Phage meetings

Bacteriophage are viruses of bacteria. They are likely the most numerous "organisms" on Earth and contributed greatly to the development of the disciplines of molecular biology and molecular genetics. This page is an attempt to gather up information and links regarding phage-based scientific meetings, past, present, and future. Consider beginning by viewing the meetings time line.

2008 5th Viral Ecology Group Meeting
March 14-15th 2008, to be held in Leicester, UK
 * meeting registration page

2007 Phage/Viral Assembly Conference
May 25-30, hosted by Alan Davidson, held in Barrie, Ontario, Canada.


 * meeting overview page
 * additional information

2007 Molecular Genetics of Bacteria and Phages Meeting
August 7-12, University of Wisconsin, Madison.


 * meeting overview page

2007 17th Evergreen International Phage Biology Meeting
August 12-17. See Evergreen meetings for background information.


 * meeting overview page

2007 Symposium, Ecology of Viruses
September 3-4, organized by Environmental Microbiology Group/Virus Ecology Group/Society for General Microbiology, held at University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.


 * meeting overview page

2007 International Baikal Symposium on Microbiology
September 10-15, this symposium is titled "Microorganisms in Ecosystems of Lakes, Rivers, and Reservoirs" and will be held in Irkutsk city – Listvyanka settlement (campus «Pribaykal’skiy»), Russia. Approximately one-third (or slightly fewer) of the topics to be covered seem to be phage-related. For more information, please contact Steve Abedon care of www.phage.org.

Past meetings timeline
Past meetings are listed in order per year, but with years descending. Links are to descriptions found under either "scheduled upcoming phage meetings" or below this section as either ongoing phage meetings (i.e., Evergreen meetings, Phage Assembly conferences, Cold Spring Harbor meetings) or as one-time meetings or symposia.


 * 1) 2007 Phage/Viral Assembly meeting
 * 2) 2007 Evergreen meeting
 * 3) 2007 Virus-ecology sympostium
 * 4) 2006 Texas meeting
 * 5) 2006 Cold Spring Harbor meeting
 * 6) 2005 Evergreen meeting
 * 7) 2005 Tbilisi seminar
 * 8) 2004 Phage summit (Florida)
 * 9) 2003 Evergreen meeting
 * 10) 2001 Evergreen meeting
 * 11) 2000 Millennial meeting (Montreal)
 * 12) 2000 Le Treilles meeting
 * 13) 1999 Evergreen meeting

Please add to the above list as appropriate. Please do not let a need or desire to create links to within this document (or elsewhere) stop you from providing a (n accurate) listing of past, present, or future meetings. Somebody, somewhere will fill in the details if you don't have them. Alternatively, please send details to Steve Abedon care of www.phage.org.

Regular meetings
A number of phage meetings meet regularly. Much information is missing from the following listings and it is hoped that people who organize or attend these meetings will help to supply this information.

Evergreen meetings
All Evergreen meetings are as organized by Elizabeth Kutter and held on the Evergreen State College campus, Olympia, Washington. They have gone by at least two names: Evergreen International Phage Biology Meeting (2005 back to ???) and Bacteriophage T4 (International?) Meeting (??? back to ???).


 * next Evergreen meeting

Evergreen, 2005
August 7-12.


 * meeting recap page

Evergreen, 2003
July 23-27.


 * photos

Evergreen, 2001

 * photo (scroll down a little)

Evergreen, 1999 and earlier

 * 1999, 1997?, 1995?, 1993?, 1991, 1989, 1987, 1985, 1983?, earlier?

Biennial Phage/Viral Assembly Conferences

 * next Phage Assembly meeeting
 * Conference overview page

Cold Spring Harbor Bacteria and Phage Meeting
Many of the years of these meetings are not listed here (and need to be), plus a history of these meeetings needs to be presented as well as comments on the current status of these meetings with regard to the degree to which they consider phage.

Molecular Genetics of Bacteria and Phages, 2007
August 7-12.


 * meeting announcement page

Cold Spring Harbor, 2006
August 22-27.


 * meeting announcement page

Cold Spring Harbor, 2002
August 20-25

2006, Texas, Evergreen Phage and Virus Genomics and Ecology Meeting
May 12-15, organized by Philip Serwer, Stephen C. Haries, and Elizabeth Kutter, held at Texas A&M University-Kingsville Campus, Kingsville, Texas.


 * meeting web page

2005, International Phage Seminar
November 10-11, organized by J.S.C. “Biochimpharm” and Eliava Scientific-Research Institute of Bacteriophages, Microbiology and Virology, held in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia.


 * draft seminar agenda

2004, Phage Summit
August 1-5, organized by Ry Young, held in Key Biscayne, Florida.


 * Adhya, S., L. Black, D. Friedman, G. Hatfull, K. Kreuzer, C. Merril, A. Oppenheim, F. Rohwer, and R. Young. 2005. 2004 ASM Conference on the New Phage Biology: the 'Phage Summit'. Mol. Microbiol. 55:1300 full text


 * Abedon, S. T., and P. Hyman. 2005. Road Trip to Key Biscayne. BEG News 23. full text


 * Abeodn, S. T. 2004. ASM Conference on the New Phage Biology. BEG News 19. full text


 * photo: The λ Twins

2002, International Union of Microbiology Societies/International Congress of Virology
July 27-August 1, held in Paris
 * there were symposia devoted to phage:
 * 1) The phage genome (conveners H. Krisch, R. Hendrix)
 * 2) Phage lysis and lysogeny (J. Maniloff, T. Alatossava)
 * 3) Applied and environmental phage biology (H-W. Ackermann, E. Kutter)

2000, Algal Virus Workshop
May 28-June 1, held in Galeway, Ireland.


 * comment: a previous such meeting had been held in 1998.

2000, Bacteriophages in Biotechnology
July 13, held in London.


 * comment: "There is an increasing awareness of the significance of bacteriophages to modern biotechnology, and a revival of interest in bacteriophages for therapy and the control of microbial infection. This meeting will examine current applications of bacteriophage and look forward to future potential applications."

2000, Millennial Phage Meeting
June 7-11, organized by Michael Dubow, held at McGill University, Montreal.


 * comment: Great location, great talks, lousy food (except for those wise enough to eat off campus).
 * photo

2000, Le Treilles meeting on Viruses: Origins, Evolution, and Biodiversity
July 24-30, sponsored by the Fondation des Treilles, held in Tourtour, France


 * comment: By invitation only


 * Balter, M. 2000. Evolution on life's fringes. Science 289:1866-1867. abstract & pay article


 * proceedings:
 * Forterre, P. 2003. The great virus comeback—from an evolutionary perspective. Res. Microbiol. 154:223-225.
 * Krisch, H. M. 2003. The view from Les Treilles on the origins, evolution and diversity of viruses. Res. Microbiol. 154:227-229.
 * Bamford, D. H. 2003. Do viruses form lineages across different domains of life? Res. Microbiol. 154:231-236. abstract & pay article
 * Filée, J., P. Forterre, and J. Laurent. 2003. The role played by viruses in the evolution of their hosts: a view based on informational protein phylogenies. Res. Microbiol. 154:237-243. abstract & pay article
 * Ackermann, H.-W. 2003. Bacteriophage observations and evolution. Res. Microbiol. 154:245-251. abstract & pay article
 * Hendrix, R. W., G. F. Hatfull, and M. C. M. Smith. 2003. Bacteriophages with tails: chasing their origins and evolution. Res. Microbiol. 154:253-257. abstract & pay article
 * Desplats, C., and H. M. Krisch. 2003. The diversity and evolution of the T4-type bacteriophages. Res. Microbiol. 154:259-267. abstract & pay article
 * Krylov, V., E. Pleteneva, M. Bourkaltseva, O. Shaburova, G. Volckaert, N. Sykilinda, L. Kurochkina, and V. Mesyanzhinov. 2003. Myoviridae bacteriophages of Pseudomonas aeruginosa: a long and complex evolutionary pathway. Res. Microbiol. 154:269-275. abstract & pay article
 * Campbell, A. 2003. Prophage insertion sites. Res. Microbiol. 154:277-282. abstract & pay article
 * Letellier, L., P. Boulanger, M. de Frutos, and P. Jacquot. 2003. Channeling phage DNA through membranes: from in vivo to in vitro. Res. Microbiol. 154:283-287. abstract & pay article
 * Prangishvili, D. 2003. Evolutionary insights from studies on viruses from hot habitats. Res. Microbiol. 154:289-294. [ abstract & pay article]
 * Stedman, K. M., Q. She, H. Phan, H. P. Arnold, I. Hoz, R. A. Garrett, and W. Zillig. 2003. Relationships between fuselloviruses infecting the extremely thermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus: SSV1 and SSV2. Res. Microbiol. 154:295-302. abstract & pay article
 * Geslin, C., M. Le Romancer, M. Gaillard, G. Erauso, and D. Prieur. 2003. Observation of virus-like particles in high temperature enrichment cultures from deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Res. Microbiol. 154:303-307. abstract & pay article
 * Dyall-Smith, M., S.-L. Tang, and C. Bath. 2003. Haloarchaeal viruses: how diverse are they? Res. Microbiol. 154:309-313. abstract & pay article

1998, International Symposium on Microbial Ecology
August, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada


 * comment: There was a symposia planned as part of this meeting on "Viruses as Regulators of Microbial Systems".
 * ISME home page

Additional links

 * Meetings of interest to phage biologists (page from ASM Division M)
 * Microbial Population Biology Gordon conference (typically has at least some phage-based talks and -interested attendees)
 * 1941 meeting of the American Physical Society, in Philadelphia (brief discussion of)