Flavobacterium 2018 in Nara, JAPAN
on November 27-29, 2018

Flavobacterium 2018

The 5th International Conference of Members of the Genus Flavobacterium 'Flavobacterium 2018' will be held at the Tōdaiji museum in Nara, Japan on November 27-29, 2018.

This conference will follow previous successful conferences on the same topic that took place in Shepherdstown (WV, USA) in 2007, Paris (France) in 2009, Turku (Finland) in 2012 and Auburn (AL, USA) in 2015. Though primarily focused of the fish-pathogenic Flavobacterium, Chryseobacterium and Tenacibaculum species, the conference also welcome communications dealing with the environmental members of these and related genera.

Objective and brief description of the conference

Bacteria of the genus Flavobacterium cause diseases in freshwater / seawater cultured fish, especially salmonid fish, all over the world, therefore impairing the human food supply. Nevertheless, effective control procedures have not been established yet on a large scale. The closely related flavobacteria of the genera Tenacibaculum and Chryseobacterium will also be considered, since they contain a number of fish-associated or fish-pathogenic species.

This international conference will cover all aspects of Flavobacterium and allied bacteria, i.e. pathogenicity, host-pathogen interaction, physiology, ecology, epidemiology, classification, diversity, genomics, evolution, drug resistance, prevention, vaccine, detection and diagnosis methods, development of disease resistant fish, etc.

Participants from all over the world with a variety of backgrounds will come from universities, national research institutes, government agencies, aquaculture food and medicine companies, fisheries, etc. They will be able to share the latest research results, discuss and possibly make proposal to the administration to help solve some of the problems caused by these bacteria to the fish farming industry. We expect that outcomes of the plenary sessions will have a major impact on aquaculture research and policy decision in each country.

Welcome to Flavobacterium 2018 in Nara, Japan

Nara is the historic and spiritual center of Japan, where Buddhism first flourished, and the first capital city built over 1300 years ago. Close to Kyoto and Osaka and quickly accessible by train, Nara is a living history book, full of World Heritage sites and well-preserved temples and shrines. Much of Nara region is still semi-rural, dotted with picturesque villages, where life follows the rhythms of the seasons.

Flavobacterium 2018 will be held at the Tōdaiji museum in Nara park that extends across an area of 660 hectares, and is regarded as an historic site of unparalleled natural beauty, with magnificent trees and lush greenery. It encompasses major temples and shrines, including Tōdaiji Temple, Kohfukuji Temple and Kasugataisha Shrine, as well as other cultural institutions such as Nara National Museum and the Shosoin Repository. Nara Park represents the heritage area of Nara city, an environment composed of temple halls, pagodas, abundant trees and verdant lawns, a combination of the Daibutsuden (Great Buddha Hall), greenery and free-roaming deer.