224: Micro Minutes: Sometimes Gram Stains Lie
Let's Talk Micro
The Gram stain is one of the most trusted tools in clinical microbiology—but it doesn’t always tell the full story. In this Micro Minutes episode, we break down why Gram stains can sometimes be misleading and how factors like culture age, antibiotic exposure, decolorization, morphology, and arrangement can change what you see under the microscope. We also touch on classic troublemakers like Acinetobacter and tiny coccobacilli such as Pasteurella and Haemophilus, and how careful observation can keep you from jumping to the wrong conclusion. Short, focused, and straight from the bench—this...
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223: SuperStat to Storytime: Building the Future of Laboratory Medicine
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In this episode of Let’s Talk Micro, we step beyond the microbiology bench to talk laboratory medicine, advocacy, and storytelling with fellow medical laboratory scientists and podcasters Stephanie Whitehead and Aaron Odegard. We explore how their work on the SuperStat Podcast is helping amplify the voice of the laboratory through conversations on leadership, access, and visibility. The discussion also highlights Little Lab Learners: ABCs of Laboratory Medicine, a children’s book created to introduce laboratory medicine early and inspire future lab professionals. Together, we talk about...
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222: Parasites, Pediatrics, and the Lab: A Study from Guinea, West Africa
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In this episode of Let’s Talk Micro, Luis is joined by Dr. Joel Mortensen to discuss a study examining intestinal parasites in pediatric patients in Guinea, West Africa. They dive into the real-world challenges of diagnosing parasitic infections in resource-limited settings, including reliance on stool microscopy, the use of rapid antigen tests, and how seasonal changes influence infection rates. Dr. Mortensen walks us through the study design, key findings, and what the data revealed about protozoal infections, as well as the role of microscopy in identifying helminths in this setting. This...
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221: Beyond the Plate: Your Isolates and Genomic Epidemiology
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Genomic epidemiology is reshaping how we detect, investigate, and control infectious disease outbreaks—but what does that actually look like from the bench to public health? In this episode of Let’s Talk Micro, Luis is joined by genomic epidemiologist Krisandra Allen for a practical, case-based conversation on how pathogen sequencing data is generated, analyzed, and paired with epidemiologic information to answer questions traditional methods can’t. They discuss foodborne and hepatitis A outbreaks, geographically dispersed clusters, and how sequencing is being integrated into routine...
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220: New Clinical Microbiology Certification Pathway at UF
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In this episode of Let’s Talk Micro, Luis is joined by faculty and collaborators from the University of Florida to discuss their new Clinical Laboratory Microbiologist (CLM) program — the first NAACLS-approved, microbiology-only certification pathway in the United States. They share how the program was created to address the growing shortage of clinical microbiologists and provide a direct pathway for microbiology graduates and working professionals to enter the clinical laboratory. The conversation covers: Gaps in the current workforce and training pipeline The hybrid model combining...
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219: Tick-Borne Diseases: The Lab and Diagnostics
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Tick-borne diseases continue to expand across North America, but diagnosing them in the clinical laboratory remains complex—especially when timing between symptom onset and testing isn’t considered. In this episode of Let’s Talk Micro, Luis is joined by Kyle Rodino, Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Assistant Director of Microbiology, for a lab-focused discussion on tick-borne disease diagnostics. They cover major bacterial, parasitic, and viral causes of tick-borne disease, and walk through how molecular testing, serology, and...
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218: Metagenomics in Clinical Microbiology
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In this episode of Let’s Talk Micro, we break down metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) and how it’s changing the way we diagnose complex infectious diseases. I’m joined by Steve Miller, MD, PhD—Chief Medical Officer at Delve Bio—to discuss how unbiased metagenomics moved from research labs into real-world clinical practice. We cover what metagenomics is, how it differs from targeted PCR and sequencing, and where it adds the most value—especially in meningitis and encephalitis, immunocompromised patients, and cases where routine testing comes back negative. Dr. Miller...
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217: Micro Minutes: Don’t Let PEA Fool You
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PEA agar is often treated as “the gram-positive plate,” but that shortcut can lead to real bench-level mistakes. In this MicroMinutes episode, we break down what phenylethyl alcohol agar actually does, why growth on PEA does not automatically mean an organism is gram-positive, and how selective media can change colony appearance and behavior. You’ll hear about: What PEA inhibits — and what it doesn’t Why Pseudomonas aeruginosa can grow quite well on PEA How colony morphology and hemolysis may differ from blood agar Why Lancefield grouping should never be performed directly...
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216: AMR Summit 2025: One Health, One Fight
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In this special episode, I’m joined by three leaders who helped shape the conversation at the 2025 Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Summit in Detroit: Dr. Lauren Hunt, Dr. Linoj Samuel, and Dr. Robert Tibbetts. Together, we explore how this intimate, multidisciplinary summit brought together clinical microbiology, infectious diseases, stewardship, public health, policy, and veterinary medicine to tackle the growing challenges of antimicrobial resistance. We break down the key themes that emerged throughout the meeting—shared accountability, One Health collaboration, diagnostic innovation,...
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215: One Health, Many Species: AMR Through a Veterinary Lens
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What does antimicrobial resistance look like when your patients range from dogs and cats to cattle, wildlife, and everything in between? And how do we make sense of AST, breakpoints, contamination, and genotypic tools across such a diverse microbiological world? In this episode, Luis is joined by Dr. Kelli Maddock, DrPH (North Dakota State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory) and Dr. Stephen Cole (University of Pennsylvania), two leaders shaping the future of veterinary microbiology, antimicrobial stewardship, and CLSI veterinary standards. Together, they explore AMR and AST through a...
info_outlineThe Gram stain is one of the most trusted tools in clinical microbiology—but it doesn’t always tell the full story.
In this Micro Minutes episode, we break down why Gram stains can sometimes be misleading and how factors like culture age, antibiotic exposure, decolorization, morphology, and arrangement can change what you see under the microscope. We also touch on classic troublemakers like Acinetobacter and tiny coccobacilli such as Pasteurella and Haemophilus, and how careful observation can keep you from jumping to the wrong conclusion.
Short, focused, and straight from the bench—this episode is all about learning how to interpret Gram stains beyond just purple and pink.
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