All participants are invited to submit abstracts on one of the topics listed below for presentation at the 22nd ECCMID.

Abstracts may only be submitted via internet. Late abstracts will not be considered. In order to standardise the abstract layout we ask you to read the preparation guidelines CAREFULLY! Avoid submission within 48 hours of the deadline for best system performance.

Deadline for abstract submission:

Monday, 14 November 2011

Guidelines for preparation and submission of abstracts:

ESCMID strongly support the improvements of reporting of study results. For this reason, all authors submitting randomised clinical trials (RCT), infection control intervention studies (including studies to improve compliance with interventions such as antibiotic stewardship, hand hygiene or care bundles), outbreak reports of nosocomial infection, and observational studies in epidemiology are kindly requested to consult the following abstract checklists (please click on the respective link to download the document) for reporting their research results:

• CONSORT (RCT)
• STROBE (observational study in epidemiology)
• ORION (infection control intervention study or nosocomial infection outbreak report)

Further information on these checklists is available if needed from www.equator-network.org

1. Abstracts may be submitted only via internet. Abstracts submitted via fax or email will not be accepted.
2. All abstracts must be submitted and presented in English using UK English spelling.
3. Abstracts must contain original material neither published nor presented elsewhere prior to 31 March 2012.
4. Please structure your abstract using the following headings:
   
   • Objectives
   • Methods
   • Results
   • Conclusion
5. The abstract text may not be longer than 2’500 characters, including spaces. Tables, charts and other graphics are permitted and must be in JPG or GIF format and of high resolution - a separate upload button is provided (max. 1 graphic per abstract).
6. Avoid complex mathematical formulae. For the symbols ≤ or ≥ type instead <= or >=. For superscript use caret (ˆ) e.g. 10ˆ6 instead of 10⁶. Do not use Greek letters and symbols. Instead of ‘IFN-γ’ use for example ‘IFN-g’ or ‘IFN-gamma’.
7. Spelling Guidelines: The International System of Units (SI) should be used wherever appropriate. Genus and species names should be written in full on first mention and then abbreviated on subsequent mention.
   The following general rules apply (examples in brackets):
   
   • Systematic names (genus, family and higher orders): capitalised (Chlamydia, Enterobacteriaceae, Picornaviridae). Italicising will be done by the editors.
   • Non-systematic names (e.g. plural): lower case (Group A streptococci, mycobacteria, chlamydiae).
   • Generic drug names: lower case (penicillin).
   • Brand names: capitalised with trademark symbol (Rocephin®).
   • Diseases and viruses: lower case (hepatitis, herpes zoster, herpesvirus, West Nile virus).
   • Please observe standard English grammar rules including a space after full stops and commas.
   • Only common abbreviations approved for use in CMI can be used without definition. For details consult the ESCMID website.
8. Authors should indicate their presentation preference:
   
   • poster only
   • oral or poster presentation
9. Authors are asked to enter 3 keywords to better define the abstract content.
10. After having submitted your abstract, you will receive a confirmation by email with your personal access codes (please make sure to state your correct email address!). Should you wish to make corrections to an abstract already submitted or if you wish to submit other abstracts later, you may use your personal access codes. Corrections to abstracts can only be made up to the deadline of 14 November 2011. If you do not receive a confirmation please contact the abstract hotline.
11. Abstracts will be subject to a blind peer review by at least 3 members of the Programme Committee and external experts.
12. Authors will be notified of acceptance by mid-January 2012 by email.
13. Abstract authors must register for the conference by 31 January 2012 or advise us of withdrawal by this date. Registration ensures publication. Authors with accepted abstracts are entitled to the early registration fee if registered before 31 January 2012.
14. If an abstract is accepted, the presenting author must attend the congress and present it in person. If a presenting author withdraws an abstract after 31 January 2012 or does not attend the session for which he or she has been scheduled, a penalty will incur prohibiting the author from presenting papers at the ECCMID meetings for a period of 3 years. Those subject to this penalty will be informed in writing.

If you have difficulties in submitting your abstracts or if you need any further information, please contact the Abstract hotline: Phone +41 61 686 77 22 (Monday – Friday during CET business hours).

Topics

Please carefully select the topic under which you wish to submit your abstract for review. Abstracts not submitted under an appropriate topic may be incorrectly reviewed and rejected.

Basic Science

1. Pathogenesis
2. Animal models including experimental treatment
3. Biofilms

Antimicrobials

4. Antimicrobial pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, pharmacogenomics, pharmacoeconomics and general pharmacology
5. Mechanisms of action and resistance
6. Resistance surveillance
7. Surveys of molecular epidemiology of resistance and resistance genes, strains or serotypes
8. In vitro antibacterial susceptibility and drug interaction studies
9. New antimicrobials
10. Epidemiology of MRSA, VRE and other Gram-positives
11. Epidemiology of MDR Gram-negatives
12. Antibiotic usage

Molecular Biology, including Diagnostics

13. Molecular bacteriology
14. Molecular virology
15. Molecular mycology
16. Molecular typing
17. Molecular biology - others

Diagnostics

18. Diagnostic/laboratory methods (other than molecular)
19. Methods for antibacterial susceptibility testing

Public Health

20. Public health and community-acquired infections
21. Emerging infectious diseases

Infection Control

22. Infection control
23. Clinical epidemiology of nosocomial infections

Travel medicine, tropical diseases and parasitology

   24. Travel medicine, tropical and parasitic diseases

Mycology

25. Resistance and mechanisms of action of antifungals
26. Fungal infections

Virology

27. AIDS and HIV infection
28. Hepatitis
29. Virology non-HIV/non-hepatitis

Clinical ID

30. Mycobacterial infections (including diagnosis)
31. Infections in the immunocompromised host and transplant recipients
32. Community-acquired infections including CAP, sepsis, STD, ...
33. Lyme borreliosis, toxoplasmosis
34. Antimicrobial clinical trials
35. Paediatric infections

Vaccines

36. Immunology, host defences, immunotherapy
37. Vaccines

Internet

38. Internet and electronic resources

Publication

All accepted abstracts will be published in the online library of Clinical Microbiology and Infection (CMI), the official journal of ESCMID, and on the congress website. No abstract book will be printed nor will CDs be produced. Please take advantage of the online meeting planner facility available before the congress. To this end, full abstract texts will be viewable on the congress website 10 days prior to the congress.

Presentation Format

Accepted abstracts are to be presented either as a poster or oral presentation. Additional abstracts may be accepted for inclusion in the “publication only” section. The final decision of the presentation format will be made by the Programme Committee. Full instructions concerning the preparation and presentation will be given in the acceptance email to be sent out mid-January 2012.

Deadline for Late Breaker Abstracts

Late-breaking abstracts containing new, outstanding and cutting-edge information that was not known or available before the general abstract submission deadline can be submitted up to 17 February 2012. A very limited number of abstracts will be accepted in this category. These abstracts will not be published in the CMI journal or Final Programme.

Please contact the Abstract Hotline for further submission details. Phone: +41 61 686 77 22