Washington, DC—July 28, 2010—Carol Iversen, Ph.D., Microbiological and Molecular Analytics, Nestlé Research Centre, Lausanne, Switzerland, has been chosen by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) to receive a 2010 ICAAC Young Investigator Award for her work re-classifying the taxonomy of Enterobacter sakazakii, which lead to the creation of a new genus called Cronobacter. Sponsored by the ASM, this award recognizes an early career scientist for research excellence in microbiology and infectious diseases.
Dr. Iversen received her B.Sc. and Ph.D. from Nottingham Trent University, where she studied the emerging pathogen Enterobacter sakazakii. In collaboration with Patrick Druggan, Oxoid, United Kingdom, Dr. Iversen worked on the development of microbiological media to improve the detection and isolation of E. sakazakii. She then brought together a team of scientists from industry, academia, and government research institutes across Europe and the USA to clarify its taxonomic description. First named as a novel species in 1980 by Prof J.J. Farmer III, it was noted that these organisms displayed very heterogenous characteristics and probably represented multiple species. In 2008 it was determined that this was indeed the case and a new genus, Cronobacter, was named within the Enterobacteriaceae family to house the six species groups identified.
In 2008, Dr. Iversen led the organization of the 1st International Conference on Cronobacter from January 21st-23rd, 2009, which attracted more than 200 delegates. The conference brought together the leading Cronobacter researchers in academia, experts from the food industry, and regulatory professionals from around the world.
The ICAAC Young Investigator Award will be presented during ASM’s 50th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC), September 12-15, 2010 in Boston, MA. ASM is the world’s oldest and largest life science organization and has more than 40,000 members worldwide. ASM’s mission is to advance the microbiological sciences and promote the use of scientific knowledge for improved health, economic, and environmental well-being.