Raquel S. Peixoto, Vice President of the International Society for Microbial Ecology (ISME), gave a keynote speech on "Microbial Ecology-Based Medicine to Rehabilitate Threatened Environments" at the closing of the ISME-Lat 23 conference.  The conference, which was held from August 7-10, was the third Latin American Congress of Microbial Ecology.

Peixoto discussed the potential of using microbial ecology to restore damaged ecosystems and pointed out that microbes play a vital role in the health of ecosystems, and that by understanding how microbial communities function we can develop interventions to help them recover from pollution, climate change, and other threats.

Prof Raquel highlighted several examples of how microbial ecology is being used to rehabilitate threatened environments and focused in specific on projects using microbes to restore coral reefs. With the intention to create a healthy environment for coral to grow, the use of Beneficial Microorganisms for Corals (BMCs) as coral probiotics is the first customized medicine to benefit coral’s health and has been already tested in situ, in reefs nearby KAUST, as a strategy to contribute to coral reef conservation, restoration, and rehabilitation efforts.

Prof Raquel's ‘Aula Magna’ generated a lot of interest in the potential of microbial ecology to rehabilitate threatened environments, especially as microbial ecology is becoming a rapidly growing field with the potential to make a significant impact on the environment and human health.

The conference was a success, and it helped to raise awareness of the importance of microbial ecology. In addition to Peixoto's keynote speech, the ISME-Lat 23 conference also featured sessions on a variety of topics related to microbial ecology, including, Microbial ecology of plants, Microbial ecology of food, Microbial ecology of animals, Microbial ecology of waters, Microbial ecology of soils, Human microbial ecology, Microbial ecology of phages & viruses.