Abstract
The phylum of Spirochetes forms an evolutionarily and structurally unique group of bacteria. Spirochetes are
ubiquitous in nature due to their ability to adapt and colonize a wide range of environments and hosts. This
diverse phylum includes pathogens associated with human and zoonotic diseases, such as Lyme disease,
relapsing fever borreliosis, periodontal diseases, syphilis, endemic trepanemotoses, leptospirosis and
dysentery. The global burden of spirochetal diseases, lyme disease, syphilis and leptospirosis in particular,
continues to increase annually due to a variety of factors, including climate changes. In addition, they
participate in polymicrobial infections and host-bacterial endosymbioses, and they are models for vector-borne,
environmental, and zoonotic infections. Due to the extreme divergence of spirochetes as compared to model
microorganisms and their fastidious nature, our knowledge about the general biology of spirochetes is still
limited. The Biology of Spirochetes GRC (BoS GRC) and the accompanying GRS (BoS GRS), which is
organized by and targeted to researchers in training, have been held every two years since 1994 and serve as
the only scientific meetings that bring together researchers who work on this structurally and taxonomically
unique phylum of bacteria. The 2024 BoS GRC and GRS programs have been designed to highlight the
diversity of research in spirochete biology and disease pathogenesis. Our first Aim is to promote presentation
and discussion of diverse and cutting-edge research on spirochete disease pathogenesis and spirochete
biology, including host interactions and defenses, immune evasion and persistence mechanisms, ecology and
evolution, and structural biology and physiology. Our second Aim is to promote career development for all
scientists studying spirochetes. To achieve these Aims, we have invited 37 speakers to the 2024 BoS GRC,
many of whom are first-time attendees and the majority of them have never been invited for talks at the GRC.
We have reserved thirteen speaking slots for “poster talks” that will be selected from the abstracts submitted by
attendees for poster presentations. The BoS GRS will include oral presentations, poster presentations, and
panel discussions focused on career options and on harassment in science. Outcomes of the harassment
discussion will be summarized in the BoS GRC. The BoS GRC will include a “Power Hour”, an informal
gathering for all meeting participants to address the challenges women and underrepresented minorities face
in science and to support their professional growth in science. Both the GRC and the GRS programs reflect the
diversity of the research and the scientists in the field, with strong representation of women and international
scientists as both speakers and discussion leaders. The vast majority of the major advances in spirochete
research during the past 20 years evolved from the discussions and collaborations fostered by the BoS GRC:
the 2024 conferences endeavor to continue this laudable trajectory.