This Week in Microbiology

Latest Episodes:

176: Elio has lots of colanic acid May 17, 2018

Show notes

Vincent, Michael and Elio note the passing of Stanley Falkow, give E. coli an archaeal membrane, and show how the microbiome can make worms live longer.

Hosts:

Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, and Elio Schaechter.

Subscribe to TWiM (free) on iPhone, Android, RSS, or by email. You can also listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld app.

Become a patron of TWiM.

Links for this episode

Fecal transplants in the good old days (STC)
Stanley Falkow, 84
Loss of an old army buddy (STC)
Giving E. coli an archaeal membrane (PNAS)
Microbiome tunes host longevity (Cell)
Letters read on TWiM 176

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

175: Neomycin is antiviral May 02, 2018

Show notes

The TWiM team notes the passing of Allan Campbell, and explains how aminoglycoside antibiotics like neomycin enhance host resistance to viral infection.

Hosts:

Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, and Michele Swanson.

Subscribe to TWiM (free) on iPhone, Android, RSS, or by email. You can also listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld app.

Become a patron of TWiM.

Links for this episode:

Happy Birthday, Elio! (STC)
Allan Campbell, 88 (Stanford News)
Life in Science by Allan Campbell (Bacteriophage)
Aminoglycosides inhibit viral infection (Nat Micro)
Image credit
Letters read on TWiM 175

Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to twim@microbe.tv

174: A Gathering Typhoid Storm Apr 19, 2018

Show notes

The TWiMsters explain why untreatable typhoid fever might be on the way, and the evolution of fungal virulence in tropical frogs.

Hosts:

Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, and Elio Schaechter.

Subscribe to TWiM (free) on iPhone, Android, RSS, or by email. You can also listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld app.

Become a patron of TWiM.

Links for this episode

Extensively drug resistant Salmonella typhi (mBio)
A Gathering Storm (mBio)
Typhoid vaccine recommendations (CDC)
Changes in dynamics of frog fungal disease (Science)

Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to twim@microbe.tv

173: Gee whiz in style Mar 30, 2018

Show notes

The Masters of the Microbiological Universe discuss the humongouest fungus, and a commensal bacterium that protects against skin neoplasia.

Hosts:

Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Michele Swanson and Elio Schaechter.

Subscribe to TWiM (free) on iPhone, Android, RSS, or by email. You can also listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld app.

Become a patron of TWiM.

Links for this episode

Fertile prototaxites (Proc Royal Soc B)
The humongousest fungus (STC)
Commensal Staphylococcus protects against skin cancer (Sci Adv)
Letters read on TWiM 173

Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to twim@microbe.tv

172: Unfolding relaxases and soil malacidins Mar 15, 2018

Show notes

The TWiMmers discuss culture-independent discovery of malacidin antibiotics, and unfolding of relaxase during bacterial conjugation.

Hosts:

Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Michele Swanson and Elio Schaechter.

Subscribe to TWiM (free) on iPhone, Android, RSS, or by email. You can also listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld app.

Become a patron of TWiM.

Links for this episode

Malacidins from soils (Nat Micro)
Excellent antibiotic resistance threat report (CDC, pdf)
Jo Handelsman on Women's History Month (CBS)
Unfolding relaxase during bacterial conjugation (J Bact)
Letters read on TWiM 172

Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to twim@microbe.tv

171: If you give a bee a fungus Feb 22, 2018

Show notes

The TWiM team explores a stingless bee that requires a fungal steroid to pupate, and colonic biofilms containing tumorigenic bacteria in patients with colorectal polyps.

Hosts:

Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, and Elio Schaechter.

Subscribe to TWiM (free) on iPhone, Android, RSS, or by email. You can also listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld app.

Become a patron of TWiM.

Links for this episode

Bee larvae require fungal steroid to pupate (Sci Rep)
Biofilm refuge for tumorigenic bacteria (Science)
Letters read on TWiM 171

Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to twim@microbe.tv

170: Rats, lice, and nanoparticles Feb 08, 2018

Show notes

The TWiM team reveals that spread of plague was likely by human ectoparasites, not rats, and deconstruct a durable, broadly protective protein nanoparticle influenza virus vaccine.

Hosts:

Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Michele Swanson and Elio Schaechter.

Become a patron of TWiM.

Links for this episode

Ectoparasites and plague (PNAS)
SIR model for spread of disease (MAA)
Protein nanoparticle flu vaccines (Nat Commun)
Food washing (USDA)
Image credit
Letters read on TWiM 170

Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to twim@microbe.tv

169: Breatharian Bacteria Jan 23, 2018

Show notes

The cast of TWiM reveals how uropathogenic E. coli use a copper-binding protein to treat copper as a nutrient or a toxin, and Antarctic soil bacteria that survive on trace atmospheric gases.

Hosts:

Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Michele Swanson and Elio Schaechter.

Subscribe to TWiM (free) on iPhone, Android, RSS, or by email. You can also listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld app.

Become a patron of TWiM.

Links for this episode

Copper import in E. coli (Nat Chem Biol)
Conversion of OD to cells/ml for E. coli
Nutritional immunity with Jennifer Bomberger (TWiM#141)
Microbes live on atmospheric trace gases in Antarctic soil (Nature)
Antarctic terrestrial ecosystem (SciHub)
Hypolith (Wikipedia)
Breatharians (Broadly)
Image credit
Letters read on TWiM 169Letters read on TWiM 169

Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to twim@microbe.tv

TWiM #168: The lesser of two weevils Jan 05, 2018

Show notes

Dickson joins the TWiM team to discuss the nasal microbiota of dairy farmers, and attenuation of bacterial virulence by quorum sensing in the maize weevil.

Hosts:

Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, and Michele Swanson.

Guest: Dickson Despommier

Subscribe to TWiM (free) on iPhone, Android, RSS, or by email. You can also listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld app.

Become a patron of TWiM.

Links for this episode: