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E. Coli and Cocaine Addiction With Vanessa Sperandio, Ph.D.

August 25, 2026 | Podcasts

Vanessa Sperandio, Ph.D., describes how E. coli metabolism of glycine in the gut increases addiction to cocaine, how her lab discovered that NE signals through E. coli quorum sensing receptors, how peer review rejection can indicate a novel discovery, how the plasticity of the E. coli pan-genome can lead to rapid and dangerous outbreaks, how treatment of E. coli infections with antibiotics is problematic, how Wisconsin is a great place to study microbiology and her vision for the American Academy of Microbiology.

You Gotta Be Squid-ding Me!

July 06, 2026

The symbiotic relationship between Ned Ruby's lab, who focus primarily on the bacteria, Vibrio fischeri and Margaret McFall-Ngai's lab, who focus primarily on the bobtail squid, has led to a deep understanding of what symbiosis really means at the molecular level.

How Microbiology Is Evolving: Insights from �� Leadership and Researchers

January 16, 2026 | Podcasts

microTalk, recorded live at �� Microbe 2025, examines the current trajectory and future direction of microbiology.

Weed My Lips: Cannabis Viroids with Dr. Zamir Punja

January 24, 2025 | Podcasts

How viroids only infect plants, how a viroid stunts the growth and potency of cannabis plants, where viroids may have come from, why agricultural practices may enhance the spread of the cannabis viroid, and how “beneficial” biological approaches may protect cannabis from infectious agents.

Archaea for Me-a With Dr. Alexandre Bisson

December 02, 2024 | Podcasts

Dr. Alex Bisson discusses how Archaea are able to shape-shift, grow at extremely high salt concentrations, cope with being “squishy” and are able to desalinate soil to allow trees to grow.

Eradication of the Guinea Worm with Adam Weiss

July 11, 2024 | Podcasts

Adam Weiss of The Carter Center discusses the imminent extinction of guinea worm disease.

CHARMing the Superbugs with Dr. Victor Nizet

May 09, 2024 | Podcasts

How repurposing therapeutic drugs could help fight antimicrobial resistance, how taking advantage of host immune responses can enhance the treatment of infectious diseases, how the success of modern medicine is training some bacteria to become pathogenic, and how nanobots made from algae can be used to treat difficult infections.

300 Days in Space with Astronaut Dr. Kate Rubins

March 08, 2024 | Podcasts

Astronaut Dr. Kate Rubins on what it felt like the first time she saw the earth from space, some of the difficulties in performing research without gravity, how to study the microbiome of the ISS, how the international inhabitants of the ISS communicate with each other, and the spur-of-the-moment event that led to her becoming an astronaut.

Gut on a Chip: Human Gastrointestinal Organoids with Dr. Hyun Jung Kim

January 12, 2024 | Podcasts

How common immortalized cultured cells can differentiate and form something that resembles a gut-on-a-chip, how these guts-on-a-chip can be used to study diseases like inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer, how the addition of a microbiome to the gut-on-a-chip allows the bacteria to retain diversity unlike in a test tube, and how the gut-on-a-chip could be valuable for personalized medicine.

Plague, Anthrax, and ��, Oh My!

October 17, 2023 | Podcasts

The differences between bubonic and pneumonic plague, why Klebsiella pneumoniae poses a growing health threat, why significant scientific progress was made following the anthrax attacks of 2001, why gardeners shouldn’t worry about catching anthrax and a vision for �� and the role it plays in microbiological research and society.

Microbes to the Rescue! Bioremediation with Dr. John Coates

August 04, 2023 | Podcasts

How microbes drive the iodine cycle on earth, how sequencing microbes in the oceans has been beneficial for identifying novel biochemical activities, and how climate change is affecting research into the “bioeconomy".

The Evolution Revolution with Dr. Vaughn Cooper

July 07, 2023 | Podcasts

The power of next generation sequencing for the study of evolution, how mutation rates affect evolution, how providing hands-on evolution experiments to high school students can stimulate the next generation of scientists, how scientists need to work to combat public distrust of science, how antibiotic resistance evolves in the presence of immunodeficiency, and how his initial experience with baculoviruses hooked him into a lifelong study of evolution.

Adversary o’ Malaria with Dr. Debopam Chakrabarti

May 16, 2023 | Podcasts

The history of the search for antimalarials, the problem of parasite drug resistance, how undergraduates can help to discover the next antimalarials, and whether eradication of mosquitoes will eliminate malaria

"Ex" Marks the Spot: Exosomes with Ramin Hakami

April 05, 2023 | Podcasts

How exosomes can deliver messages to cells, how Rift Valley Fever and Plague affect exosome signaling within infected hosts, how exosomes provide specificity and a “reply all” function to signaling.

Coxiella burnettii with Stacey Gilk

December 02, 2022 | Podcasts

Coxiella burnettii causes Q Fever, a zoonotic disease that is rarely acquired by humans

Chytridiomycosis: Amphibians and Fungal Disease with Anat Belasen

November 18, 2022 | Podcasts

How some amphibians are highly susceptible to Chytridiomycosis whereas others are resistant, why amphibian skin is so important for their well-being, how frogs can be considered a biological indicator of the health of an ecosystem.

The Largest Bacterium, Thiomargarita Magnifica, with Jean-Marie Volland

November 03, 2022 | Podcasts

The surprising properties of T. magnifica, why T. magnifica is found in mangrove swamps, and how it overcomes the limitations of nutrient diffusion that keeps most bacteria small.

Vibrio vulnificus (and other Vibrios) with Salvador Almagro-Moreno

October 14, 2022 | Podcasts

How Vibrios cause disease and how the environment can influence pathogenic traits that are advantageous inside of a host.

C. difficile with Vincent Young

September 22, 2022 | Podcasts

How Cdiff infections have increased over the past several decades, how fecal transplants have been wildly successful at treating recurrent Cdiff infections, how banking fecal samples can be beneficial

A Career in the Time of Cholera: A Discussion with �� Lifetime Achievement Award Winner John Mekalanos

July 26, 2022 | Podcasts

From the discovery and characterization of the regulon that controls V. cholerae virulence, to the identification of the pilus that allows the bacteria to colonize the intestine, to the discovery of the bacteriophage that encodes the cholera toxin. And Dr. Mekalanos' (relatively) recent discovery of the Type VI Secretion System and characterization of its role in inter-bacterial competition and host modulation has had broad impact on all aspects of microbiology.

Crypto Currency: Cryptosporidium with Boris Striepen

March 23, 2021 | Podcasts

How Cryptosporidium multiplies rapidly and has sex inside your intestines, how Cryptosporidium is similar to its cousin the malaria parasite, and how genetics can help in the search for new drugs.

The Chicken Runs: Campylobacter Diarrhea with David Hendrixson

June 17, 2020 | Podcasts

Why C. jejuni is preferentially found in chickens and other birds, how C. jejuni is also associated with the paralytic condition Guillain-Barre syndrome

The Eyes Have It: Corneal Infections with Eric Pearlman

April 15, 2020 | Podcasts

Our eyes are one of the most sensitive areas on our bodies, and they are constantly bathed in microbes, and yet we rarely get eye infections.

Cheese Please! The Cheese Microbiome with Rachel Dutton

April 03, 2020 | Podcasts

Different communities of microbes produce the wide variety of cheeses made around the world. Dr. Rachel Dutton is an Assistant Professor at the University of California San Diego who studies cheese microbiomes.

Fun(gus) in the Sun(gus): Fungal Infections with Neil Clancy

February 24, 2020 | Podcasts

Dr. Cornelius Clancy is an Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh and the Director of the XDR Pathogen Lab. Dr. Clancy talks about the clinical implications of fungal infections.

Tick Schtick: Lyme Disease with Tim Sellati

January 06, 2020 | Podcasts

How people can avoid Lyme Disease and what typically happens when someone is infected with Borrelia burdorferi.

The Rules of Attraction: Bacterial Magnetosomes with Arash Komeili

December 16, 2019 | Podcasts

How magnetotactic bacteria were discovered, how the earth’s magnetic field orients the bacteria in the aquatic environment, whether a Martian meteorite had bacterial magnetite in it, how bacterial magnetosomes can be exploited for targeting cancer cells, and whether bacterial magnetosomes could be used to generate energy.

TB or Not TB? That Is the Question… for Bill Jacobs

December 02, 2019 | Podcasts

The history of tuberculosis (“consumption”) in humans, how M. tuberculosis can hang out in the lungs for an entire lifetime, how slow growth is a bacterial strategy to avoid killing by antibiotics, and how growth in armadillos is required to study the closely related M. leprae.

Geezer Germs: Geriatric Bacteria with Steve Finkel

November 18, 2019 | Podcasts

How studying old bacteria gives insight into aging in other organisms, whether bacteria can divide forever, how bacteria choose not to divide unless they are certain they can finish dividing, how carbohydrate modifications in old bacteria can help illuminate diabetes, and how small differences in bacterial growth conditions can result in huge differences in bacterial physiology.

All Hail Females: Women in Science with Joan Bennett

November 07, 2019 | Podcasts

Joan Bennett, Ph.D., discusses how women’s scientific accomplishments have been frequently overlooked.

Biotechnology Ideology: Genomics Technologies with Joe DeRisi

October 21, 2019 | Podcasts

How genomics helped solve the mystery of dying leopard sharks in San Francisco bay, how a “virochip” array helped identify the SARS virus, how genomics can help identify unknown causes of encephalitis, how the sewer may hold the key to predicting infectious disease outbreaks, and how computational capabilities represent the current bottleneck to global benefit from genomics technologies

Undone by Fungi Again: The Mycobiome with Mahmoud Ghannoum

September 30, 2019 | Podcasts

How changes in the bacterial microbiome cause the fungi to overgrow and cause disease.

Lilliputian Evolution: Bacterial Evolution with Stanley Maloy

September 10, 2019 | Podcasts

How thinking about bacterial pathogens from the bug’s point of view provides new insight into pathogen evolution.

The Age of Phage: Phage Therapy with Graham Hatfull

August 19, 2019 | Podcasts

Hatfull talks about how the SEA-PHAGES program has allowed entering students at more than 100 colleges and universities around the country to discover thousands of new phages.

Urine Trouble: Urinary Tract Infections with Harry Mobley

August 05, 2019 | Podcasts

Why some people get recurrent UTIs, the amazing ability of P. mirabilis to swarm, how E. coli in the GI tract is a source of UTIs and what are the prospects of a vaccine against UTIs.

Vibri-Oh-No! - Flesh Eating Vibrios with Karla Satchell

July 22, 2019 | Podcasts

How people get infected with V. vulnificus and who is most at risk for catching the flesh eating disease.

Goodbye Guinea Worm: Guinea Worm Eradication with Adam Weiss

July 11, 2019 | Podcasts

The debilitating effects of guinea worm disease, how the worms seem to evade immunity, and how the guinea worm has been eradicated without vaccines or drugs but rather behavior modification.

Microbes in Hot Water: Climate Change with Sanghoon Kang

May 17, 2019 | Podcasts

Dr. Kang talks about impacts of climate change on infectious diseases.

Into the Matrix: Fungal Biofilms with David Andes

April 24, 2019 | Podcasts

Dr. Andes talks about the problem of fungal biofilms and antifungal resistance, how the biofilm matrix protects fungi from antifungals, the critical importance of developing new antifungals, and how mixing clinical duties and laboratory research is important for the advancement of fungal treatment.

Trivia About Chlamydia: Sexually Transmitted Disease with Mary Weber

March 28, 2019 | Podcasts

The difficulties of studying the unusual obligate intracellular bacterium, Chlamydia trachomatis.

Zebrafish in the Time of Cholera: Vibrio Cholerae with Brian Hammer

March 07, 2019 | Podcasts

Using zebrafish to study Vibrio cholerae within the gastrointestinal tract.

Urinary Commentary: UTIs and Proteus Mirabilis with Karine Gibbs

February 20, 2019 | Podcasts

How Proteus mirabilis interact with their neighbors using both a sword to kill adversaries as well as a handshake to communicate with friends, and how bacteria can recognize their own progeny and coordinate social behaviors.

The Scoop on Whoop: Bordetella with Jeff Miller

February 08, 2019 | Podcasts

Generating retroelements in Bordetella bacteriophages and how these allow tropism switching, why we still need to study Bordetella for vaccine research.

Tiptoe Through the Crypto: Cryptococcus with Paul de Figueiredo

January 16, 2019 | Podcasts

Dr. de Figueiredo talks about why AIDS patients are susceptible to infections by this fungus, how working with fruit flies can help in the fight against Cryptococcus, why the fungus is found in pigeon droppings, and his path from religious scholar to scientist.

Giant Viruses, Rickettsia, and Whipple, Oh My! A Discussion with Didier Raoult

January 03, 2019 | Podcasts

Dr. Raoult talks about what is special about giant viruses, how he found the bacterium that causes Whipple’s disease, and the challenges of trying to get uncultured bacteria like Rickettsia to grow in the lab.

Native Alaskan Perspectives in Microbiology with Kat Milligan-Myhre

December 18, 2018 | Podcasts

Dr. Kat Milligan-Myhre talks about the difficulty of maintaining her Native Alaskan cultural identity during her time in the “lower 48” studying microbiology, and why stickleback fish are a great model for understanding how the host shapes the microbiota.

Undone by Fungi: Mucormycosis with Ashraf Ibrahim

December 03, 2018 | Podcasts

Dr. Ibrahim talks about why Mucormycosis cases are increasing, why there are not very many treatment options, and what is the possibility of an immunotherapeutic to treat Mucor infections.

Bacterial-Driven Metamorphosis with Nick Shikuma

November 05, 2018 | Podcasts

How bacteria produce a harpoon-like factor called a tailicin that inject larvae with the correct stimulus to allow them to develop into tubeworms.

Public Health in the Time of Cholera: Enteric Disease Intervention with Christine Marie George

October 24, 2018 | Podcasts

How the drive to prevent cholera and other enteric diseases in Bangladesh led to increased exposure to arsenic.

Let’s Veto Mosquitoes: Malaria with Gunnar Mair

October 08, 2018 | Graduate-Student

Dr. Mair talks about why breaking the transmission cycle by focusing on mosquitoes will help reduce global malaria, how a multi-pronged approach is necessary to eradicate this disease, how public health efforts coordinating drug administration have been effective, and some of the hurdles that impede vaccine development.

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Interdisciplinary Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance and Innovation (IMARI) Abstracts Due Soon

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