The 6th ESCMID Conference on Vaccines is taking place from 10 - 13 September 2025 in Lisbon, Portugal. The regular abstract submission period opened yesterday, and the organisers are accepting abstracts in all areas of vaccinology.

It is currently World Immunization Week and ESCMID believes that vaccines are one of humanity's greatest achievements and it is important that we keep progressing forward in this field. We encourage submissions that highlight innovative approaches, emerging technologies, and challenges in vaccine deployment, particularly in low-resource settings.

You can learn more about the topics being covered and how to submit your abstract on our website. The deadline to submit is 1 June 2025.

Science and Research

The ESCMID AMR Action Subcommittee took part in a global health resilience campaign which launched on Friday. Holger Rohde and Chantal Morel lend their voices bringing forward the importance of bringing science and policy together to combat antimicrobial resistance. The UN General Assembly’s decision to establish an independent scientific panel on antimicrobial resistance is an important step forward which ESCMID is looking forward to supporting however it can.

The WHO recently launched two landscape analyses regarding the diagnostics and treatment of invasive fungal diseases (IFDs). They explore what is currently available as well as the R&D pipeline of agents and tests to come. In this new video on the ESCMID YouTube Channel, Valeria Gigante (WHO AMR R&D lead) is joined by ESCMID President Robert Skov to give a brief introduction to the issue before participating in a roundtable discussion on the impact of these diseases and how important these landscape analyses are.

Education

As technology and bioinformatics advance, machine learning (ML) is becoming essential for improving diagnostic accuracy and efficiency, yet its potential remains underutilised in routine practice. This workshop bridges the gap between theory and application, providing hands-on experience while addressing key limitations and considerations in clinical environments. Join us and transform the future of diagnostics!

With new technology improving the speed and accuracy of infection detection, clear and consistent diagnostic methods are more important than ever. However, interpreting test results can be challenging, as they depend on the patient’s condition and the potential harm of the microorganism.

Join our course to develop practical skills in diagnosing and treating bacterial infections using a standardised approach. This training will help clinical microbiologists make more accurate decisions and enhance patient care.

Congress and Events

Late-breaker abstract submission for the 14th edition of the International Meeting on Microbial Epidemiological Markers (IMMEM XIV) will open next week on 5 May 2025.

You can learn more about the abstract topics that are being accepted and get information on the programme and additional activities on the website. Don’t miss this opportunity to join in the programme of one of ESCMID’s longest standing conferences.

Guidelines and Journals

ESCMID and the Healthcare Infection Society (HIS) are drafting the scope for our next joint guideline on the topic of environmental sampling to detect multidrug resistant bacteria and Clostridioides difficile for infection prevention and control purposes.

We are seeking stakeholder views on the topic areas and the scope that the guideline should cover. You can learn more and submit your comments on their website. The deadline to submit comments is 16 May 2025.

Safety of pertussis vaccination in pregnancy and effectiveness in infants: a Danish national cohort study 2019–2023

Short-course aminoglycosides as adjunctive treatment in adults with sepsis: a post-hoc analysis of a prematurely terminated cluster randomized trial