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225: Too Many Bugs, One Culture: A CMPH Guide to Wound Cultures

Release Date: 03/06/2026

Let's Talk Micro

Luis here with a quick update! We’re taking a short break and will return the week of March 23rd. During this time, it’s a great opportunity to explore the archive—Let’s Talk Micro has over 200 episodes covering many topics in clinical microbiology. New episodes will be back soon. Thanks for listening and for being part of the Let’s Talk Micro community. Stay connected with Let’s Talk Micro: Website: Questions or feedback? Email me at Interested in being a guest on Let’s Talk Micro? Fill out the form here: Support the podcast:

225: Too Many Bugs, One Culture: A CMPH Guide to Wound Cultures

Let's Talk Micro

Wound cultures are some of the most complex specimens encountered in the clinical microbiology laboratory. Unlike more straightforward cultures, wound specimens often contain multiple organisms, making it challenging to determine which microbes are clinically significant and which represent colonization. In this episode of Let’s Talk Micro, Luis is joined by Dr. Christopher Doern and Dr. Alexandra Bryson to discuss the wound culture guidelines from the Clinical Microbiology Procedures Handbook (CMPH) and how they can help laboratorians navigate these challenging cultures. Together, they...

224: Micro Minutes: Sometimes Gram Stains Lie

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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...

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...

222: Parasites, Pediatrics, and the Lab: A Study from Guinea, West Africa

Let's Talk Micro

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

More Episodes

In this episode of Let’s Talk Micro, Luis is joined by Dr. Christopher Doern and Dr. Alexandra Bryson to discuss the wound culture guidelines from the Clinical Microbiology Procedures Handbook (CMPH) and how they can help laboratorians navigate these challenging cultures.

Together, they explore practical approaches to interpreting polymicrobial wound cultures, deciding which organisms to work up, and balancing thorough reporting with antimicrobial stewardship. The discussion also covers specimen collection challenges, the role of Gram stains in evaluating specimen quality, guidance on working up common wound pathogens, and strategies to streamline laboratory workflows.

Whether you're a student, a new microbiology technologist, or an experienced laboratorian, this episode offers practical insights to help you confidently approach wound cultures and apply CMPH guidance at the bench.

Stay connected with Let’s Talk Micro:

Website: letstalkmicro.com
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