News Release

American Society for Microbiology honors Mohamed A. Karmali

Grant and Award Announcement

American Society for Microbiology

Washington, DC—February 10, 2009—The 2009 American Society for Microbiology (ASM) BD Award for Research in Clinical Microbiology is being presented to Mohamed A. Karmali, M.D., director-general of the Laboratory for Foodborne Zoonoses and Office of Biotechnology, Genomics, and Population Health, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ontario. Sponsored by BD Diagnostic Systems, this award recognizes a distinguished scientist for research accomplishments that form the foundation for important applications in clinical microbiology.

A Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, Dr. Karmali is honored for his groundbreaking research that has impacted clinical microbiology as well as gastroenterology, nephrology, infectious diseases, and epidemiology. His first influential work was in the 1970s on the newly recognized pathogen, Campylobacter jejuni in childhood enteritis. Subsequently, he reported the first demonstration of plasmid-mediated antibiotic resistance in this species and the development of a charcoal-based selective medium, "Karmali's medium," for isolating Campylobacter from feces. The New England Journal of Medicine published this landmark paper in 1987 which was the first perspective case-control study of Helicobacter pylori (known at that time as Campylobacter pylori) confirming the etiological relationship of antral gastritis and peptic ulcer in a pediatric population.

Dr. Karmali made a seminal, field-alerting, observation in the early 1980s, by identifying Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli as important human pathogens. This seminal observation dramatically changed our approach to diagnosing gastrointestinal infections worldwide, and to understanding, preventing, and treating the most severe complications of these infections, namely the hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).

Dr. Karmali received his MB ChB medical degree from the University of Glasgow Medical School and completing his residency at the University of Glasgow Teaching Hospitals, Scotland.

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The BD Award for Research in Clinical Microbiology will be presented during the 109th General Meeting of the ASM, May 17-21, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ASM is the world's oldest and largest life science organization and has more than 43,000 members worldwide. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences and promote the use of scientific knowledge for improved health and economic and environmental well-being.


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