NIAID-supported scientists and other investigators from around the world will present new findings and discuss ongoing tropical disease studies at the sixth annual meeting of the NIAID International Centers for Tropical Disease Research (ICTDR). The meeting takes place Monday, May 5 to Wednesday, May 7 at Lister Hill Auditorium (Building 38-A) on the main NIH campus in Bethesda, Md.

Scientists will address a broad spectrum of topics, from teasing out the genetic factors that influence susceptibility to infectious diseases, to tracing the molecular epidemiology of a tuberculosis epidemic, to using satellite imagery to predict outbreaks of cholera. The meeting will also feature recent studies of malaria, the mosquito-borne scourge that poses an increasingly urgent problem for Africa and other tropical regions.

To attend the meeting, receive a copy of the abstract book or pursue related stories, please call the NIAID Office of Communications at (301) 402-1663.

NIAID is a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIAID conducts and supports research to prevent, diagnose and treat illnesses such as HIV disease and other sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis, asthma and allergies. NIH is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

NIAID press releases, fact sheets and other materials are available on the Internet via the NIAID home page at http://www.niaid.nih.gov.