Program
Vibrio2026: The International Meeting on the Biology of Vibrios
PROGRAM
Day 1: September 13, 2026 (Sunday)
5:00-6:00 pm
Welcome
Karl Klose and Salvador Almagro-Moreno: Welcome to Vibrio26
Dr. Susann Dupke: Welcome to Berlin
Prof. Dr. Lars Schaade, Robert Koch Institute, Welcome from RKI
Plenary talk: Prof. Martin Mielke, Robert Koch Institute, Chairman of the Berlin Microbiological Society
6:00-8:00 pm
Poster Session I and Welcome reception
Day 2: September 14, 2026 (Monday)
8:25 am
Marcel Langner, Department for Environmental Health Protection and Protection of Ecosystems
Welcome
8:30-10:00 am
Session 1. QS, biotic and abiotic sensing of the environment: Who is out there?
Chairs: Julia van Kessel (Indiana University) & Sine Lo Svenningsen (University of Copenhagen)
1.1. Long talk (20+5) Julia van Kessel Indiana University
""Intercepting the Microbial Chatter: Chemical Inhibitors as Tools to Decipher Quorum Sensing Mechanisms"
1.2. Short talk (12+3) Dan Bar Yaacov, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel
“When we can’t trust Vibrio DNA: A-to-I RNA editing recodes CqsA and affects T6SS-mediated killing”
1.3. Long talk (20+5) Jay Zhu, University of Pennsylvania
“Cross-Phylum Quorum Sensing in Dysbiosis Drives Cholera Pathogenesis”
1.4. Short talk (12+3) Elizabeth Putz, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
“Quorum sensing controls prophage induction in Vibrio anguillarum through VanT and prophage-encoded regulatory factors”
10:00-10:30 am
Coffee break
10:30-12:00 pm
Session 2: Colloquium: Africa and Cholera
Chairs: Susann Dupke (Robert Koch Institute) & Akinsinde Kehinde Adewale (Nigerian Institute of Medical Research)
Speakers:
2.1. Long talk (20+5) Kehinde Adewale Akinsinde, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Nigeria
"The scourge, trend, and current diagnosis of Vibrio cholerae in Africa"
2.2. Short talk (12+3) Andria Caliengue, National Institute for Health Research, Angola
"Cholera Outbreak in Angola: Current Epidemiological Situation and Control Measures."
2.3. Long talk (20+5) Godfred Owusu-Okyere, National Public Health and Reference Laboratory, Ghana Health Service
"Overview of Cholera Situation in Ghana: Recent Outbreaks and Public Health Interventions"
2.4. Short talk (12+3) Sarah Rafaramalala, Madagascar Medical Analysis Laboratory, Madagascar
"Establishment of a cholera surveillance system in the laboratories of the Ministry of Public Health in Madagascar"
12:00-1:00 pm
Lunch
1:00-2:30 pm
Session 3. Vibrio physiology: How does this work?
Chairs: Seiji Kojima (Nagoya University) & Ariane Briegel (Institut Pasteur)
3.1. Long talk (20+5) Jun Liu, Yale University
"In-situ structure and assembly of the Vibrio sheathed flagellum”
3.2. Short talk (12+3) Jun Xu, Osaka Metropolitan University, Japan
“Environmental light modulates Vibrio cholerae motility through cAMP-dependent bioenergetic control”
3.3. Long talk (20+5) Zeynep Baharoglu, Institut Pasteur
"tRNA modifications shape stress adaptation in Vibrio cholerae"
3.4. Short talk (12+3) Rabea Ghandour, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany
“Domesticating a new chromosome and RNA rewiring in Vibrio cholerae”
2:30-3:00 pm
Coffee break
3:00-4:30 pm
Session 4. Vibrio epidemiology: Is there a doctor on board?
Chairs: Ana Weil, (University of Washington), Sarah Svensson, University of Würzburg
4.1. Long talk (20+5) Ana Weil, University of Washington
"Studies in human cholera: the microbiota and susceptibility to severe disease"
4.2. Short talk (12+3) Ettore Amato, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
“Epidemiology of vibriosis in Norway: Insights from surveillance and impact of rising atmospheric temperatures”
4.3. Long talk (20+5) Yann Felix Boucher, National University of Singapore
"Origins of the once and future cholera pandemics"
4.4. Short talk (12+3) Eric Nelson, University of Florida
“How to avoid being confounded by confounders in cholera clinical studies”
4:30-6:00 pm
Poster session II
(Dinner on your own)
Day 3: September 15, 2026 (Tuesday)
8:30-10:00 am
Session 5. Vibriophages and anti-phage defense systems: Should I wear a mask?
Chairs: Kim Seed (University of California Berkeley) & Melanie Blokesch (EPFL)
5.1. Long talk (20+5) Frederique LeRoux: University of Montreal
"Environmental phage diversity reveals rapid coevolution with PICMI satellites"
5.2. Short talk (12+3) Manon Brunie, Institut Pasteur, France
“An integron-encoded molecular plug blocks phage DNA packaging”
5.3. Long talk (20+5) Karen Maxwell, University of Toronto
"A bacterial defence targeting phage-induced membrane remodeling"
5.4. Short talk (12+3) William Robins, Harvard Medical School
“Peru-2 is a lytic V.cholerae phage that requires Vibrio polysaccharide to infect”
10:00-10:30 am
Coffee break
10:30-12:00 pm
Session 6. Vibrio-host interactions: Sorry, is this bothering you?
Chairs: Fitnat Yildiz (University of California Santa Cruz) and Karla Satchell (Northwestern University)
6.1. Long talk (20+5) Margaret McFall Ngai Caltech
"Dropping in on the conversation: Deciphering host-symbiont molecular dialogue in the squid-Vibrio association"
6.2. Short talk (12+3) Agathe Marot, University of Montpellier, CNRS, France
“The T6SS of Vibrio atlanticus LGP32 plays a crucial role in virulence and host colonization, utilizing a newly discovered anti-eukaryotic effector”
6.3. Long talk (20+5) Matt Waldor, Harvard University
"New approaches for understanding pathogen-host interactions in experimental cholera."
6.4. Short talk (12+3) Marwan Malik, RWTH University Hospital, Aachen, Germany
“Cell-body curvature improves swimming performance of Vibrio cholerae through mucus-mimicking hydrogels”
12:00-1:00 pm
Lunch
1:00-2:30 pm
Session 7. Virulence regulation: This might hurt
Chairs: Kai Papenfort (University of Jena) & Jose Escudero (Universidad Complutense de Madrid)
7.1. Long talk (20+5) David Grainger University of Birmingham
"Global integration of gene regulatory signals via shared binding sites for transcription factors"
7.2. Short talk (12+3) Kyle Floyd, Illinois State University
“Risky Sustenance: Dietary LCFAs Suppress MSHA Pili to Foster Vibrio cholerae Environment-Host Transitions”
7.3. Long talk (20+5) Shigeaki Matsuda Osaka University
“T3SS2-mediated pathogenesis and its regulation in Vibrio parahaemolyticus"
7.4. Short talk (12+3) Nikhil Thomas, Dalhousie University, Canada
“HlyU attenuates transcriptionally repressive DNA cruciform structures leading to coordinated virulence gene expression in pathogenic Vibrio species”
2:30-3:00 pm
Coffee break
3:00-4:30 pm
Session 8. Vibrio populations and genomics: We are in this together
Chairs: Jaime Martinez-Urtaza (Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona) & Chao Yang (Shanghai Jiao Tong University)
8.1. Long talk (20+5) Daniel Falush, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
"Complex adaptation of the Molassodon ecospecies of Vibrio parahaemolyticus"
8.2. Short talk (12+3) Nicola Coyle, Cefas Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture, Weymouth, UK
“Genomic Surveillance of AHPND-Associated Vibrio in Belize Shrimp Aquaculture”
8.3. Long talk (20+5) Martin Polz, University of Vienna
"Are vibrios the most important bacteria in the ocean?"
8.4. Short talk (12+3) Sandrine Baron, Ploufragan Plouzané Niort Laboratory, France
“Variations of the intra-species genetic polymorphism in non-O1/non-O139 Vibrio cholerae populations from different habitats along the Rance estuary (France, Britanny): an adaptation of specific lineages to the prevailing environmental conditions?”
7:00-11:00 pm
Gala Dinner Wasserwerk Berlin, Hohenzollerndamm 208a
Day 4: September 16, 2026 (Wednesday)
8:30-10:00 am
Session 9. Vibrio evolution and ecology: Making history
Chairs: Salvador Almagro Moreno (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital) & Otto Cordero (MIT)
9.1. Long talk (20+5) Otto Cordero, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
“A High-Throughput System to Study Genetic and Ecological Factors Influencing Vibrio Virulence Using Artemia”
9.2. Short talk (12+3) Andrew Camilli, Tufts University
"Snapshot of a Vibrio cholerae-Temperate Phage Interaction"
9.3. Long talk (20+5) Ansel Hsiao, UC Riverside
"Host-Microbiota Interactions in Prevention of Vibrio cholerae Infection"
9.4. Short talk (12+3) Drew Bridges, Carnegie Mellon University
“A branching cell-fate decision in biofilm dispersal enables long-term surface persistence in Vibrio cholerae”
10:00-10:30 am
Coffee break
10:30-12:00 pm
Session 10. Aquaculture and seafood disease: It’s the economy…
Chairs: Chongchanok Muangnapoh (Chulalongkorn University) & Pimonsri Mittraparp-Arthorn (Prince of Songkla University)
10.1. Long talk (20+5) Pimonsri Mittraparp-Arthorn Prince of Songkla University
"Vibrio from water intake to rearing tanks: Microbiome signatures associated with luminous vibriosis"
10.2. Short talk (12+3) Carla Hernandez-Cabanyero, Universite de Montpellier, CNRS
“Copper modulates host-pathogen interactions during Vibrio aestuarianus infection in Pacific oysters”
10.3. Long talk (20+5) Carlos Rodriguez Osorio, University of Santiago de Compostela
"Frozen but Thriving: The Evolutionary Strategy of Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida"
10.4. Short talk (12+3) Ridwan Muhamad Rifai, Ghent University, Belgium
“Impact of bacteria isolated from shrimp rearing water on growth and virulence of Vibrio campbellii under conditions relevant to commercial shrimp farming”
12:00-1:00 pm
Lunch
1:00-2:30 pm
Session 11. Physiology II How does this work again?
Chairs: Karl Klose (University of Texas San Antonio) & Carlos Rodriguez Osorio (University of Santiago de Compostela)
11.1. Long talk (20+5) Mark Mandel, University of Wisconsin
"Convergent pathways to host-microbe specificity"
11.2. Short talk (12+3) Shuaiqi Guo, McGill University, Canada
“Structural basis of pathogenic Vibrio adhesion, infection and inhibition”
11.3. Long talk (20+5) Ariane Briegel, Institut Pasteur
"Vibrio inside! Towards nanoscale imaging of Vibrios inside host organisms"
11.4. Short talk (12+3) Constantin Anoyatis-Pelé, Institut Pasteur, France
“Processes for domestication of a new replicon by Vibrio cholerae”
2:30-3:00 pm
Coffee break
3:00-4:30 pm
Session 12. Antibacterial and anti-eukaryotic toxins: Stay away from me!
Chairs: Dor Salomon (Tel Aviv University) & Kim Orth (UT Southwestern University)
12.1. Long talk (20+5) Dor Salomon Tel Aviv University
"Insights into T6SS-Mediated Virulence in the Coral Pathogen Vibrio coralliilyticus"
12.2. Short talk (12+3) Kerstin Thriene, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
“Microplastic particles and plastic additives promote biofilm formation, virulence and antibiotic resistance in Vibrio cholerae”
12.3. Long talk (20+5) Glenn D’Souza, Arizona State University
"The T6SS in Fluctuating Environments: A Microscale Perspective on Predation, Foraging, and Adaptation in Vibrionaceae communities"
12.4. Short talk (12+3) Aundre Jackson, UNC Chapel Hill
“To what extent does Vibrio fischeri use T6SS weapons to invade an already colonized territory?”
4:30-4:45 pm
Final announcements
6:30-?? pm
Post-meeting Social Event
Biergarten am Kleinen Tiergarten, Alt-Moabit 25, 10559 Berlin
