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Chlamydia basic research society.

Report of the 1st biennial conference, Memphis 2003.

Conclusions

The organisers of the Society (Gerry Byrne, Pris Wyrick, Roger Rank and others) are to be congratulated on perceiving the need for a Chlamydia basic research society and for putting together such an excellent meeting. The meeting organizers included Ming Tan (day 1), Judy Whittum Hudson, Harlan Caldwell and others. This writer has attended most chlamydial meetings since 1982 (Lund). This was the most memorable of chlamydial meetings scientifically although at a social and touristic level it was not able to compete with the Renaissance Palazzos banquets and John Treharne frescoes of the 1988 European Chlamydia society meeting in Bologna. The underlying structure is sound. This is a properly organized society with a sensible, democratic and open constitution. A key decision was that of keeping the meeting cheap and informal, so that graduate students and postdocs, key elements of any active research laboratory were able to attend, which they did. It was a real pleasure to meet whole laboratories and not just the figure heads! At other chlamydial meetings the interface between basic and clinical chlamydial research is well catered for. Here there was the luxury of being able to focus almost entirely on cellular and genetic mechanisms without having to spend too much time on explanations. A number of persons commented to the writer that it would have been valuable to have had abstracts of the contributions available on the web pre and post the meeting. This would have been particularly helpful in ensuring that the posters received the attention they undoubtedly deserved.

The meeting attracted far more international participants than was probably originally envisaged. This lead to the suggestion by the writer at the business meeting that there might be a case for expanding the representative ness of the Society council. Much to my embarrassment this lead to my own name being nominated. [ I should learn to keep my mouth shut!] An election is to be held in the democratic spirit of this society.

Memphis, with its central location  was an excellent communication hub for the meeting, though once the fame of this meeting spreads the organisers will undoubtedly have to plan for a venue of some 350 next time. [Must admit though that I have never had to have my shoes X-rayed before on leaving a plane. Maybe it was because I came direct from that dubious continent Europe].  Memphis is an attractive and spacious city and its most famous citizen is of course Elvis Presley, see below.

Fig 1. Americans do things on a big scale. A tug pushing 28 barges on the Mississippi River by the bridge between Tennessee and Arkansas. All these pictures © Michael Ward, 2003.	Fig 2. Mississippi river skyline of Memphis. Note the Mississippi River rear wheel paddle steamers and the parched grass! In two days the temperature ranged from 2C to 19C.	Fig 3. Elvis's art noveau television room at Gracelands. Note classic yellow and black colour scheme.	Fig 4. Elvis's cellar pool room at Gracelands. Another classic decor.
Fig 5. Elvis's home, Gracelands, near Memphis airport.	Fig 6. The lobby of the Peabody Hotel, Memphis, one of the most gracious southern hotels.	Fig 7. Floral display atop the fountain in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel, Memphis	Fig 8. The famous Peabody hotel ducks. Brought down in a lift at 9 am they waddle over a red carpet to the fountain, then graciously retire over the same red carpet to their penthouse suite at 5 pm, to the amusement of adults and children alike.

[MEW] 20th March 2003.