Dear ESPID member,

After seven very successful masterclasses we are proud to continue this highly successful format with the eighth ESPID Research Masterclass (ERMC) in Brighton, UK.

ESPID Research Masterclass (ERMC) is a closed, seminar type of forum for active paediatric infectious diseases (PID) research groups in Europe. The research performed can involve 'bench-type' basic and translational research, as well as 'bed-side' clinical studies (e.g. observational, case-control, randomised controlled, interventional) and epidemiological studies in any area of paediatric infectious diseases.​

The primary aim of ERMC is to provide better opportunities for young researchers to present their studies and discuss their research with other junior colleagues as well as with European research group leaders. During the Masterclass, the junior researchers will be trained how to present their data, ask questions or chair a session. They will receive guidelines for scientific discussion in a seminar type of positive atmosphere. The second aim of the seminar is to provide the researchers a better view of recent PID research in Europe and also to stimulate discussions of new research collaborations among ESPID members.

The ERMC is based on attendance of research teams. The research groups should apply their attendance as a group of 1 senior and maximum 3 junior researchers (maximum size of a group is 4 persons). The senior researcher in the group should be an ESPID member.

ERMC will take place in Brighton on Saturday May 14, from 9.00 to 22.00. The ​​organis​ing team strongly encourages research groups to attend the entire ESPID annual meeting in Brighton to be held 10-14 May 2016. 

​All applications must include the following:

• A short summary (max. one page, A4) of current research interests of the group
• A list of 10 recent publications from the group
• Abstracts* from individual junior members
• A list of the participants (1 senior, max. 3 juniors) with their e-mail addresses
• A one slide power point presentation of the team

* The abstract should not exceed 250 words in total and must be structured into separate sections. The format of ERMC is well suited to present work-in-progress resulting in getting valuable feedback and input from other research groups how to approach the research question, as well as discussing the study design with senior research leaders in paediatric infectious diseases and obtain their expert opinion. 

The following format for the individual abstract should be used:

Title not exceeding 16 words

Authors and affiliations

Research question including context and purpose of the study

Methods including rational why a particular method was chosen to answer the research question

Results can be ranging from work in progress, to preliminary data, to more conclusive results

Conclusion including problems encountered, adjustment of methods and work plan for the next year.

Please note that 1-2 of junior members from each team should be ready to give an oral presentation of their research.

Deadline of submission is January 1^st, 2016. The applications should be sent to ESPID Secretariat at espid@kenes.ch​

Based on the interest of the European PID research groups applying to participate, the ERMC organising committee will make the final decision about the topics of the day including the abstracts selected for oral presentation. All the research groups will be directly informed about the selected topics, abstracts and groups before January 27^th, 2016.​

8.30-9.00         Coffee

9.00-9.20         Welcome and group presentation

Adilia Warris

Session I: Assessing disease pathogenesis; an interplay between the bug and the host.

Chairs: Manish Sadarangani and Nicole Ritz

9.20-9.45    The effect of SNP in genes responsible for inflammatory response on severity of bacterial meningitis in children.

Ewelina Gowin

9.45-10.10    Antibiotic resistance patterns and prevalence of virulence determinants among Enterococcus faecalis causing community acquired urinary tract infections.

Marjan Rashidan

10.10-10.35 Presence of antibiotic resistance genes in pneumococci isolated from Nepalese children in the context of carriage and disease

Rama Kandasamy

10.35-11.00    Respiratory mucosal model: local immunological responses to colonization and infection with Bordetella pertussis.

Maaike Kusters

11.00-11.30     Coffee Break

Session II: Epidemiological studies and assessment of the usefulness of diagnostic tools

Chairs: Rebecca Peters and Ron Dagan

11.30-11.55    Prognostic value of serum procalcitonin levels upon admission of children hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia.

Taiane Fonseca

11.55-12.20    Molecular epidemiology and clinical presentation of respiratory syncytial virus infection amongst hospitalized children in Heidelberg/Germany.

Julia Tabatabai

12.20-12.45   Diagnosis of hospital acquired infections in critically ill patients: comparison of molecular test and blood cultures.

Beatriz Ruiz

12.45-13.10    Tuberculin skin test in HIV-exposed uninfected infants vaccinated with BCG in the first month of life.

Danielle Kuramoto

13.10-14.00     Lunch

14.00-14.40     Keynote lecture

"To write a paper or not to write a paper? Publish or perish!" 

Chairs: Theo Zaoutis & Adilia Warris

Nigel Curtis

Session III: PK studies of antimicrobials to improve dosing in children

Chairs: Fernanda Garcia Spina and Pablo Rojo

14.40-15.05     Piperacillin pharmacokinetics in hospitalised children.

Charlotte Barker

15.05-15.30    Validation of the once-daily isoniazid dose at 10 mg/kg in infants under 6 months of age.

Eneritz Velasco-Arnaiz

15.30-15.55    Pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and immunomodulatory studies of colistin in children.

Anastasia Geladari

15.55-16.25     Coffee Break

Session IV: Investigating the influence of vaccination on epidemiology

Chairs: Lauri Ivaska and Tobias Tennenbaum

16.25-16.50     Has vaccination with the PCV-10 vaccine reduced antibiotic resistance rates in children attending day care centres?

Samúel Sigurðsson

​16.50-17.15    Influenza virus infections during the first two years of life in a partially vaccinated child cohort.

Tamara Teros-Jaakkola

17.15-17.40    A longitudinal study of Neisseria carriage in a well-characterized cohort of term infants.

Roberto Fernandez Crespo

17.40-18.05    The impact of rotavirus vaccination on hospitalizations due to acute gastroenteritis in Estonia.

Kadri Kõivumägi

18.05-18.15     Closing remarks

Andrew Pollard

19.30               Dinner