This Week in Microbiology

TWiM describes Shigella infection 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, Michele Swanson, and Petra Levin

Right click to download TWiM #328 (86 MB .mp3, 60 minutes)

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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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Music used on TWiM is by Ronald Jenkees.

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TWiM 327: Freezing and anti-freezing with bacteria

February 22, 2025

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, Michele Swanson, and Petra Levin

Right click to download TWiM #327 (86 MB .mp3, 60 minutes)

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Links for this episode

Worm microbiomes produce crytoprotective proteins (Sci Adv)
Biological antifreeze in Antarctic fishes (Sciece)
Enhancement of bacterial ice nucleators (PNAS)

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Music used on TWiM is by Ronald Jenkees.

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TWiM 326: I have one word for you: PETase!

January 29, 2025

TWiM explores the discovery of microbial enzymes, PETases, that can degrade ubiquitous plastics, and how exogenous peptidoglycan is a danger signal to trigger biofilm formation.

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

Guest: Mark O. Martin

Right click to download TWiM #326 (86 MB .mp3, 60 minutes)

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

Links for this episode

Discovery of PET depolymerases (Science)
Exogenous peptidoglycan triggers biofilm formation (Nat Micro)
What is a biofilm? (Vimeo)
Peptidoglycan as a PAMP/MAMP (Immunol Rev)
Light organ formation triggered by peptidoglycan (Science)

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Music used on TWiM is by Ronald Jenkees.

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

TWiM 325: Microbes making methane

January 13, 2025

TWiM reveals that record high atmospheric methane growth has been driven by microbes, and the cecum as an adaptive niche for Salmonella typhi.

Hosts: Michael Schmidt, Michele Swanson, and Petra Levin

Right click to download TWiM #325 (86 MB .mp3, 60 minutes)

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

Links for this episode

Why a potent greenhouse gas is rising (WaPo)
Microbial emissions drove record high atmospheric methane growth (PNAS)
Salmonella biofilm formation in the cecum (mBio)
Typhoid Mary (The Collector)

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Music used on TWiM is by Ronald Jenkees.

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

TWiM 324: Back to school for TWiM

December 27, 2024

From ASM CUE, the conference on undergraduate education, TWiM speaks with Becky, Melanie, and Katriana about their careers and how they use TWiM in undergraduate microbiology education.

Hosts: Michael Schmidt and Mark O. Martin

Guests: Becky Seipel-Thiemann, Melanie Melendrez-Vallard, and Katriana Popichak

Right click to download TWiM #324 (86 MB .mp3, 60 minutes)

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

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Music used on TWiM is by Ronald Jenkees.

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

TWiM 323: Better concrete with microbes

December 14, 2024

TWiM describes how to make concrete more ‘green’ by using microbes, and bacterial bioluminescence as an important regulator of multitrophic interactions in the soil.

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

Right click to download TWiM #323 (86 MB .mp3, 60 minutes)

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Links for this episode:

Construction nanobiotechnology for concrete (Appl Env Micro)
Self-healing concrete (Sci Tot Environ)
Microbe-inspired self-healing concrete (Front Struct Civil Eng)
Bacterial bioluminescence regulates multitrophic interactions in the soil (Cell Rep)

Music used on TWiM is by Ronald Jenkees.

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

TWiM 322: Photohydrolysis Decontamination Reduces Healthcare-associated Infections

November 22, 2024

TWiM explains how ticagrelor alters the membrane of S. aureus and enhances the activity of vancomycin and daptomycin without eliciting cross-resistance, and the development of a novel continuous disinfectant technology that decreases healthcare-associated infections in ICUs by 70%.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, and Michele Swanson

Right click to download TWiM #322 (39 MB .mp3, 53 minutes)

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Links for this episode:

Ticagrelor and S. aureus (mBio)
Novel disinfectant technology (Am J Inf Control)
UVC-LED to inactivate foodborne pathogens (Appl Envir Micro)
UV disinfection systems (ACS Photonics)
High-touch surfaces in specialized patient care area (CDC)

Music used on TWiM is by Ronald Jenkees.

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

TWiM 321: The microbes in your food

November 8, 2024

TWiM focuses on recent foodborne outbreaks of bacterial infections, and how nanopore sequencing technology can be used to identify pathogenic microbes and antimicrobial resistance genes in food products.

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