate enough to say I was able to attend at least one of each session type. The topics that I found myself most engrossed with at this year’s meeting were antibiotic resistance, emerging fungal pathogens, and infectious disease diagnostics including but not limited to the increasing development of rapid susceptibility test systems. Interesting to note that these are all topics that were showcased as well on a smaller scale at the Annual WNY ASM Spring Meeting this year.

There were three sessions that stood out as being the most relevant to my current position as a scientist in a bacteriology lab within a manufacturing biotech company (ZeptoMetrix, An Antylia Scientific Company) who’s primary focus is developing innovative solutions to solve challenges in the evolving Diagnostic Microbiology, Infectious Disease, and Oncology markets, as well as provide analytical reference materials for the Applied markets.

The first session was an in-depth symposium titled “Are We Missing Something? The Resurgence of Hard-to-treat Gram-positive Infections”. The focus of this session was to divulge the complex dynamics involved in the resurgence of invasive Group A Streptococcus (iGAS) infections. Such infections have already been on my radar at work, as well as a critical point of interest of the CDC and the New York State Department of Health, which was shared from epidemiologist Caila Vaughn, PhD, MPH during her presentation at the Annual WNY ASM Spring Meeting this year. The majority of GAS infections are relatively mild, presenting as illnesses such as strep throat. However, when GAS becomes iGAS, the infection can become quite severe and at times can be life-threatening. From this session, I was able to attain more information regarding the various factors that have been contributing to this resurgence, right down to the risk factors leading to infection and the diagnosis and treatment/management of the infection. The session also revealed that this resurgence is in part a consequence of weaknesses identified in medical stewardship.

The second session was an in-depth symposium titled “Antifungal Drug Resistance and Emerging Fungal Pathogens”. The focus of this session was to delve into the global increase in invasive fungal infections and the prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) fungi. I personally find discussions about emerging fungal pathogens and their rise in antifungal drug resistance rather alarming, due to the pattern of emergence mirroring that of environmental temperature changes inflicted by climate change. This is a dilemma that will continue to cause a problem for years to come. One particular emerging fungal pathogen that was discussed during this session, Candida auris, was also discussed by epidemiologist Caila Vaughn, PhD, MPH during her presentation at the Annual WNY ASM Spring Meeting this year. The rise of this pathogen represents a serious public health threat. Candida auris causes severe infections associated with a high mortality rate and almost all frontline antifungal agents available are inactive against it. Patients with MDR Candida auris have a 30-day mortality rate between 35 to 60%. The first reported case of a serious infection with Candida auris was in Japan in 2009 and since has become more widespread globally and has become a more common occurrence. This session also revealed that its rapid emergence is in part due to the fact that it has proven difficult to identify and has been spreading its way through hospitals and nursing homes like wildfire.

The third session was an in-depth symposium titled “Beyond Academia: Fulfilling Microbiology Careers Outside the Tenure Track”. The focus of this session was to acknowledge that only a small percentage (~10-30%) of PhD recipients obtain a permanent position in academia, however, graduate programs seem to only focus on preparing those recipients for a future in academia. Thus, the majority of graduates are left with insufficient knowledge and training for the various microbiology careers that are often described as “alternative tracks”, leaving them underprepared to face the job market. From this session, I was able to obtain a wealth of knowledge from those who have experience in making their way past this very obstacle and have gone on to lead very successful careers outside of academia. This topic was extremely relevant for me as an early career scientist, who at this time is pursuing a career in industry.

There was also a plethora of novel approaches to both diagnostics and therapeutic treatments that were showcased during the sessions, as well as within the various booths on display on the vendor floor. The novel approach that constantly stood out above the rest to me (and likely many other attendees) during this year’s meeting was that of rapid susceptibility test systems. This is a topic that was also presented by Peter Trabold, PhD, MBA at the Annual WNY ASM Spring Meeting this year. Rapid and accurate detection of pathogens causing life-threating infections is critical to the on-going struggle we face between duration of diagnosis and appropriate treatment thereafter. This type of technology is proving to revolutionize the fields of clinical and public health microbiology and has the potential to drastically improve patient outcomes.

Beyond the relevance to my current position, I was also able to attend various sessions that were related to my other personal interests such as the “Biofilms Mini-Conference” and “Mini-ASMCUE”. My graduate research and doctoral dissertation heavily involved bacterial biofilms, specifically those found in catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), and I have both training and work experience, but above all passion, for teaching science – specifically microbiology and immunology.

Lastly, while attending this year’s meeting I was able to continue to foster current relationships with colleagues across the field of microbiology, as well as develop new connections that I hope to maintain for years to come. I want to express a huge thank you to WNY ASM, National ASM, and Peggy Cotter for your acknowledgement and support of my endeavors as an early career scientist and my continual growth as a microbiologist.