This Week in Microbiology

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TWiM 356: Nanopore to the bone May 28, 2026

Show notes

TWiM explains how Streptococcus mitis bacteriocins drive contact-dependent lysis of S. pneumoniae facilitating transformation, and microbial dominance in diabetic foot osteomyelitis determined with nanopore sequencing.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, and Michele Swanson

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Links for this episode

Streptococcus mitis bacteriocins drive contact-dependent lysis of S. pneumoniae (mBio)
Microbial dominance in diabetic foot osteomyelitis determined with nanopore sequencing (J Inf Dis)
Diabetic foot ulcer review (World J Clin Cases)
How nanopore sequencing works (YouTube)

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Music used on TWiM is by Ronald Jenkees.

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355: Bacteria Complete Your tRNA May 09, 2026

Show notes

TWiM explains how an enhanced domestication method allows for growth of uncultured bacteria, and identification of the oncogene SLC35F2 as is a high-specificity transporter for the micronutrients queuine and queuosine.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, and Michele Swanson. Guest: Mark O. Martin

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Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

Links for this episode

Domestication method for uncultured bacteria (ISME Comm)
Transporter for the micronutrients queuine and queuosine (PNAS)
How diet and microbiome can impact your health (UF blog)
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354: How a Gut Microbe Worsens Heart Disease Apr 24, 2026

Show notes

TWiM explains a candidate signature of health in the gut microbial community, and how an intestinal bacterium exacerbates cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Michele Swanson and Petra Levin.

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Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

Links for this episode

A candidate signature of health in the gut microbiome (Cell Host Microbe)
204,938 reference genomes from the human gut microbiome (Nat Biotech)
A human gut metagenome-assembled genome catalogue spanning 41 countries (Nat Micro)
A comprehensive ruminant microbial catalog (Gigascience)
Bacteroides acidifaciens exacerbates cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury (Cell Host Microbe)
The Great Ozempic Experiment (NY Times, paywall)
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353: Microbial Metabolism of Food Allergens Apr 11, 2026

Show notes

TWiM explains how to use microbes to enhance maize yield and reduce corn rootworm damage, and how the human microbiota modulates IgE-mediated reactions to foods through allergen metabolism.

Hosts: Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin, and Michele Swanson.

Guest: Mark O. Martin

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Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

Links for this episode

Harnessing Microbes for Crop Production (Phytobiome J)
Microbes take on corn rootworm (Science)
Microbial metabolism of food allergens (Cell Host Microbe)
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352: Microbial Gut Biosensors Mar 28, 2026

Show notes

TWiM reveals the archaeal roots of eukaryotic life, and a building a gut malabsorption biosensor with bacteria.

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Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

Links for this episode

The archaeal roots of eukaryotic life (PNAS)
Building a malabsorption biosensor (Cell)
Engineering gut biosensors with microbes (Nature)
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351: Resistance Reboot Mar 06, 2026

Show notes

TWiM discusses the use of bacteriophage-loaded microneedle patches for targeted and minimally disruptive foodborne pathogen decontamination, and a conjugal gene drive-like system that efficiently suppresses antibiotic resistance in bacteria.

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Links for this episode:

Bacteriophage-loaded microneedle patches for food (Sci Adv)
Gene drive to suppress antibiotic resistance (npj antimicrob and resistance)
CRISPR gene drives (Syntego)
Bier laboratory

Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

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350: TWiM Goes to College Feb 14, 2026

Show notes

Nancy and Maggie join TWiM to share how and why they created a freely available ebook of TWiM-based science literacy resources and classroom exercises that support teaching across key microbiology and molecular biology topics.

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Links for this episode:

Podcast annotation and resources in microbiology (Iowa State U)
Curriculum guidelines for undergraduate microbiology (ASM)

Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

Send your microbiology questions and comments to twim@microbe.tv

349: Punctured to Death by Spikes Feb 01, 2026

Show notes

TWiM explains how mechano-bactericidal surfaces made from diverse materials and patterned with spikes kill bacteria on contact, and virus-host evolution is reshaped by microgravity aboard the International Space Station.

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Links for this episode:

Mechano-Bactericidal Surfaces (Adv Sci)
Piercing pathogens (ASM)
Natural bactericidal surfaces (Small)
Virus-host evolution in microgravity (PLoS Biol)

Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

Send your microbiology questions and comments to twim@microbe.tv

348: The Bark Side of the Microbiome Jan 21, 2026

Show notes

TWiM explains the finding that owning a dog during adolescence alters the microbiota and improves mental health, and the molecular basis for multidrug efflux by an anaerobic-associated resistance-nodulation-cell division transporter.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Michele Swanson and Petra Levin.

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Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

Links for this episode

Dog ownership and the microbiome during adolescence (iScience)
Molecular basis for multidrug efflux (Nat Comm)
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347: At Wound's Edge Jan 05, 2026

Show notes

TWiM explains how S. aureus pathogenicity is a dynamic, niche-specific choreography that constantly recalibrates in response to the host microenvironment, and short chain fatty acids produced by commensal microbiota reduces its competitive fitness.

Hosts: Michael Schmidt, Michele Swanson and Petra Levin.

Guest: Mark O. Martin

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Links for this episode: