This Week in Microbiology

The TWiM team reviews the movie Jezebel, played against the background of the yellow fever epidemic of 1853 in New Orleans, and prokaryotic viperins, ancestors of the eukaryotic enzymes that synthesize antiviral molecules. Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Android , RSS , or by email. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode Jezebel (Wikipedia) Prokaryotic viper...

TWiM explores the use of a bacterial protein to make highly conductive microbial nanowires, and how modulin proteins seed the formation of amyloid, a key component of S. aureus biofilms. Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Android , RSS , or by email. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode Amyloid formation for S. aureus biofilms (eLife) Highly conductive microb...

Mark Martin returns to TWiM for a discussion of a predatory bacterium appropriately named Vampirococcus lugosii, and Elio reveals how bacteria can be used on the International Space Station to efficiently extract rare earth elements in microgravity. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode: Space Station biomining (Nat Comm) Reductive evolution in a predatory bacterium (bioRxiv) Music used...

In this episode of TWiM, control of Campylobacter in raw chicken by zinc oxide nanoparticles in packaging material, and Salmonella enterica genomes from a16th century epidemic in Mexico. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode: Zinc oxide nanoparticles in raw meat packing (Appl Env Micro) Campylobacter , an emerging foodborne pathogen (Emerg Inf Dis) Ancient bacterial DNA (Microb Genom) Sa...

In this episode of TWiM, the hidden biochemical diversity in soil-dwelling Actinobacteria that could lead to a second Golden Era of antibiotic discovery, and structures of glideosome components reveals the mechanism of gliding in apicomplexan parasites. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode: Cryptic or silent? (mBio) The Streptomyces chromosome (Ann Rev Gen) Engineering Nature's Medicine...

Ninecia and Chelsey, two of the founders of Black in Microbiology, join TWiM to discuss the goals of the organization, then we reveal survival of Deinococcus bacteria for 3 years in space, an experiment that addresses the panspermia hypothesis for interplanetary transfer of life. Guests:  Ninecia Scott and Chelsey Spriggs You can watch this episode at https://youtu.be/1o1hh0I4rio Subscribe to TWiM...

TWiM presents an episode for mycophiles: how bacteria disarm mushroom pathogens, and the role of the CARD9 protein in protective immunity against pulmonary cryptococcosis. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello , Elio Schaechter , Michael Schmidt and Michele Swanson Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode: Black in Microbiology How bacteria disarm mushroom pathogens (PNAS) A bacterial battleground (Sci...

TWiM presents two unusual microorganisms, Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae , heard by Elio in an episode of Doc Martin, and Roseomonas mucosa , which is being used to treat atopic dermatitis. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode: Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae Treating atopic dermatitis with R. mucosa (Sci Trans Med) Overview of sphingolipid metabolism (Adv Exp Med Biol) Lyme disease and othe...

The TWiM team explores how delivery of an enzyme into competitor cells leads to synthesis of (p)ppApp, depletion of ATP, deregulation of metabolic pathways, and cell death, and a refinement of our typical view of bacterial lag phase as a period of nonreplication. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello , Elio Schaechter , and Michael Schmidt Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode: Killing competitors b...

The TWiM team reveals the genetic mysteries of the Dead Sea Scrolls from sequencing of DNA, and 100 million year old living bacteria recovered from marine sediments. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello , Elio Schaechter , Michele Swanson and Michael Schmidt Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode: Elio's Memoirs Genetic mysteries of Dead Sea Scrolls (Cell) 100 million year old bacteria under the sea...

The TWiMmers explore detection of SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces in an ophthalmology examination room, the ability of stressed populations of Yersinia bacteria to survive antimicrobial treatment within host tissues, and how volatile organic chemicals produced by soil microbes attract arthropods which in turn disperse bacterial spores. Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Android...

Mark Martin joins TWiM to describe nano-sized parasitic bacteria that inhabit humans, and the construction of whole-cell biosensors for detecting arsenic in drinking water. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello , Elio Schaechter , and Michael Schmidt Guest: Mark O. Martin Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Android , RSS , or by email. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode...

TWiM reveals a potential mucus-busting weapon for patients with cystic fibrosis, and bacteria in the intestinal tract that can oxidize cholesterol, leading to lower levels of the lipid in blood. Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Android , RSS , or by email. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode Biofilm eradication with nitric oxide release (ACS Inf Dis) Pseud...

TWiM reveals that methane-producing bacteria might survive beneath the surface of Mars, and identification of a cytopathogenic toxin in a bacterium associated with preterm birth. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello , Elio Schaechter , Michele Swanson and Michael Schmidt Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode: Archaea could make methane on Mars (Sci Rep) Cytopathogenic toxin in bacterium associated...

The TWiM discusses eradicating racism in academia and STEM, and a peptide from commensal bacteria that protects skin from damage caused by MRSA Become a patron of TWiM Links for this episode: Responsibility in academic research Improving equity in faculty hiring (MBoC) #ShutDownSTEM Peptide protects skin from microbial damage (AAC) Agr phase variants in S. aureus (mBio) S. aureus quorum sensing sy...

The TWiM team explains how breathing can transmit SARS-CoV-2, and how lack of breathing leads to loss of mitochondria in a multicellular parasitic animal. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode: Reducing transmission of SARS-CoV-2 (Science) Why social distancing is important (NY Times) Parasite without mitochondria (PNAS) Letters read on TWiM 218 Music used on TWiM is composed and perform...

The TWiM team explains an experimental vaccine to prevent E. coli urinary tract infections, and the remarkable three-way symbiosis of narnaviruses, bacteria, and fungi. Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Android , RSS , or by email. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode Developing a vaccine for UTI (mBio) Narnaviruses and bacteria-fungal symbioses (ISME J) 20%...

The TWiM team discuses saliva as more sensitive for SARS-CoV-2 detection in COVID-19 patients than nasopharyngeal swab and how Mycobacterium tuberculosis sulfolipid-1 activates nociceptive neurons and induces cough. Links for this episode: Preventing the next pandemic (NY Times) COVID-19 treatment guidelines (NIH) Saliva sensitive for SARS-CoV-2 detection (medRxiv) A mycobacterial molecule provoke...

A ferret model for infection by SARS-CoV-2, and how Neolithization lead to emergence of a human bacterial pathogen. Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello , Elio Schaechter , Michele Swanson and Michael Schmidt Links for this episode: Infection and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in ferrets (Cell Host Micr) Neolithization led to emergence of Salmonella enterica (Nat Ecol Evol) Arnold Demain (Wikipedia) Music used...

Vincent, Elio and Michael reveal the ASM COVID-19 summit, and how Salmonella injects a protein into the cell to drive suppression of the immune response. ASM COVID-19 Summit Value of SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic testing (mBio) How SARS-CoV-2 is changing (nextstrain) Contribute to COVID-19 data Salmonella effector suppresses inflammation (Cell Host Micr) Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts , Google...

Vincent, Elio and Michael discuss the stability of human coronaviruses on surfaces and in aerosols, and peptidoglycan production by a mosaic consisting of a bacterium within a bacterium within an insect. Links for this episode: Human coronavirus 229E infectivity on common surfaces (mBio) Aerosol and surface stability of SARS-CoV-2 (medRxiv) Peptidoglycan synthesis by a insect-bacteria mosaic (Cell...

The TWiM team reviews the coronavirus outbreak that began in Wuhan, China, and the finding that an IRF deficiency underlies Whipple's disease.  2019-nCoV case tracking (JHU) Clinical features of infection with 2019-nCoV (Lancet) Early transmission dynamics of 2019-nCoV (NEJM) Isolation of 2019-nCoV (NEJM) TLR4 defect in Whipple's disease (eLife) Become a  Patron of TWiM ! Music used on TWiM is com...

The Fellowship of the TWiM reveal that colorectal cancer-associated microbiota are associated with higher numbers of methylated genes in colonic mucosa, and identification of metabolites needed by the fire blight disease bacterium for virulence in apples. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode: Colorectal cancer and the gut microbiome (PNAS) Fire blight (YouTube) Fire blight spreads north...

The Microbial Comrades present the oldest osteosynthesis in history, and how a small molecule produced by stressed bacteria is a warning signal that repels healthy populations to promote their survival. Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello , Elio Schaechter , Michele Swanson and  Michael Schmidt Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Android , RSS , or by email. Become a patron of TW...

The TWiM team reveals how ribosome modification resuscitates bacterial persister cells, and explain how a phage tail fiber protein exploits rotation of flagella to move towards the cell membrane. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode: Ribosome modification resuscitates persister cells (Environ Micro) Flagellotrophic phage targets host with tail fiber (Mol Micro) Hydrodynamics of phage mi...