The idea of applying machine learning and digital pathology platforms to everyday workflows in the clinical microbiology laboratory has become increasing intriguing and appealing, especially as labs continue to optimize efficiency in the midst of workforce shortages. The promise of this new digital frontier is multifold, including decreasing turnaround time and potentially cost, and freeing up technologist time to focus on higher yield activities in the lab. Many labs have now taken the initial leap into automated culture and imaging systems, but what’s next? Are the digital pathology AI algorithms ready for prime-time in clinical microbiology labs? Is the future now?

• Dr. Niaz Banaei, Medical Director of the Stanford Health Care Clinical Microbiology Laboratory and Professor of Pathology and Medicine at Stanford University
• Dr. Dan Rhoads, Section Head of Microbiology at Cleveland Clinic

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.

• Evaluation of MetaSystems automated fluorescent microscopy system for the machine-assisted detection of acid-fast bacilli in clinical samples. https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jcm.01131-22
• Computer vision and artifical intelligence are emerging diagnostic tools for the clinical microbiologist. https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/JCM.00511-20?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed

Visit journals.asm.org/journal/jcm to read articles and/or submit a manuscript.

Follow JCM on Twitter via @JClinMicro

There are a number of regulatory proposals under consideration which could have important effects on clinical microbiology labs, and clinical labs more generally. First, the VALID act would change how clinical tests are regulated with particularly important implications for laboratory-developed tests. Second, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has proposed changes to the educational requirements for lab directors under CLIA and additional changes that would increase the fees that clinical labs pay to CMS. If you have been waiting for someone to explain these changes and how they could affect your lab, you’ve come to the right podcast.

• Dr. Melissa Miller, Director of the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory and a Professor at the University Of North Carolina School Of Medicine
• Mary Lee Watts, Director of Federal Affairs at ASM

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.

• ASM Submits Concerns On VALID Act. https://asm.org/Articles/Policy/2022/May-2022/VALID-Act
• ASM Submits Comments to CMS on Proposed Rule for CLIA-Labs. https://asm.org/Articles/Policy/2022/Aug2022/ASM-Comments-on-CMS-Proposed-Rules-for-CLIA-Certif

Visit journals.asm.org/journal/jcm to read articles and/or submit a manuscript.

Follow JCM on Twitter via @JClinMicro

Infections caused by Mycobacterium abscessus appear to be increasing in frequency among the immunocompromised population and are challenging to treat. Antibiotic options in these cases are scarce, prolonged therapy is required and new options are needed. We will discuss this important topic with experts in the field.

• Define M. abscessus as an opportunistic pathoge
• The intrinsic phenotypic characteristics of M. abscessus, including resistance to common antimicrobials
• Treatment approaches and rationale for these strategies

• Kelly Dooley, MD. PhD, MPH.  Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University and Editor of AAC
• Charles L. Daley, MD, Professor and Chief of the Division of Mycobacterial and Respiratory Infections. National Jewish Health
• Thomas Dick, PhD. Professor, Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health

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.

The inoculum effect of antibiotic susceptibility testing is often discussed at playgrounds and infectious diseases conferences, but many of us don’t really have a clear definition of what it is or a good understanding of its importance.

We’ll be talking about the inoculum effect and susceptibility testing of Staphylococcus aureus with cefazolin.

Some of the questions we’ll discuss are: • What exactly is the inoculum effect and how is it measured? • Does the inoculum effect have clinical significance? • How common is the inoculum effect with Staph aureus and cefazolin?

As July 26, the world has documented 19,188 cases of monkeypox, with 3,591 cases in the US alone, making the US the country with the most known infections amid the global outbreak. The WHO has declared monkeypox a public health emergency. Although this disease has been known for years, certain features suggest that we are facing a unique outbreak of monkeypox with the potential for worldwide spreading.

In this special podcast edition of Editors in Conversation we will discuss the diagnosis and treatment of monkeypox with experts in the field who have dealt with significant number of cases in the US.

Topics:

• The significance of the monkeypox outbreak • The approach for the diagnosis of monkeypox • The treatment approaches and prevention tools for monkeypox

This special episode is brought to you by Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy journals.

Hosts: - Cesar A. Arias, Editor in Chief of AAC, - Dr. Elli Theel, Editor of JCM

This podcast is supported by the American Society for Microbiology, which publishes both JCM and AAC. Don’t forget to check the latest issues of JCM and AAC with outstanding papers on microbial diagnostics, mechanisms of resistance, pharmacology of antimicrobial agents, epidemiology and clinical therapeutics, among others.

Joining us to discuss this important topic are:

• Jason Zucker, MD. Assistant Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center and Infectious Diseases physician at New York-Presbyterian / Columbia University Irving Medical Center • Benjamin Pinsky, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Pathology and of Medicine (Infectious Diseases). Stanford University, palo Alto, CA. Medical Director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory for Stanford Health Care and the Stanford Children’s Health.

Dr. Bobbi Pritt aka @parasitegal, creator of the blog Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites, is a pathologist and clinical microbiologist with specialty interests in parasitic and vector-borne infections, and the pathology of infectious diseases. Dr. Pritt discusses her career and how she became an expert in clinical parasitology, her work internationally and how others can participate in global health work and how technology (digital pathology, AI, automation, etc.) will affect the lab and technicians in the future.

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. The Journal of Clinical Microbiology is available at asm.org/jcm. Follow EIC, Alex McAdam on twitter for JCM updates at twitter.com/JClinMicro and co-host, Elli Theel at twitter.com/ellitheelphd.

Visit journals.asm.org/journal/jcm to read articles and/or submit a manuscript.

Subscribe to Editors in Conversation (free) on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Android, Spotify, Email.

Infections caused by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia appear to be increasing in frequency among the immunocompromised population and are challenging to treat. Moreover, resistance to traditional drugs used against these organisms is now becoming more common. Antibiotic options in these circumstances are scarce and new options are needed. We discuss this important topic with experts in the field. Recorded live in Washington DC at ASM Microbe 2022.

Topics

• Stenotrophomas maltophilia as an opportunistic pathogen and • The intrinsic ability of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia to resist common antimicrobials • Common mechanisms of resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa • Debate on treatment approaches and rationale for these strategies.

Guests:

• Maria Fernanda Mojica PhD Senior Instructor, Case VA Center for Antimicrobial Resistance and Epidemiology. Case Western Reserve University
• Samuel Aitken, PharmD. Adjunct Clinical Professor of Pharmacy, University of Michigan.

This episode of Editors in Conversation is brought to you by the Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy Journal and hosted by AAC Editor in Chief, Cesar Arias.

AAC is available at https://asm.org/aac. Follow Cesar on twitter at https://twitter.com/SuperBugDoc for AAC updates.

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

We are just back from the Molecular Virology Workshop in West Palm Beach. This is a terrific meeting that is organized by the Pan-American Society for Clinical Virology or PASCV. The workshop immediately precedes the Clinical Virology Symposium that ASM organizes and many of us like to attend both. Today we’ll be talking about some of the high points of the Molecular Virology Workshop, with two members of the organizing committee from PASCV.

• Dr. Erin Graf, Director, Clinical Microbiology at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix Arizona.
• Dr. Stephanie Mitchell, Director of Medical Affairs at Cepheid.

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.

• On-demand sessions from PASCV https://www.pascv.org/page/MVW

Visit journals.asm.org/journal/jcm to read articles and/or submit a manuscript.

Follow JCM on Twitter via @JClinMicro

Infections caused by multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa are considered a major public health problem. Antibiotic options are scarce but new drugs are emerging and more maybe available in the near future.

• Pseudomonas aeruginosa as an important pathogen capable of developing resistance to multiple antibiotics
• Common mechanisms of resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
• The current and future approaches for these MDR organisms.

• Michael Satlin, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, William Randolph Hearst Foundation Clinical Scholar in Microbiology and Infectious Diseases at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY
• Alessandra Carattoli, PhD, Professor of Microbiology at the Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. Editor, AAC

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

It is estimated that anywhere from 575,000 to 677,000 bloodstream infections occur annually in North America, with approximately 40,000 of those directly linked to patient mortality in the United States, making bloodstream infections the 11th most common cause of death in the US according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The detection of bloodstream infections and subsequent identification of the etiologic agent or agents is an essential role played by all clinical microbiology laboratories, day-in and day-out for routine patient care. So, today, we are going to dive into a recently published study in JCM, looking at organism-specific bloodstream infection prevalence rates and their individual mortality risks relative to patients with either negative blood cultures and in those for whom blood cultures were not ordered.

Guests: - Dr. Nick Daneman - senior author on the manuscript, is a Clinical Scientists in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre at the University of Toronto, and a Adjunct Physician at Public Health Ontario. - Dr. Kevin Brown is a Scientist at Public Health Ontario and Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto

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://asm.org/jcm. Follow EIC Alex McAdam on twitter for JCM updates via https://twitter.com/JClinMicro and co-host, Elli Theel at https://twitter.com/ellitheelphd.

Links Prevalence and Mortality Associated with Bloodstream Organisms: a Population-Wide Retrospective Cohort Study. https://journals.asm.org/doi/epub/10.1128/jcm.02429-21