Microbe Talk

MicroNews is the sister series of our podcast Microbe Talk, where we discuss some of the times microbiology has been in the news that month. On this month’s episode Laura and Matt are discussing glowing microbes, ancient microbes, microbes in elk and microbes in the brain.

Links to the news stories discussed in the episode can be found below:
www.inews.co.uk/news/health/river…resistance-genes/
www.nytimes.com/2019/07/25/us/bra…amoeba-death.html
www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/s…ever-worldwide/
www.ktvz.com/news/oregon-hunter…s-jan-1/1107313914
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-49262255
www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/ref…an-glowing/

This month on the podcast, we spoke with Dr Mayri Alessandra Diaz De Rienzo, Ale for short, who is lecturer in Biotechnology at Liverpool John Moores University, UK. Ale is currently in Quebec, Canada, visiting the lab of Professor Eric Déziel on a Microbiology Society Research Visit Grant. Ale has travelled to Canada to research how biosurfactants can work with antibiotics to make infections easier to treat, and how they might be able to improve the lifespan of antibiotics.

Find out more about Microbiology Society grants: https://microbiologysociety.org/education-outreach/grants-prizes.html
Present your PhD research at the Fleming showcase: https://gate.sc/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmicrobiologysociety.org%2Fevent%2Fannual-conference%2Fannual-conference-2020.html%23tab-2&token=8eaa3f-1-1565346710498

This is the first episode of MicroNews, where we discuss the times microbiology, and microbiologists, have been on tv, in the papers and trending online.

This month, Laura and Matt talk about the HPV vaccine, fungal diseases and antimicrobial resistance. We also hear from Professor Sally Bloomfield who talks about the link between allergies and hygiene.

Links to the news stories discussed in the episode can be found at:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-48881008
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-7219621/A-new-swathe-vital-antifungal-drugs-stopped-working.html
https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/fungus-behind-deadly-bat-disease-found-in-northern-california-66111
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-06/ncsu-srt061319.php
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/antibiotic-resistance-superbug-bacteria-pharma-infection-a8996941.html
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jun/25/too-much-cleanliness-not-bad-for-health-report-on-hygiene-says

For information on the International Meeting on Arboviruses and their Vectors (IMAV19), go to microbiologysociety.org/IMAV19

Over the last decade or so, the area of microbiome research has exploded, and scientists are just starting to realise just how important the gut microbiome is for our health. However, despite the increased interest in gut microbiome research, the vast majority of studies concern bacteria, and microorganisms like yeasts are conspicuous by their absence in the literature.

This month on Microbe Talk is the second episode of Domino Effect, the podcast series where a Microbiology Society member is interviewed by another microbiologist who they have never met before. In this episode, Dr Lena Ciric, senior lecturer at the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering at UCL is interviewed by Sarah Jones, PhD student studying Geomicrobiology at Birkbeck and UCL.

Follow Lena on Twitter: @drlenaciric
Follow Sarah on Twitter: @Sarah_Jokes

Sometimes the big picture can be too big. Microbes are everywhere, and sometimes looking at the small things can answer questions you weren’t expecting to ask.

Arjan Kortholt is Associate Professor at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Arjan’s original work was studying chemotaxis; the movement of cells up or down substance concentration gradients, for example when white blood cells are chasing pathogens. However, whilst studying the proteins involved in chemotaxis, he found they are related to Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s has traditionally been studied by medical doctors, but now Arjan is studying the disease from a new, microbiological angle; using techniques and tools from microbiology to help find a cure.

Some highlights from this year's Microbiology Society Annual Conference, held in Belfast.

On this month’s podcast, we discuss the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans with Dr Liz Ballou from the University of Birmingham

In January 2019, news broke that two patients at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow had tragically passed away. When tested, both patients showed signs of a fungal infection caused by Cryptococcus neoformans. One of the patients’ deaths was unrelated to the infection, however it was a contributing factor to the death of the second patient.

This month we talked to fungal geneticist Dr Ballou; she researches how human fungal pathogens, specifically C. neoformans, survive and cause disease in the host. We discussed C. neoformans research, the lifecycle of the fungus, and the disease it can cause.

In 2018, influenza made headlines, with the 2017/18 flu season heralded on of the 'worst ever' for the National Health Service with the highest number of influenza-related hospital admissions since 2010. This flu season has been markedly different. But why is there so much variation?

This month, we spoke with Dr John McCauley, Director of the World Health Organization's Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, at the Francis Crick Institute, and Dr Othmar Engelhardt, Principal Scientist in the Division of Virology at the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control. In this episode, we discuss how different subtypes and strains of influenza can have different effects in the population, and how microbiologists are working on preparing vaccines for the upcoming flu season.

For more information about influenza, why not read our blog Déjà flu: can science help the NHS cope with the annual burden of respiratory infections? from the Hot Topic lecture at the Microbiology Society Annual Conference 2018: https://microbiologysociety.org/blog/d-j-flu-can-science-help-the-nhs-cope-with-the-annual-burden-of-respiratory-infections.html

This is our first episode of a new series called 'Domino Effect'. In this episode, Lena (@drlenaciric) interviews Paul (@PaulHoskisson) about his research history, his hobbies and the importance of science communication. Next time it will be Lena's turn in the hot seat!

If you would like to get involved in a future episode of Domino Effect, e-mail [email protected]

To book a place at the Microbiology Society Annual Conference 2019: microbiologysociety.org/event/annual-…nference.html