Microbe Talk

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Mosquito Saliva and its Enhancing Effect on Arboviruses Dec 13, 2019

Show notes

Anyone who’s been enjoying the sun on a nice summers evening knows the dreaded whine made by mosquitoes on the hunt for a meal. In recent years mosquitoes have been appearing in the news more and more due outbreaks of diseases such as dengue and zika. As if getting bitten by a mosquito wasn’t bad enough, if it is carrying the arbovirus, the saliva causing the annoying itchy bumps is actually helping the arbovirus infect you.
On this month’s episode, Matt talks to Daniella Lefteri, finalist of the 2019 Young Microbiologist of the Year. Daniella is researching the enhancing effect of this saliva and how it might be able to help in the growing arbovirus problem.
To find out more about Daniella and her research, read her interview with us on our blog: https://microbiologysociety.org/blog/meet-the-young-microbiologist-of-the-year-finalists-daniella-lefteri.html

The role of microbes in cancer Oct 18, 2019

Show notes

In this month’s episode of the podcast, Laura speaks with two experts on the relationship with certain microbes and cancer: Professor Paul Farrell, of Imperial College London, and Dr Karen Robinson, from the University of Nottingham.
Paul Farrell: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/p.farrell
Karen Robinson: https://nddcbru.org.uk/team/dr-karen-robinson
Find out more about the relationship between Epstein-Barr Virus and Cancer in Paul’s review: https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-pathmechdis-012418-013023?journalCode=pathmechdis
Research in the Journal of Medical Microbiology investigated how the gut microbiota could be used to predict whether you are likely to develop cancer: https://doi.org/10.1099/jmm.0.001049

Microbe Talk - Flu Review Feb 14, 2019

Show notes

In 2018, influenza made headlines, with the 2017/18 flu season heralded on of the 'worst ever' for the National Health Service with the highest number of influenza-related hospital admissions since 2010. This flu season has been markedly different. But why is there so much variation?
This month, we spoke with Dr John McCauley, Director of the World Health Organization's Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, at the Francis Crick Institute, and Dr Othmar Engelhardt, Principal Scientist in the Division of Virology at the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control. In this episode, we discuss how different subtypes and strains of influenza can have different effects in the population, and how microbiologists are working on preparing vaccines for the upcoming flu season.
For more information about influenza, why not read our blog Déjà flu: can science help the NHS cope with the annual burden of respiratory infections? from the Hot Topic lecture at the Microbiology Society Annual Conference 2018: https://microbiologysociety.org/blog/d-j-flu-can-science-help-the-nhs-cope-with-the-annual-burden-of-respiratory-infections.html

Human papillomavirus in Malawi Sep 25, 2017

Show notes

Malawi, in Sub-Saharan Africa, has the highest incidence and mortality of cervical cancer in the world. Nearly all cases of cervical cancer are caused by human papillomavirus, or HPV.
Earlier this year, the Microbiology Society funded one of our members, Dr Ramya Bhatia, to travel to Malawi as part of a research collaboration between Nkhoma Hospital and the University of Edinburgh.
In this podcast, Ramya talks to us about her time in Malawi, and Nkhoma's highly successful cervical cancer screening programme.
Image credit: Derek Brumby/Thinkstock

Microbiome Research – Opportunity or Over-hype? Aug 30, 2017

Show notes

This month, we’re bringing you a real highlight from our Annual Conference in Edinburgh: a live discussion about the state of microbiome research.
A panel of experts gave their views on whether microbiome research is an opportunity, or whether it’s been over-hyped.
It was a really lively event with a great audience, and it was chaired by our very own Dr Benjamin Thompson.
Panelists:
Prof Julian Marchesi, Imperial College London
Prof Jim Prosser, University of Aberdeen
Dr Lindsay Hall, University of East Anglia
Dr Thorunn Helgason, University of York

Good Germs, Bad Germs Jul 26, 2017

Show notes

Have you ever wondered about the kinds of microbes that are present in your kitchen? In the fruit bowl or the fridge, on your chopping boards or cleaning cloths?
Good Germs Bad Germs is a citizen science project from the University of Oxford, allowing people to experiment on the microbial life in their kitchens and to visualise the results.
This month, we went to Oxford to visit one of the households taking part in the project, and spoke to researchers Dr Jamie Larimer and Dr Beth Greenhough about they've found.
More information at www.goodgerms.org
Images courtesy of the researchers

Microbes In The Deep Dark Ocean Jan 30, 2017

Show notes

What’s it like to travel right down to the bottom of the ocean?
Deep sea microbiologist Julie Huber should know. Her group, at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Massachusetts, USA, is trying to uncover more about the microbes living in the deepest darkest depths of the ocean. But that’s not all – there are even microbes living thousands of metres beneath the ocean floor itself, within the rocks and sediment.
This is an environment that couldn’t be more different to our world on land – no light, huge pressures, underwater volcanoes and hardly any nutrients. So what kind of microbes do we see living there, and how do they manage to make a living?
Image credit: NOAA Submarine Ring of Fire 2006
Music: Sacred Motion by staRpauSe

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