ASA: Australian Society for Antimicrobials

ASA has made funds available for travel awards to assist Members wanting to attend the Society's annual scientific meeting. Awards are made to ASA financial members presenting a proffered paper (oral or poster) at the meeting. Applicants must have current ASA membership and must have been ASA members for at least the last 12 months. Recipients of an Award are required to write a report on the meeting for the ASA Newsletter.

The awards consists of a return economy airfare, accommodation and conference registration up to the value of AUD2,000.

ASA members who wish to apply for this award are invited to submit their application to the ASA Secretary Despina Kotsanas at info@asainc.net.au. The application should include a copy of the abstract and for abstracts with more than one author, a letter stating the relative contribution of the applicant towards the research.

Antimicrobials 2012 ASA Travel Award Recipient
Brisbane Exhibition and Convention Centre, Brisbane Queensland

23 - 25 February 2012

Natasha Holmes. Austin Centre for Infection Research, Austin Health, Victoria. Searching for Organism Factors that may Explain the Association between Elevated Vancomycin Minimum Inhibitory Concentration and Mortality in Staphylococcus aureus Bacteraemia.

Kyra Chua. University of Melbourne, Victoria. Why is Australian Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) ST93-IV [2B] Highly Virulent?

Deborah Williamson. Auckland District Health Board, New Zealand. Sequence Type (ST) 131 Escherichia coli as a Major Cause of Bacteraemia Following Transrectal Ultrasound-guided Prostate Biopsy

Antimicrobials 2011 ASA Travel Award Recipient
Hilton on the Park, Melbourne Victoria

24 - 26 February 2011

Hanna Sidjabat. University of Queensland, Australia. Molecular Epidemiology of Cephalosporinase Encoding Plasmids in Escherichia coli

Andrew Bowen. Southern IML Pathology, Australia. Measurement Uncertainty and the CDS Method

Antimicrobials 2010 ASA Travel Award Recipient
Sofitel Sydney Wentworth Hotel, Sydney New South Wales

25 - 27 February 2010

Stephen Tristram. University of Tasmania, Australia. Screening and Identifying BLNAR and BLPACR Strains of H. influenzae.

Natasha Holmes. Austin Health, Australia. Vancomycin Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) in Australian Staphylococcus aureus Bactaeraemia (SAB) - An Australian and New Zealand Cooperative on Outcomes in Staphylococcal Sepsis (ANZCOSS) Substudy.

Steven Tong. Menzies School of Health Research, Australia. Molecular Detection of the H275Y Oseltamivir Resistance Mutation in Influenza A/H1N1 2009 by Step-Down RT-PCR and SYBR Green High-Resolution Melting Analysis.

Antimicrobials 2009 ASA Travel Award Recipient
Hilton on the Park, Melbourne Victoria
26 - 28 February 2009

Peter Huntington. Royal North Shore Hospital, Australia. An Agar Dilution Method for Detection of Metallo-beta-lactamase Producing Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter.

Vicki McNeil. Department of Health, South Australian Government, Australia. Use of DU90% Method to Assess Antimicrobial Usage by National Antimicrobial Utilisation Surveillance Program (NAUSP) Contributors.

Lee Thomas. Westmead Hospital, New South Wales. A Comparison of Three Commercial Available Chromogenic Media for the Rapid Detection of MRSA.

Antimicrobials 2008 ASA Travel Award Recipient
Stamford Plaza Double Bay, Sydney New South Wales
21 - 23 February 2008

Catherine Bennett. University of Melbourne, Australia. More Common than we thought? Methicillin Resistance and PVL in Community-Onset Staphylococcus aureus Infections in Melbourne.

Janet Montgomery. Austin Hospital, Australia. Comparison of Phenotypic Tests for Detection of Plasmid Mediated AmpC-Mediated Beta-lactamases.

Antimicrobials 2007 ASA Travel Award Recipient
Rydges Melbourne, Melbourne Victoria
22 - 24 February 2007

Steven Tong. Royal Darwin Hospital, Australia. Community-Associated Methicillin-
Resistant Staphylococcus aureus: A Prospective Case-Cohort Study in Northern
Australia.

Stephen Tristram. University of Tasmania, Australia. TEM-15 ESBL and Altered PBP3 in Multi-
Resistant Strains of Haemophilus influenzae.

Nicholas Biehl. University of Western Australia, Australia. Community-Onset MRSA Infection:
A Survey of Knowledge and Behaviour of Western Australian General Practitioners.

Antimicrobials 2006 ASA Travel Award Recipient
Crowne Plaza, Coogee Beach, Sydney NSW
23 - 25 February 2006

Kate Dollman. South Australia Department of Health, Australia. National Antimicrobial
Utilisation Surveillance.

Elizabeth Grabsch. Austin Health. Australia. Oxgall Supplement to Mueller-Hinton and Brain-
Heart Infusion Agar Improves the Routine Identification of Low-MIC Vancomycin-Resistant
Enterococci (LM-VRE).

Sreeja Sudhakaran. Monash University. Australia. Inhibition of P-Glycoprotein Mediated
Efflux: A Mechanism to Increase Indinavir Transfer to the Foetus.

Matthew Rawlins, Royal Perth Hospital, Australia. Assessing the Impact of an Antimicrobial
Stewardship Programme Round at a WA Teaching Hospital.

Frances O'Brien. Curtin University. Australia. Plasmid Encoded Fusidic Acid Resistance in Staphylococcus aureus

Tom Solano. Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. Australia. Comparison of Antibiotic Dispensing Data
Versus Administration Data in Intensive Care.

Stephen Tristram. University of Tasmania. Australia. Disc Diffusion Based Screening Tests for
Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamases in Haemophilus influenzae.

Sophia Tan.University of South Australia. Australia Macrolide, lincosamide and streptogramin
resistance in E.faecium

ASA has made funds available for a travel scholarship to assist Members who are preferably a PhD student or an advanced trainee who will be presenting at the International Symposium on Staphylococci and Staphylococcal Infections (ISSSI).

The scholarship consists of return economy airfare, accommodation and conference registration up to the value of AU$5,000.

Applicants must have current ASA membership and must have been a member for at least the last 12 months. The scholarship is restricted to Australian and New Zealand ASA financial members and is conditional upon the abstract being accepted by the ISSSI program committee for presentation (oral or poster). In addition the recipient of the scholarship is required to write a report on the meeting for the ASA Newsletter.

Eligible ASA members who wish to apply for this scholarship are invited to submit their application to the ASA Secretary Despina Kotsanas at info@asainc.net.au. The application should include a copy of their abstract and for abstracts with more than one author, a letter stating the relative contribution of the applicant towards the research.

Kyra Chua. Austin Hospital. Australia. Understanding Increased Virulence of ST93-MRSA-IV, A Unique Australian Clone of Community Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus"

This is awarded to an individual on the basis of a proffered paper (oral or poster) presented during the ASA's Annual Scientific Meeting dealing with the identification of antimicrobial resistance in a routine clinical setting.

The applicant must be a financial member of the ASA. The Award is restricted to ASA members residing in Australia or New Zealand. The award committee will take into account the quality and originality of the paper.

The award consists of AU$1000 cash prize, a commemorative plaque, and the provisions of flights, accommodation and registration for the recipient to attend Antimicrobials 2012. The award committee will consist of three ASA committee members.

Antimicrobials 2011 bioMerieux ASA Identifying Resistance Travel Award Recipient

Hilton on the Park, Victoria

24 - 26 February 2011

Susan Grima, Southern Cross Pathology. Australia.

Direct Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Enterococci from Urine Samples

Antimicrobials 2010 bioMerieux ASA Identifying Resistance Travel Award Recipient

Sofitel Sydney Wenworth Hotel, Sydney

25 - 27 February 2010

Paul Ingram. PathWest Laboratory Medicine - WA (Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital)

Detection of AmpC Beta-lactamases Using a Novel Etest Strip

Antimicrobials 2009 bioMerieux ASA Identifying Resistance Travel Award Recipient

Hilton on the Park, Victoria

26 - 28 February 2009

Justin Ellem, Westmead Hospital. Australia.

Comparison and Evaluation of a Newly Developed Mast 4-Disc Test for the Detection of Plasmid-Mediated AmpC Beta-lactamases

Antimicrobials 2008 bioMerieux ASA Identifying Resistance Travel Award Recipient

Stamford Double Bay, New South Wales

21 - 23 February 2008

Janet Montgomery, Austin Health. Australia.

Comparison of Phenotypic Tests for Detection of Plasmid-Mediated AmpC Beta-lactamases

Antimicrobials 2007 bioMerieux ASA Identifying Resistance Travel Award Recipient
Rydges Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria

Cheryll McCullough, PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA - Royal Perth Hospital, Australia.
Phenotypic Confirmation of Extended Spectrum B-lactamases in Enterobacteriacae Using
Commercially Prepared Diffusion Systems

Antimicrobials 2006 bioMerieux ASA Identifying Resistance Tracel Award Recipient
Crowne Plaza, Coogee Beach, Sydney NSW
23 - 25 February 2006

Jacqueline Schooneveldt, Queensland Health Pathology Services, Australia.
MRSA Screenung Using the Tube Coagulase on Selective Enrichment Broth and Real Time PCR
Versus Proprietary RT PCR (IDI-MRSA)

Antimicrobials 2005 bioMerieux ASA Identifying Resistance Travel Award Recipient
Cumberland Lorne Resort, Lorne Victoria
24 - 26 February 2005

Routine Tests for Detection of mecA-mediated Resistance in Staphylococcus aureus

Antimicrobials 2004 bioMerieux ASA Identifying Resistance Travel Award Recipient
Novotel Brighton-Le-Sands, Sydney NSW
26 - 28 February 2004

Janet Montgomery. Austin Health. Australia
Accuracy of Routine Detection of Oxacillin Resistance in Clinical Staphylococcus aureus

Antimicrobials 2003 bioMerieux ASA Identifying Resistance Travel Award Recipient
Hilton on the Park, Melbourne VIC

Cheryll McCullough. Royal Perth Hospital, Australia
The Inability of NCCLS Disc Diffusion Oxacillin Interpretive Breakpoint for S aureus to Reliably Detect Oxacillin-Susceptible Staphylococcus lugdunensis

ICAAC 2010 AstraZeneca Travel Award Recipient
Boston, USA

Christopher Blyth. The University of Western Australia, Australia.

Bacterial and Viral Coinfections in Severe Influenza Infections 2009

ICAAC 2009 AstraZeneca Travel Award Recipient
San Francisco, USA

Douglas Johnson. Austin Hospital, Australia.

Neutralising Antibody Responses to a Recombinant Mammalian Cell Derived Hepatitis C (HCV) Virus Like particle Vaccine

ICAAC 2008 AstraZeneca Travel Award Recipient
Washington, USA

Anton Peleg. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, Boston, USA

Relationship between Virulence and Reduced Susceptibility to Daptomycin in Staphylococcus aureus

Galleria mellonella as a Model System to Study Acinetobacter baumannii Pathogenesis and Therapeutics

Catherine Bennett. The University of Melbourne, Australia

Patient and Infection Characteristics Associated with the Presence of pvl in Community Onset Staphylococcus aureus Infections in Melbourne, Australia

Julie Pearson. PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA - Royal Perth Hospital, Australia

Detection of International Panton-Valentine Leucocidin (PVL) Positive CA-MRSA Clones in Western Australia

ICAAC 2006 AstraZeneca Travel Award Recipient
San Francisco, USA

Ben Howden. Austin Health, Australia
Whole Genome Comparison of a Vancomycin-Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (VSSA) and a Vancomycin-Intermediate Derivative (VISA) Obtained from a Patient with Vancomycin Treatment Failure

ICAAC 2005 AstraZeneca Travel Award Recipient
Washington DC, USA

Jian Li. Monash University, Australia

In vitro Pharmacodynamics (PD) of Colistin and Colistin Methanesulfonate (CMS) agaianst Acinetobacter baumannii

Ben Howden. Austin Health, Australia
Identification of a New Agar Dilution Screening Method for the Accurate Detection of Heterogenous-Vancomycin Intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (hVISA).

Sue Ballard. Austin Health, Australia
Correlating the Detection of vanB Genes in Faeces to the Presence of Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci (VRE): Interference by vanB containing Anaerobes

Ian Kay. Royal Perth Hospital, Australia
Performance of a Real-time Multiplex PCR Assay versus Culture for the Rapid Detection of vanA and vanB Genes Directly from Clinical Specimens