A virtual army of scientists dedicated to battling microscopic ene- mies is converging on Houston this week for the 29th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.
More than 13,000 microbiologists, clinicians, biochemists. pathologists, pharmacologists, and other scientists are expected to attend the conference, which opened yesterday, sponsored by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). Researchers will present 1,365 short papers in 113 oral and poster sessions. In addition to these sessions, there will be 17 special topics symposia.
More than 50 new compounds will be introduced this week through clinical or postclinical trial reports. The new compounds include chemotherapeutic, antifungal, antiviral, antibacterial, and anticancer agents.
Of these, the antiviral and anti-fungal agents appear to be commandeering more research than antibacterial agents. “The antibacterial area seems to be waning, whereas the antiviral and antifungal agents seem to be increasing,” says Robert L. Hamill, chairman of AS M’s Program and Planning...