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The Young Belgian Society for Microbiology
The Young Belgian Society for Microbiology proudly celebrates International Microorganisms Day at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences on Open Monument Day, September 17th 2026.Venue: Rue Vautier 29, 1000 Brussels. The Young Belgian Society for Microbiology (YBSM) is part of The Belgian Society for Microbiology (BSM).
Académie royale de Médecine de Belgique – ARMB News N°1 (April 2026)
View the ARMB here. View the full issue in your browser here
A Look Back at the One Health Symposium (May 25–28, 2025, Brussels)
Professor Jacques Mahillon and Professor Etienne Thiry
For the Organizing Committee, respectively President and Secretary of the National Committee for Microbiology (NaCoMi) of the Royal Academies of Belgium.
The Palace of the Academies hosted, from May 25 to 28, 2025, a symposium entitled: One Health in Focus: Advancing Solutions to Antimicrobial Resistance, in conjunction with the second international conference on bacteriocins.
This event was organized by the National Committee for Microbiology (NaCoMi) and celebrated the 100th anniversary of the discovery of bacteriocins by André Gratia, a member of the Royal Academy of Medicine.
This meeting brought together approximately 140 experts to discuss the major challenges of antimicrobial resistance, focusing on:
- A One Health approach encompassing human, animal, and environmental health
- New technologies and innovations to combat antimicrobial resistance
- Regulatory and strategic challenges
Following two introductory presentations on the scientific and societal dimensions of this issue on Sunday, May 25, Monday was dedicated to the diverse aspects of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), in both human and animal health, as well as in agriculture, the environment, and food safety. Tuesday was devoted to presentations on current and future strategies being implemented to address these challenges. The final day focused more specifically on bacteriocins, in the context of the 2nd Bacteriocin International Conference (BIC2025). On this occasion, and as an introduction to the day, Prof. André Gratia's family was represented by six people, including one of his sons, Jean-Pierre Gratia, who honored us by sharing some memories and anecdotes about his father.
This symposium allowed participants to share expertise across research fields that are generally quite different (for example, agriculture and human health) but which face the same "AMR" challenges within a global health context. Furthermore, the presence of representatives from Belgian institutions (AMCRA, Sciensano), international organizations (EFSA, FAO, European Commission - DG HERA), and private companies added an important societal dimension to these meetings.Among the 44 speakers, 20 were non-Belgian (European or Canadian). Five young researchers also had the opportunity to present short talks on their recent research activities.
This conference benefited from several sponsors, both private and public, which ensured free participation for all speakers, as well as reimbursement of travel and accommodation expenses for international speakers. Finally, an online evaluation indicated a very high level of satisfaction among participants of this unique scientific and societal event.