Experts in infectious diseases and clinical microbiology, clinicians, microbiologists, researchers, and international healthcare professionals gathered at the event to share their knowledge, discuss the latest innovations, and explore research initiatives in microbiology.
Dr. Josette Najjar, Middle East and North Africa regional manager at the Mérieux Foundation, and Dr. Marianne Antar, the head biologist at the Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory in Beirut, attended the event and took part in major scientific sessions, including meetings of the ESCMID Study Group for Mycobacterial Infections (ESGMYC) and the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST).
Two posters were presented at the congress, highlighting tuberculosis research conducted in Lebanon:
One covered Dr. Antar’s doctoral thesis, supported by the Mérieux Foundation and carried out in collaboration with the specialized mycobacteriology laboratory at Hôpital Bichat (AP-HP, Paris): Mapping the diversity of tuberculosis in Lebanon: a pioneering baseline study using whole-genome sequencing.
This study will provide the first genomic overview of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains in Lebanon.
The second project, the result of a collaboration between the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health’s national tuberculosis control program (PNLT), the Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory, and the Mérieux Foundation, focused on the clinical management of follow-up calls by Xpert®️ MTB/RIF Ultra in suspected TB patients in Lebanon, a country with low tuberculosis prevalence.
It addresses the key challenges of diagnostic interpretation and clinical decision-making in low-incidence settings.
ESCMID Global 2025 was an opportunity to showcase Lebanon’s contribution to global tuberculosis research, interact with leading experts, and foster future collaborations.