Let's Talk Micro

Are you familiar with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Antimicrobial Laboratory Network( AR Lab Network)? How about the ThermoFisher Sensititre? In this episode, Amelia Bhatnagar from the CDC joins the podcast to talk about a study that was performed to evaluate the Sensititre GN7F panel. She discusses the study and explains to the listeners what the AR Lab Network is. Tune in t...

The next episode of the AMR series is here! In this episode Luis and Andrea are joined by Dr. Patrick McDaneld to discuss aminoglycosides. We go over mechanism of action, what drugs are part of this class, what organisms does it have activity against, and more. We invite you to check the CLSI M100 and get familiarized with it. Questions? Suggestions? Email those at letstalkmicro@outlook.com

The field of Microbiology continues to change. Organisms were primarily identified in the clinical laboratory by biochemical testing. Then MALDI-TOF came to the lab and was incorporated to the workflow. Now labs are bringing next-generation sequencing (NGS). What is NGS? How does it work? Have you heard of Nanopore technologies? In this episode Dr. Jose Alexander and Daniel Navas from Advent Healt...

Have you heard about Variovorax durovernensis ? The field of Microbiology is one that continues to change, sometimes at a fast pace. With MALDI-TOF and whole genome sequencing making rapid advances, we now learn more of existing organisms and discover novel ones. Tune in to learn about how this novel species was discovered, including the testing performed and the reason behind its name. Link to ar...

Are you familiar with the Manual of Clinical Microbiology (MCM)? If you work in a clinical microbiology laboratory you might be familiar with it. Last year the 13th edition was released. What content is in the MCM? Where is the information obtained from? What is new in this edition? Is it available online? Dr. Karen Carroll, one of the editors-in chief joins the podcast to discuss this important r...

It is 2024. Is your laboratory using current breakpoints? Are you familiar with the requirements? This episode features a collaboration with Breakpoints: The SIDP Podcast. In it I join the podcast along with two other guests to talk about those requirements among other things. Check out the Breakpoints podcast: https://sidp.pinecast.co More information on breakpoints toolkit: https://clsi.org/meet...

Originally published as episodes 36 and 37, in this episode I go over Streptococcus agalactiae . I discuss morphology, biochemicals, and testing among other things. What is the Lancefield group of this organism? What is the significance of this organism in neonates? Any organisms that morphologically resemble it? Tune in to find out.

Originally released as episode 53, in this episode I go over Enterococcus species. What are the most clinically significant species of Enterococcus ? Morphology? Biochemicals? Tune in to find out more about these organisms, and why are they so significant in healthcare settings.

Originally released as episode 58, in this episode I continue going over S. pneumoniae . This time I go over a popular antigen test. I also discuss molecular testing, including limitations and the importance of correlating the gram stain with the result. Also, have you heard of Streptococcus pseudopneumoniae ?

The AMR sub-series is back! Dr. Minkey Wungwattana joins Luis and Andrea in the podcast to talk about fluoroquinolones. What is the mechanism of action of this class of antimicrobials? What organisms do they have activity against? What about breakpoints for Salmonella ? Tune in to find out. Link to breakpoints episode that Andrea mentioned: https://rss.com/podcasts/letstalkmicro/475955/

This episode was originally published as episode 57. In it I go over Streptococcus pneumoniae : gram stain, morphology, diseases, and more. What is optochin? What is the bile solubility test? Tune in to find out.

This episode features a conversation with Lisa Parlich, an Infection Preventionist, with a background in Medical Laboratory Sciences. Lisa joins the podcast to talk about an order for urinalysis that was implemented in her hospital. This order is the Urinalysis with Hold order panel. Those of you that work in the laboratory might be familiar with the Urinalysis with reflex to culture order, where...

In this episode, Dr. Pei Zhou from the Duke University School of Medicine joins the podcast to talk about LPC-233. This is a compound that shows bactericidal activity against some gram-negative rods. LPC-233 is an LpxC inhibitor. What is LpxC? How does LPC-233 works? What are some challenges of developing LpxC inhibitors? Tune in to find out. Link to article: https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.a...

Originally released in 2021, in this episode I go over anaerobes. What are some examples of anaerobes? Why can't they grow aerobically ? What is a facultative anaerobe? Tune in to learn more.

In this episode I continue talking about MALDI-TOF MS. This time I go over the advantages and disadvantages. How has MALDI-TOF helped Clinical Microbiology? How does it compare to traditional identification methods and the workflow? What about disadvantages? Tune in to find out.

This episode features a collaboration with Jame and Callum from the ID:IOTS podcast. They are two infectious disease physicians that just like Let's Talk Micro, their goal is to share information and help educate the audience. We join forces to talk about the laboratory. We start by going over what a Medical laboratory Scientist does ( I talk about what I do). We also go over questions like what d...

Luego de un episodio introductorio , Luis y Maridaliz regresan nuevamente con un episodio para la serie en español . En este episodio discuten medios de cultivo. Qué son los medios de cultivo? Cómo estos medios ayudan a los microorganismos? Cuáles son selectivos? Cuáles son diferenciales? Sintonizen para aprender sobre estos medios, las condiciones que los microorganismos necesitan para crecer, y...

Following the webinar on MALDI-TOF MS, we think that now it is a good time to go over MALDI-TOF MS. This topic was discussed two years ago, but since there are new listeners, now is a good time to go over it again. Are you familiar with MALDI-TOF? How does it work? How does it help Clinical Microbiology? Tune in to find out.

This episode features a conversation with Dr. Caterina Miraglia, a professor from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Dr. Miraglia published a review article about Marburg viruses in 2019, in order to educate fellow Medical Laboratory Scientists about these type of viruses. What is Marburg virus? What is Marburg virus disease? Is there any treatment or prevention? Tune in to find out.

Let's Talk Micro fue creado con el objetivo de compartir información y aprender, enseñando todo de la manera mas simple posible. Siendo fiel a esa misión , hoy comienza una serie dentro del podcast para la población que habla español . Luis Plaza, el creador y animador del podcast, se une a la Dra. Maridaliz Rodriguez para hablar de microbiología . En este episodio Luis y Maridaliz hablan de su pr...

This is a short episode to update listeners about an upcoming sub-series in Spanish. Staying true to Let's Talk Micro's goal of sharing information and learning, this sub-series is meant to do that for the Spanish speaking audience. Episodes will be released about every five weeks on a different day as regular episodes.

This episode is the one that was recorded live from ID Week 2023 in Boston. In it I talk about my favorite posters, talks, and also about my experience as a first time attendee. This episode also features a short talk with Dr. Timothy Gauthier, a Pharmacist that spends time teaching about antibiotics via a blog and publications.

This is the second part of the interview with Dr. Joel Mortensen and his experience at a hospital in Guinea. In this episode he continues talking about training laboratory personnel and teaching essential things like quality control. He also talks about issues like supplies and electricity and future plans. Are you trained in hematology and chemistry and speak French? Are you interested in helping...

This episode features an interview with Dr. Joel Mortensen. He is the Director of the Diagnostic Infectious Diseases Testing Laboratory at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Dr. Mortensen volunteered to train laboratory personnel to perform microbiology testing at a pediatric hospital that was being built in Guinea, West Africa. Tune in to learn about this hospital, hear about his experience, the cha...

We have heard or recent cases of malaria in the United States. What better than to do an episode about it? Dr. Kenneth Gavina, from the Indiana University School of Medicine, joins the podcast to talk about it. Tune in to learn about its life cycle, transmission, prevention, its relationship to pregnancy, and more. Link to CDC's life cycle: https://www.cdc.gov/malaria/about/biology/index.html Link...