GloMiNe “Microbial Diversity and Antimicrobial Resistance” by Microbiota Vault and MVIF
The The Microbiota Vault organizes this year's Global Microbiome Network (GloMiNe) online symposium in partnership with MVIF . The topic of this year’s event is "Microbial diversity and antimicrobial resistance”. The symposium will take place during World AMR Awareness Week , highlighting the interplay of microbial diversity and antimicrobial resistance, as well as discussing the preservation of microbial diversity. The symposium aims to foster international exchange and interdisciplinary collaboration among scientists working across microbiome research, public health, and related fields. By connecting experts from different regions and disciplines, GloMiNe seeks to advance our understanding of how microbial diversity can contribute to more resilient ecosystems and support global efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance.
The event will be live on 24th November 2026, from 13:30PM to 4:00PM UTC (see what time it is where you are here and add to your calendar here ).
Atlantic Event
1. Wastewater Surveillance of AMR
By Prof. Tong Zhang, University of Hong Kong
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a critical global health threat, and the environment plays a pivotal role in its emergence, dissemination, and persistence as both a "source" and "sink" of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and resistant bacteria.
This talk will present our research on the wastewater surveillance of AMR, highlighting the utility of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) as a powerful, non-invasive tool for community-level monitoring. The presentation will explore key concepts in environmental resistome research and demonstrate how standardized metagenomic approaches, supported by dedicated bioinformatics tools, are essential for quantifying ARGs in wastewater. We will introduce a framework for identifying and prioritizing "high-risk" ARGs and discuss how long-read sequencing enables the linkage of these genes to their bacterial hosts and mobile genetic elements, revealing transmission pathways. To illustrate these principles, this talk will present key findings from our large-scale, collaborative surveillance projects in Hong Kong, which have mapped AMR connectivity across human, animal, and environmental sectors.
By establishing robust wastewater surveillance and risk-based criteria, we can implement effective mitigation strategies at critical hotspots, thereby reducing the overall burden of AMR on public health.
2. Microbiome and chronic diseases
By Prof. Martin Jack Blaser, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
3. Effect of antibiotics in the premature microbiome and risk of sepsis
By Prof. Jose Clemente, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Premature birth is the major cause of infant mortality in the world, with sepsis being the major contributor to neonatal death. Given the susceptibility of preterms to sepsis, antibiotics are often used prophylactically in the NICU. However, prolonged used of antibiotics is linked to higher rate of late-onset sepsis (LOS). The underlying mechanisms for this paradox remain unclear, and we hypothesize that gut microbiome disruption could mediate the association between antibiotic use in preterms and LOS. In a multi-cohort study of premature infants form Asia, Europe and America, we demonstrate that antibiotic use is associated with delayed microbiome development and depletion of microbial functions that are protective against LOS. We describe a NOD2 mediated mechanism for this protective effect in a mouse model, and evaluate the effect of a microbial intervention in a pilot human trial.
4. AMR in mother-child pairs in Lao PDR
By Prof. Jeanne Tamarelle, University of Lausanne and Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche en Biologiei
5. Laccase-mediated biotransformation potential for fluorinated compounds by geographically diverse human gut microbiota
By Dr. Milo R. Schärer, ETH Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology
The growing prevalence of synthetic organofluorine substances in agrochemicals, food packaging, and consumer products has led to increasing gastrointestinal exposure, with potential consequences for human health. Despite the extreme stability of fluorinated compounds, several microbial pathways for their transformation are known, including those involving laccases, a type of multicopper oxidase. However, the functionality of laccases in the gut microbiome, a natural contact point between food-associated chemicals and microbial biotransformation pathways, is poorly defined. Through a multi-study analysis of 1,578 human gut metagenomes spanning a global gradient from hunter-gatherer societies to industrialized urban populations, we found that laccase-coding gene homologs are widely distributed in the human gut microbiome. We identified a significant association between both the abundance and phylogenetic diversity of laccase homologs and the degree of urbanization. As human gut microbial laccase activity has not been experimentally demonstrated, eight gut metagenome-derived laccases were heterologously expressed and screened for activity with a redox mediator system. Six of the eight laccases demonstrated activity. One of these gut microbial laccases, derived from Veillonella, and three previously characterized laccases were then tested for their capacity to deplete 11 different food-associated chemicals. The Veillonella laccase depleted the agrochemicals cyflumetofen and fluazinam, as well as the industrial chemical bisphenol AF, to a lesser extent. By linking global gut metagenomes with activity assays, this work demonstrates the untapped potential of mining human gut metagenomes for laccases and other microbial enzymes that can actively modify various agricultural and industrial chemicals.
6. Crossing Niches: Lifestyle, Environmental Exposures and the Mucosal Microbiome in Hispanic Cohorts
By Prof. Filipa Godoy-Vitorino, University of Puerto Rico, Dept. Microbiology and Immunology
This presentation will examine how mucosal microbiomes across oral, vaginal, and gut niches in Puerto Rican cohorts are shaped by lifestyle and environmental pressures. It will highlight how airborne fungal spores disrupt bacterial and mycobiome networks across oral and cervicovaginal sites and will address multi-site high-risk HPV co-detection that may facilitate viral persistence and cervical dysplasia.
7. Building Microbiomes in Post-Hurricane Recovery: lessons from San Juan Homes.
By Prof. Humberto Cavallin, University of Puerto Rico System
Microbial communities in buildings are shaped by the physical configuration of spaces and the practices that take place within them. In this talk, we review findings from settings as homes along an urbanization gradient in the Amazon, neonatal operating rooms, and households in San Juan, Puerto Rico, following Hurricane María. In several of these settings, microbial composition varies not only between spaces and surfaces, but also within individual surfaces. These patterns highlight the importance of spatial scale and resolution in characterizing microbial communities and raise questions about how sampling strategies shape our understanding of the built-environment microbiome. We explore how spatial configuration, including enclosure and connectivity, and occupant practices, such as cleaning routines and equipment use, may jointly influence the distribution of microorganisms across surfaces and in the air. We also consider how differences in use, social context, and environmental conditions complicate comparisons across spaces. We conclude by identifying methodological and conceptual questions for future research, including how to define appropriate spatial units for microbial sampling and how to integrate human practices with the physical and environmental dimensions of architecture.
7. History of the Microbiota Vault
By Prof. Maria Gloria Dominguez Bello, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Urbanization, medical practices, and environmental change are eroding microbial diversity essential to human and planetary health.
This talk traces the history of the Microbiota Vault Initiative, from its founding in 2018 through its launch phase in Switzerland and into its current growth phase. The Microbiota Vault initiative supports local collections and preserves backup samples while protecting depositor ownership of biological materials and data. Shared standards, capacity building, and partnerships underpin conservation grounded in consent, reciprocity, and equitable stewardship. Local collections can participate and expand global network safeguards microbial resources for future research, innovation, and restoration.
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8. Microbial and immune profiles in Acute Tonsillitis: implications for diagnosis and antibiotics use
By Dr. Carolina Alves Costa Silva Santa izabel Hospital