Matters Microbial #121: Phollowing Phage in the Gut Microbiome January 7, 2026

Today Dr. Liz de Ora Ortiz, postdoctoral scholar in the Secor Laboratory at Montana State University, joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss a fascinating new technology that allows investigators to follow bacteriophage infections in live animals.

Host: Mark O. Martin

Guest: Liz de Ora Ortiz

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Links for this episode

• The fascinating and frustrating (for researchers like me) story of Vampirococcus.
• A Vampirococcus summary for new #Micronauts.
• An overview of Agrobacterium, a bacterium about which all micronauts should know (think about genetic engineering in agriculture!).
• The story of Pelagibacter, very probably the most abundant organism on Earth.
• The story of Akkermansia, and its impact on metabolic health and the gut microbiome.
• An important essay by the late Dr. Elio Schaechter regarding paradigm shifts in microbiology. Much recommended!
• A truly wonderful video about bacteriophages and their importance.
• A simple video explaining the life cycle of lytic and lysogenic bacteriophages.
• A video from the American Society of Microbiology linking CRISPR and bacteriophages.
• A review of genes "hitchhiking" in bacteriophages.
• An introduction to Phollow technology.
• An overview and discussion of the Phollow technology discussed in this podcast (paywalled).
• A Phollow related publication also discussed during the podcast.
• The Wiles laboratory, where Dr. de Ora Ortiz and colleagues developed the Phollow technology.
• Dr. Travis Wiles' episode of #MattersMicrobial.
• The Secor laboratory, where Dr. de Ora Ortiz currently works.
• Dr. de Ora Ortiz's LinkedIn profile.

Intro music is by Reber Clark

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