This Week in Microbiology

Latest Episodes:

336: The Volatilome of Biofluids Jul 19, 2025

Show notes

TWiM explores the use of gas sensors and machine learning to identify microbes and antimicrobial resistance in clinical specimens, and how a harmful algal bloom species releases thiamin antivitamins to suppress competitors.

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Links for this episode:

Microbial and antimicrobial resistance diagnostics (Cell Biomaterials)
Thiamin antivitamins suppress algal competitors (mBio)

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

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335: Slip Slidin' Away Jul 04, 2025

Show notes

TWiM explains two strategies for bacterial competition for resources: by laying down a slippery lipid and pushing away competitors, or by breaking open cells with a spike, liberating essential nutrients.

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Links for this episode:

Secreting a slippery lipid (mBio)
Lysing neighboring cells for nutrients (Science)
Underwater hockey (YouTube

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

334: Fungal Smuggle Jun 20, 2025

Show notes

TWiM describes how microbiological analysis of the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn has revealed an antimicrobial resistance reservoir and bioremediation potential, and fungicide resistance in Fusarium graminearum, the fungus recently smuggled into the US.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, 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

Microbiology of the Gowanus Canal (J. Appl. Micro)
Microbes clean up Gowanus (BrooklynPaper)
Fungicide resistance in Fusarium (Pathogens)
Couple smuggles fungal pathogen into US (NBC)
Fusarium and wheat-management strategies (Pathogens)
Laboratory Biosafety (pdf)
NIH Biosafety (NIH)
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333: When Mutualists Murder Jun 07, 2025

Show notes

TWiM explains how a mutualistic model bacterium can become lethal in a non-symbiotic host, and engineering a kill switch into a tuberculosis vaccine for improved safety.

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

Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Android, RSS, or by email.

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

Links for this episode

When a mutualist becomes lethal (mBio)
A lasting symbiosis (Nat Rev Micro)
A kill switch for BCG (Nat Micro)
Engineering mycobacteria for vaccination (Nat Micro)
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332: Fibromyalgia Pain and the Gut Microbiome May 23, 2025

Show notes

TWiM explains a study of the unique and extreme microbial and chemical environment on the International Space Station, and the connection between the gut microbiome and pain in fibromyalgia.

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

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

Links for this episode

ISS chemical and microbial environment (Cell)
Gut microbiota and fibromyalgia pain (Neuron)
Gut pain eases after doses of gut microbes (Nature)
Skin innervation and fibromyalgia pain (Ann Neurol)
Altered microbiome in fibromyalgia (Pain)
Intestinal microbiome and fibromyalgia (Intl J Rheum Dis)
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331: Radar Love in Bacteria Apr 26, 2025

Show notes

TWiM describes isolation of a novel bacterial species isolated from the China Space Station, and how a chemical radar allows bacteria to detect and kill predators.

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

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

Niallia tiangongensis from the China Space Station (Int J Syst Evol Biol)
Bacterial chemical radar (Cell)
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330: More mouth Microbiology Apr 11, 2025

Show notes

TWiM explains how to recode E. coli so it uses only one stop codon, and an exploration of the mechanisms of bacterial adhesion within dental plaque.

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

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

Links for this episode

Engineering E. coli with one stop codon (Nature)
Bacterial adhesion in dental plaque (mBio)
Microbial complexes in subgingival plaque (J Clin Periodontol)
Bacterial clusters in periodontal and peri-implant diseases (Microorg)
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329: Bacteria Hunt With Grappling Hooks Mar 17, 2025

Show notes

TWiM explains Pasteur's relentless hunt for microbes in the air, and how bacteria hunt for prey by ixotrophy - using grappling hooks!

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

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

Links for this episode

Pasteur's hunt for microbes in the air (NYTimes)
Bacterial predation by ixotrophy (Science)
Enter the pirates (STC)
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328: Capturing Shigella With Filopodia Feb 28, 2025

Show notes

TWiM describes Shigella infection is facilitated by interaction of human enteric α-defensin 5 with a colonic epithelial receptor, and an amino acid change in RNA polymerase that leads to resistance to β-lactams by preventing dysregulation of amino acid and nucleotide metabolism

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

Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Android, RSS, or by email.

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

Links for this episode

National Black HIV/AIDS awareness day (CDC)
Shigella infection and human enteric alpha-defensin 5 (Nature Microbio)
RNA polymerase amino acid change and resistance to beta-lactams (Cell Rep)
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327: Freezing and Anti-Freezing With Bacteria Feb 06, 2025

Show notes

TWiM explains the remarkable abilities of bacterial ice nucleating proteins to promote freezing of water, and cryoprotective proteins produced by worm microbiomes that prevent freezing.

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

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

Links for this episode