The past year in Clinical Microbiology, as seen through the lens of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology. Four JCM editors have each selected a paper they consider to be among the “best” we published in 2024. Of course there are no objective criteria for what makes a paper the “best.” So, by “best,” we mean “a paper that I find exciting.”

View this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK9ZqZUrDiY

• Patricia Simner, Ph.D., D(ABMM), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
• Romney Humphries, Ph.D., D(ABMM), M(ASCP), Vanderbilt University Medical Center

• Wood RC, Luabeya AK, Dragovich RB, Olson AM, Lochner KA, Weigel KM, Codsi R, Mulenga H, de Vos M, Kohli M, Penn-Nicholson A, Hatherill M, Cangelosi GA. 2024. Diagnostic accuracy of tongue swab testing on two automated tuberculosis diagnostic platforms, Cepheid Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra and Molbio Truenat MTB Ultima. J Clin Microbiol 62:e00019-24.
• Rodino KG, Luethy PM, Abbott AN, Bender JM, Eberly AR, Gitman M, Leber A, Dien Bard J, . 2024. Defining the value of medical microbiology consultation. J Clin Microbiol 62:e00359-24.
• Giske CG, Bressan M, Fiechter F, Hinic V, Mancini S, Nolte O, Egli A. 2024. GPT-4-based AI agents—the new expert system for detection of antimicrobial resistance mechanisms?. J Clin Microbiol 62:e00689-24.
• Bloomfield M, van der Werff K, Todd S, Bocacao M, Reed H, Balm M, Blackmore T. 2024. An exception-reporting approach for wound swab culture: effect on post-report antibiotic initiation. J Clin Microbiol 62:e00342-24.
• Join ASM for up to 50% off the publication fees when you publish in JCM or any of the ASM journals.
• Attend ASM Microbe

This episode of Editors in Conversation is brought to you by the Journal of Clinical Microbiology and hosted by JCM Editor in Chief, Alex McAdam and Dr. Elli Theel. JCM is available at https://jcm.asm.org and on https://twitter.com/JClinMicro. Visit journals.asm.org/journal/jcm to read articles and/or submit a manuscript.

Follow JCM on Twitter/𝕏 via @JClinMicro

2024 was a very active year on research in antimicrobial resistance, highlighted by an impactful and high level political declaration to combat antimicrobial resistance by the United Nations. In this episode, trainees from NIH-funded training program (T32) on antimicrobial resistance will help me discuss the most relevant research on the field in the year 2024. Welcome to editors in conversation!

• The best papers of 2024 in gram-positive, gram-negative, mycobacterial and parasite resistance

• Nathalie Chen: University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
• Alex Kang: Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX
• Nathan Rabbe: University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
• Taylor Blackburn: Emory University, Atlanta, GA
• Jacon McPherson: University of Houston, Houston, TX.
• Harrison Lee, MD: Associate Chief of Epidemiology and Microbial Genomics, Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology, Director, Center for Genomic Epidemiology, Director, T32 AMR, U of Pittsburgh
• William Shafer, PhD: Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Co-Director, Emory Antibiotic Resistance Center. Director T32 AMR, Emory University

This episode is brought to you by the Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy Journal. 

Visit asm.org/aac to browse issues and/or submit a manuscript. If you plan to publish in AAC, ASM Members get up to 50% off publishing fees. Visit asm.org/joinasm to sign up.

Looking for a dynamic and rewarding career? Learn what it means to be a Clinical Microbiology Laboratory Director and the necessary steps to get there. It’s a diverse job encompassing infectious diseases diagnostic testing, patient care, teaching, and research. This episode is geared for those who are interested in pursuing (or already have) a Ph.D. or M.D.

• Alexandra Bryson, Ph.D.
• Andrea Prinzi, Ph.D

• Join ASM for up to 50% off the publication fees when you publish in JCM or any of the ASM journals.

This episode of Editors in Conversation is brought to you by the Journal of Clinical Microbiology and hosted by JCM Editor in Chief, Alex McAdam and Dr. Elli Theel. JCM is available at https://jcm.asm.org and on https://twitter.com/JClinMicro. Visit journals.asm.org/journal/jcm to read articles and/or submit a manuscript.

Follow JCM on Twitter/𝕏 via @JClinMicro

Lack of access to antibiotics including those with enhanced activity against multidrug-resistant organisms is a major barrier to combat antimicrobial resistance, particularly in the developing world. Furthermore, discovering and making available new antimicrobial agents against the most pressing antibiotic-resitant organisms is a challenge due to multiple barriers. The Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership (GARDP) accelerates the development and access of treatments for drug-resistant bacterial infections. Together with public, private and non-profit partners, GARDP works to preserve the power of antibiotics for generations to come. We discuss the important role that GARDP is playing in the worldwide fight against antimicrobial resistance.

• GARDP function and role in the AMR field
• The strategies that GARDP is implementing to make new antibiotics available to all
• The future of antimicrobial research and development and the role of GARDP in this process.

• Jennifer Cohn MD MPH, Director, Global Access Global Antibiotic R&D Partnership (GARDP)
• Susana Ribeiro, MPH, Regional Head Latin America Global Antibiotic R&D Partnership (GARDP)

This episode is brought to you by the Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy Journal. 

Visit asm.org/aac to browse issues and/or submit a manuscript. If you plan to publish in AAC, ASM Members get up to 50% off publishing fees. Visit asm.org/joinasm to sign up.

So you want validated, at-home, self-collected swabs for STI testing… Here's what you need to know! 

Sexually transmitted infection rates continue to climb across the US and while testing for these diseases is widely available, for the most part it requires the patient to go to a local clinic to collect and submit their sample for testing. But, is that really necessary, especially from a test accuracy perspective? Today’s guests answer that exact question. And I’m sure that many, if not all of us would agree that the ability for patients to collect samples outside of a clinical setting has numerous benefits, including what the authors refer to as pseudo-anonymity, increased comfort and ultimately increased access to testing, which would be of particular value for patients that may avoid clinical settings due to various different socioeconomic barriers. 

Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/40XCHpAFvqw

• Dr. Breland Hockman, who is a board certified clinical chemist and the Director of Clinical Affairs at LetsGetChecked.com
• Dr. Dina Greene, Clinical Professor at University of Washington, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology and former Associate Lab Director at LetsGetChecked.com

• Overcoming analytical and preanalytical challenges associated with extragenital home collected STI specimens
• Join ASM for up to 50% off the publication fees when you publish in JCM or any of the ASM journals.

This episode of Editors in Conversation is brought to you by the Journal of Clinical Microbiology and hosted by JCM Editor in Chief, Alex McAdam and Dr. Elli Theel. JCM is available at https://jcm.asm.org and on https://twitter.com/JClinMicro. Visit journals.asm.org/journal/jcm to read articles and/or submit a manuscript.

Follow JCM on Twitter/𝕏 via @JClinMicro

The second High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) took place in New York on 26 September 2024 as the principal official, health-focused event during the UN General Assembly high-level week. The intergovernmental negotiations for the declaration were co-facilitated by Malta and Barbados. A political declaration for the meeting was produced highlighting the fact that AMR will cause even more global suffering, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. In this episode we will debrief and analyze the possible impact of these meetings and consequences for the future of AMR research and antimicrobial development. 

• The political implications of the UN declaration on AMR.
• Comment of the scientific and public health impact of the declaration
• Elaborate on future antimicrobial research and development

• John Rex, MD. Chief Medical Officer, F2G Ltd; Operating Partner, Advent Life Sciences
• Prabha Fernandes, PhD. Board Member of GARDP (Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership).

• HLM on AMR at UNGA: The end of the beginning
• 29 April 2024: “R&D Implications: Global Burden of Disease is 28% Infectious!”
• 27 Sep 2024: “Without action, AMR costs go from $66b to $159b/yr by 2050”

This episode is brought to you by the Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy journal. 

Visit asm.org/aac to browse issues and/or submit a manuscript. If you plan to publish in AAC, ASM Members get up to 50% off publishing fees. Visit asm.org/joinasm to sign up.

The American Society for Microbiology is launching a new journal, ASM Case Reports. The journal is already accepting submissions and will begin publishing in January of 2025. We discuss ASM Case Reports and what you can expect from this new journal.

Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/zHdZL0PYTuE Some of the questions we will discuss include:

• What is the scope of ASM Case Reports?
• What makes a case report or case series interesting and important?
• Why should people publish in ASM Case Reports?

• Dr. Carey-Ann Burnham (twitter/𝕏)

journals.asm.org/journal/asmcr

• Join ASM for up to 50% off the publication fees when you publish in JCM or any of the ASM journals.

This episode of Editors in Conversation is brought to you by the Journal of Clinical Microbiology and hosted by JCM Editor in Chief, Alex McAdam and Dr. Elli Theel. JCM is available at https://jcm.asm.org and on https://twitter.com/JClinMicro. Visit journals.asm.org/journal/jcm to read articles and/or submit a manuscript.

Follow JCM on Twitter/𝕏 via @JClinMicro

Heteroresistance is a phenomenon that has been well characterized for many years. However, we are only now starting to understand its mechanistic basis. Indeed, the manner how bacteria respond to antibiotics is complex and phenomena such as persistance, tolerance may be overlapping with heteroresistance. Furthermore, heteroresistance seems to be common in real clinical scenarios and understanding its basis is likely to open new avenues on how we deploy antibacterials in clinical practice., Today, we have experts in the field to discuss this important topic.

Watch this episode at https://youtu.be/qcIcyn1bIHU.

• The differences between heteroresistance, persistence and tolerance
• The mechanistic basis both in Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria
• The clinical implication and diagnosis of heteroresistance

• David Weiss, Ph.D. Professor of Medicine and Director Center for Antimicrobial Resistance, Emory University School Of Medicine, Atlanta. GA.
• William Miller, MD. Assistant Professor of Medicine, Houston Methodist, Houston, TX and Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY.

• Cefiderocol heteroresistance associated with mutations in TonB-dependent receptor genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa of clinical origin

This episode is brought to you by the Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy journal. 

Visit asm.org/aac to browse issues and/or submit a manuscript. If you plan to publish in AAC, ASM Members get up to 50% off publishing fees. Visit asm.org/joinasm to sign up.

Follow Cesar on twitter at https://twitter.com/SuperBugDoc for AAC updates. 

Subscribe to the podcast at https://asm.org/eic.

Join Dr. Ben Pinsky and Dr. Greg Berry as they dissect recent news stories, including the USDA's testing for H5N1 in ground beef and a surprising bubonic plague case in Oregon. They also tackle the resurgence of measles in the U.S., the local reappearance of malaria, and a curious study on Neosporin's potential to prevent viral infections.

• H5N1 Influenza Virus: Dr. Ben Pinsky provides an update on recent cases of H5N1 in humans and animals, including concerns about dairy cattle infections and the potential for human transmission.
• Bubonic Plague: Dr. Greg Berry discusses a recent case in Oregon, its transmission through cats, and the historical context of the plague.
• Measles: The resurgence of measles in the U.S. is addressed, with Dr. Pinsky noting an increase in cases compared to previous years and emphasizing the importance of vaccination.
• Malaria: The episode covers recent cases of locally acquired malaria in the U.S. and discusses the history of malaria in America.
• Neosporin and Viral Infections: The hosts examine a study suggesting Neosporin might prevent viral infections and discuss the implications and practicality of this claim.

• Dr. Ben Pinsky
• Dr. Greg Berry

• Join ASM for up to 50% off the publication fees when you publish in JCM or any of the ASM journals.

This episode of Editors in Conversation is brought to you by the Journal of Clinical Microbiology and hosted by JCM Editor in Chief, Alex McAdam and Dr. Elli Theel. JCM is available at https://jcm.asm.org and on https://twitter.com/JClinMicro. Visit journals.asm.org/journal/jcm to read articles and/or submit a manuscript.

Follow JCM on Twitter/𝕏 via @JClinMicro

The pipeline of antibiotic discovery is a major necessity due to the continuous evolution of resistance to currently used antimicrobials. This pipeline faces important challenges due to the lack of investment on antimicrobial research in the private sector and an economic model that discourages investment. In the last few years, however, encouraging signs are occurring but major gaps still remain. The World Health Organization has regularly assessed the preclinical and clinical antibacterial development pipeline and the latest report is now available in the journal, lets discuss it!

Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/IgqWmHDIx-0

• The process for review of the antibacterial pipeline.
• The progress and gaps in antibiotic discovery
• The opportunities to overcome the numerous hurdles in the early stages of the antibacterial research and development space

• Valeria Gigante Ph.D., Team Lead at the World Health Organization's (WHO) in the AMR Division, Geneva, Switzerland.

• Multi-year analysis of the global preclinical antibacterial pipeline: trends and gaps.

This episode is brought to you by the Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy journal available at aac.asm.org. If you plan to publish in AAC, ASM Members get up to 50% off publishing fees. Visit asm.org/membership to sign up.

Visit journals.asm.org/journal/aac to browse issues and/or submit a manuscript.