During the 24th Biennial Congress of the International Organization of Mycoplasmology (IOM), held in Osaka (Japan) from 16 th to 20 th July 2023, Marco Bottinelli – veterinarian and researcher of the WOAH Reference Laboratory for Avian Mycoplasmosis at the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe) – was appointed vice-chair of the International Research Program on Comparative Mycoplasmology (IRPCM) committee of the IOM.
The IRPCM committee brings together international experts in all areas of mycoplasmology, and promotes international cooperation between microbiologists, clinicians, biochemists, entomologists, plant pathologists, veterinarians, and geneticists who deal with mycoplasmas. Its general objective is the advance and dissemination of knowledge on all aspects of microorganisms belonging to the taxonomic class Mollicutes, through the promotion of international scientific collaborations and the exchange of information, strains, and reagents.