Let's Talk Micro

🎙️ Throwback to a great episode!

Ever wondered what it's like to work in a veterinary diagnostic lab? What kind of training is needed—and can an MLS make the switch from human to animal diagnostics?

In this episode of Let's Talk Micro, Luis is joined by Kelli Maddock and Sarah Gefroh from the North Dakota State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Both are Medical Laboratory Scientists who transitioned from human to veterinary medicine.

They share insights on culturing veterinary specimens, antimicrobial guidelines, and what makes vet lab work both similar and uniquely different. Tune in to explore this fascinating side of the lab world!

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One of the very first—and still one of the most downloaded—episodes of Let's Talk Micro dives into biochemicals and how they help us identify bacteria in the clinical lab.

What are biochemicals, and why are they so important in Clinical Microbiology? In this episode, I introduce two of the most commonly used tests: catalase and coagulase. Learn how these simple yet powerful reactions help distinguish organisms and guide diagnostic workups in the lab.

This episode was originally published on June 24, 2021.

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The first episode! Share it with students and peers, In it Luis talks about agar. What is agar? What do we use it for? Various types of agar are discussed like blood agar and MacConkey along with their uses.

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A microbicide for Neisseria gonorrhoeae? In this episode Luis is joined by Dr. María Rendón from the University of Arizona. Dr. Rendón joins the podcast to talk about a novel microbicide that was developed which has activity against N. gonorrhoeae . How does it work? Does it affect commensal Neisseria? What about methylation signatures? Tune in to learn more about this microbicide.

Link to articles referenced in episode:

http://microbialcell.com/researcharticles/2019a-so-microbial-cell/

https://www.cell.com/action/showPdf?pii=S1931-3128%2819%2930347-6

Link to study: https://journals.asm.org/doi/abs/10.1128/aac.00794-24?doi=10.1128/aac.00794-24

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Are you familiar with the BioFire system? If you work in microbiology you probably are. How about a joint infections panel for this system? In this episode Dr. Angelica Moran and Jekzaly Arellano join the podcast to talk about a study they did evaluating this panel. Why are joint infections difficult to diagnose? Tune in to learn more.

Link to article: https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jcm.00182-24

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This week Luis continues going over gram-positive rods: this time Lactobacillus. What is the morphology of Lactobacillus? Biochemicals? Which species are typically seen in humans? Is it pathogenic or normal flora? What about susceptibilities? All great questions. Tune in to find out about this genera.

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If you work with MALDI-TOF MS and you read urine cultures, you probably have seen this organism : Actinotignum schaalii. Is this organism significant? What is the gram stain? Biochemicals? Other questions come up such as we do report it? Do we perform susceptibilities ? Tune in to learn about this emerging pathogen and get answers to all these questions.

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Thinking about getting certified in microbiology but not sure where to start? In this episode Luis chats with Dr. Amanda Harrington about certification options through the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP).

They cover how to qualify, what the Specialist in Microbiology (SM) is all about, and even options if you haven't gone through a traditional MLS program. If you're curious about leveling up in the lab—this one's for you!

Link to certifications in Microbiology from ASCP:

https://www.ascp.org/content/board-of-certification/get-credentialed?srsltid=AfmBOoo4i6_pt4DLUEKUJmclab7AJkFp1bZlPGibNnIqLb-jgp3JGgvO#

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Dr. Rodney Rohde returns to the podcast! This time he joins Luis to talk about dengue. You might hear reports about increases in cases in some areas, so it was a good time to talk about it. What is dengue? What type of virus it is? Vectors? Prevention? Is there a vaccine? Tune in to learn more about this virus.

Link to Dr. Rohde's dengue article: https://asm.org/articles/2024/august/dengue-is-spreading-is-warmer-weather-to-blame

More information about dengue: https://www.cdc.gov/dengue/index.html

Link to Dr. Rohde's Podcast: https://www.contagionlive.com/view/from-pathogen-to-infectious-disease-diagnosis-taking-on-potential-standard-of-care-diagnostic-opportunities

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If you work in a clinical microbiology laboratory, you might have worked with bone and joint samples. In this episode we dive deeper into bone and joint infections. Luis is joined by Dr. Joan Gomez-Junyent, an Infectious Diseases physician at Hospital Del Mar in Barcelona, Spain. Dr. Gomez goes over different types of infections. What organisms are typically seen? Is there a typical treatment of choice? How about antimicrobial resistance? Tune in to hear Dr. Gomez go over these questions and more.

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