This Week in Microbiology

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...

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello , Michele Swanson and Michael Schmidt Guests: Deanna Beatty , Mark Hay , Gina Lewin , Frank Stewart , and Marvin Whiteley At Georgia Tech, members and trainees of the Center for Microbial Dynamics and Infection discuss the identification of pathogen essential genes during coinfections, and how coral management can improve coral defenses against pathogens. Become a patron...

From ASM Microbe 2019 in San Francisco, Vincent speaks with Victoria McGovern, Carl Nathan, and Dan Portnoy about advancing human health through innovative collaborations. Host:  Vincent Racaniello Guests: Victoria McGovern , Carl Nathan , and Dan Portnoy Links for this episode: Getting grants (Virulence) N itric oxide synthase protects against tuberculosis (PNAS) Actin filaments and Listeria mono...

The TWiM holobionts pay tribute to Stuart Levy, and reveal the remarkably diverse array of cyclic nucleotides synthesized by bacteria that likely mediate interactions with animal and plant hosts. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode: Stuart Levy, Antibiotic Resistance Researcher, Dies Resistance fighter (The Scientist) Stuart Levy on TWiM 16 Stuart Levy on Meet the Scientist episode 17...

The tetracoccal TWiM team visits Tardigrades on the Moon, and the twelve year quest to isolate an archaeon that provides insights into the emergence of the first eukaryotic cell. Links for this episode: Tardigrades on the moon (Mashable) Meet the Tardigrade (WaPo) Archaeon at prokaryote-eukaryote interface (bioRxiv) Subscribe to TWiM (free) on  iTunes ,  Google Podcasts ,  Stitcher ,  Android ,  R...

Host:  Vincent Racaniello Guests: Nicholas Arpaia and Tal Danino Vincent meets up with Nick and Tal to explain how they engineered E. coli to lyse within tumors and deliver an antibody that causes tumor regression in mice. Links for this episode: Programmable bacteria induce tumor immunity (Nat Med) Synchronized cycles of bacterial lysis (Nature) TWiM Listener survey Subscribe to TWiM (free) on  i...

The TWiM team reveals thousands of small novel genes in the human microbiome, and a mutualistic symbiosis between marine protists covered with magnetosome-containing bacteria. Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello , Elio Schaechter , Michele Swanson and  Michael Schmidt Links for this episode Thousands of small novel genes in human microbiome (Cell) A magnetotactic consortium under the sea (Nat Micro) Image...

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello , Elio Schaechter , Michele Swanson and Michael Schmidt Guest: Julie Wolf Julie joins the TWiM team to reveal how microbiome and gut anatomy of a wood-feeding beetle promotes lignocellulose deconstruction, and bacteria that degrade PET plastic. How wood-feeding beetles deconstruct lignocellulose (PNAS) Meet the Microbiologist hosted by Julie Wolf Bacteria that degrade PET...

Mark Martin joins Vincent and Michael to present compelling papers suitable for teaching microbiology to undergraduate students. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode: Paradigm shifts, paradigm drifts ( pdf ) Introducing THOR (mBio) Engineering bacteriophages to treat mycobacterial infection (Nat Med) Biofilms by Colter (Int Microbiol) Life in a world without microbes (PLoS Biol) Reducti...

Vincent, Michele, and Michael travel to San Diego to reminisce with Elio about his career, his work in microbiology, and his love for microbes and mushrooms. VIDEO VERSION AVAILABLE : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Menlo1YvPko Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Android , RSS , or by email. Get the entire ASM Podcast Network via our Microbeworld app . Become a patron of...

From ASM Microbe 2019, the Microbials meet up with Susanna L. Harris and Alex Politis to talk about mental health in graduate school and NIH peer review. Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello , Michele Swanson and  Michael Schmidt Guests: Susanna L. Harris and Alex Politis Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Android , RSS , or by email.   Get the entire ASM Podcast Network via our...

The TWiM team presents an extracellular bacterium associated with Paramecium , and induction of antiviral immunity by a bacteriophage that prevents bacterial clearance. Subscribe to TWiM (free) on  iTunes ,  Google Podcasts ,  Stitcher ,  Android ,  RSS , or by  email.  You can also listen on your mobile device with the  Microbeworld app . Become a  Patron of TWiM ! Bacteria on the outside of para...

The Microbials reveal how a chemosynthetic symbiont stores energy for its marine flatworm host, and extraction of nutrients from host cells by E. coli injectisome components. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode: Take the TWiM listener survey Bacteria store energy for gutless worms (PNAS) Paracatenula on TWiM #21 E. coli extracts nutrients from host cells (Cell) Image credit Music used...

The Microbials discuss how ambrosia beetles utilize ethanol to farm fungi, and how cleaved cochlin protein sequesters bacteria in the inner ear to preserve hearing function. Links for this episode: Ambrosia beetles, ethanol, and farmed fungi (PNAS) Cleaved cochlin protects the inner ear (Cell Host Microbe) Importance of flossing (ADA) Subscribe to TWiM (free) on  iTunes ,  Google Podcasts ,  Stitc...

Michael and Vincent discuss the finding of immunity to Cas9 protein in humans, and a potential role for an oral bacterium in Alzheimer's disease. Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Android , RSS , or by email. Get the entire ASM Podcast Network via our Microbeworld app . Become a patron   of TWiM. Links for this episode Immunity to Cas9 protein in humans   (Nat Med) P....

Vincent Racaniello ,  Michael Schmidt , Michele Swanson and Elio Schaechter How a bacterium helps dengue virus replicate in the mosquito gut, and minicells as a damage disposal mechanism in E. coli. Become a patron of TWiM. Links: Please take the TWiM listener survey Bacteria help dengue virus in mosquito gu t (Cell Host Micr) Fungus helps dengue virus in mosquito gut ( TWiV 479 ) Minicells for di...

The TWiM team explore how Lactobacillus reuteri can rescue social deficits in three mouse models of autism spectrum disorder, and the role of Salmonella persisters in undermining host defenses during antibiotic treatment. Subscribe to TWiM (free) on  iTunes ,  Google Podcasts ,  Stitcher ,  Android ,  RSS , or by  email.   Become a  Patron of TWiM ! Please take the TWiM listener survey Bacteria al...

The TWiM team reveals an extremely low rate of mutation in a 2500 year old, 185 acre fungus in Michigan, and how a host-produced quorum sensing autoinducer controls the phage switch between lysis and lysogeny. Please take the TWiM listener survey Vote for NJ State Microbe Huge fungus is 2500 years old (Proc Roy Soc B) Humongous fungus (Wikipedia) Host-produced autoinducer controls phage (Cell) The...

The TWiM team reveals the oldest human plague from 4,900 years ago in Sweden, and engineering E. coli to become an endosymbiont in yeast, modeling the evolution of mitochondria. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello , Elio Schaechter ,   Michael Schmidt ,   and Michele Swanson Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Android , RSS , or by email. Get the entire ASM Podcast Network via our...