Let's Talk Micro

Clinical microbiology explained in simple terms, suitable for students and microbiologists alike. We discuss organisms, reactions, infectious diseases, and more. Hosted by Luis Plaza, a Medical Laboratory Scientist and microbiologist, who also shares his experiences in the field.

185: The Path to Microbiology: their journey pt. 3 04/24/2025

185: The Path to Microbiology: their journey pt. 3 What led or inspired you to choose the field of microbiology or laboratory medicine? Has your profession changed within the field? In this series where microbiologists and people from laboratory medicine talk about their careers, Luis is joined by Dr. Andrea Prinzi and Lisa Parlich. Andrea is a microbiologist that works in the industry and the co-host of the AMR series in this podcast. Lisa is a microbiologist who works now as an Infection Preventionist. What was their start in their lab like? What challenges did they encounter along the way? What led them to choose their profession? Tune in for another great episode. Questions? Feedback? Send those to [email protected] Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/36300705

184: Lariocidin 04/17/2025

184: Lariocidin Discovery of new potential antimicrobial compounds is important as we take many measures to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In this episode Luis is joined by Dr. Manoj Jangra and Dr. Dmitrii Travin to discuss lariocidin: a potential antibiotic. What is the mechanism of action? What are lasso peptides? Tune in to listen about the discovery of this potential antibiotic, organisms it has shown activity against, challenges, and more. Link to article: Questions? Feedback? Send those to [email protected] Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/36212535

183: 101 Topics for Clinical Microbiology Lab Leaders 04/10/2025

183: 101 Topics for Clinical Microbiology Lab Leaders There are many challenges in the microbiology laboratory. As a leader, you have to deal with things like validations, verifications, and knowledge of regulations among other things. As a microbiologist in a non-leadership position you need to be familiar with some of these as well. With so much information out there, where do we go? In this episode Luis is joined by Dr. Rebekah Martin, author of the “101 Topics for Clinical Microbiology Laboratory Leaders” book. This book was made in order to bring all of this information to one place. In the episode Dr. Martin discussed the process of writing the book, what type of content it has, and more. Link to purchase the book: Questions? Feedback? Send those to [email protected] Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/36088600

182: TBT- Next Generation Sequencing 04/03/2025

182: TBT- Next Generation Sequencing The field of Microbiology continues to change. Organisms were primarily identified in the clinical laboratory by biochemical testing. Then MALDI-TOF came to the lab and was incorporated into the workflow. Now labs are bringing next-generation sequencing (NGS). What is NGS? How does it work? Have you heard of Nanopore technologies? In this episode Dr. Jose Alexander and Daniel Navas from Advent Health Orlando, join the podcast to talk about NGS. They brought it to their laboratory and discuss the whole process, including the validation, challenges, and more. This episode was originally published on February 9th, 2024 Guest: Questions? Feedback? Send those to Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/35997665

181: Microbiology CAP Checklists: Latest Updates 03/27/2025

181: Microbiology CAP Checklists: Latest Updates Is your laboratory accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) ? Are you familiar with their checklists? What are the latest updates to the microbiology checklist? In this episode Luis is joined by Dr. Christi Wojewoda to discuss the latest updates to the microbiology checklist: media quality control and nomenclature. Why are some media exempt and some non-exempt? Regarding nomenclature, do we need to report the new name or the old name? Tune in to find out. ASM IQCP template link: Questions regarding checklists? Contact CAP at Questions? Feedback? Send those to [email protected] Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/35894055

180: CLSI M100-Ed35: updates and more 03/20/2025

180: CLSI M100-Ed35: updates and more The latest edition of the CLSI M100 has been published. What are the latest updates? One of them is the deletion of breakpoints for Burkholderia cepacia complex. What are the recommendations for susceptibility testing? Dr. April Bobenchik returns to the podcast to talk to Luis about the latest updates. She also talks about the M45. Will there be an update to the M45? Tune in to find out. Link to CLSI free resources: Link to webinar: Questions? Feedback? Send those to Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/35868080

179: Eikenella 03/13/2025

179: Eikenella This week Luis continues going over organisms. This time he goes over Eikenella. Are there any other Eikenella species other than Eikenella corrodens? What is the morphology of E. corrodens? How about biochemicals? What are the members of the HACEK group? What is the HACEK group known for? Tune in to learn about this organism, which is seen in infections such as bite wounds, periodontitis, endocarditis, and more. Questions? Feedback? Send those to Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/35868085

178: Talking Micro with Janet Hindler 03/06/2025

178: Talking Micro with Janet Hindler Talk about a great career! In this episode Luis is joined by Janet Hindler. Janet is a microbiologist with a career that has spanned over many decades. Just like most Medical Laboratory Scientists, she started working in the lab and early on she had a passion for microbiology. Then she got involved in work that took her beyond the bench such as the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In this episode Janet talks about her career and offers her opinions on mentorship and the value of networking. Tune in for a great episode! Link to ASM's biographical feature: Questions? Feedback? Send those to Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/35868095

177: MLS Clinical Certificates : Loyola University Chicago 02/28/2025

177: MLS Clinical Certificates : Loyola University Chicago In this episode Luis is joined by Dr. Kristen Pesavento from Loyola University in Chicago. She was a guest in 2023 when she came to talk about the MS in MLS degree that her institution was offering. This time she joins the podcast to talk about clinical certificates. They are offered on three subjects of the clinical laboratory. These certificates allow you to sit for the categorical certification from the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) on the areas of Hematology, Blood Banking, and Microbiology. Join in and listen to this episode to get more information on these certificates. Questions? Feedback? Send those to Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/35868100

176: Microbiology kits: Carolina Distance Learning 02/21/2025

176: Microbiology kits: Carolina Distance Learning Does your institution teach distance microbiology courses? What do you use to teach students those critical skills required in microbiology? In this episode Luis is joined by Brittany Jackson, a specialist from the Carolina Distance Learning section of the Carolina Biological Supply company. Brittany talks about the kits for microbiology students. Which materials are in those kits? Gram stains? Media? Tune in to learn more. Link to website: Questions? Feedback? Send those to Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/35868105

175: The Path to Microbiology: their journey pt. 2 02/14/2025

175: The Path to Microbiology: their journey pt. 2 A great conversation between three microbiologists! In this episode Luis is joined by Kelli Maddock and Jessica D'Angelo to talk about their careers. Kelli is a previous guest and is currently a section head in microbiology. Jessica is a microbiology supervisor. What inspired them to pursue a career in the laboratory and microbiology? What challenges have they encountered? What is their favorite bug? Questions? Feedback? Send those to Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/35868110

174: The Path to Microbiology: their journey 02/07/2025

174: The Path to Microbiology: their journey If you work in laboratory medicine or microbiology, what led or inspired you to choose that career? What have you learned? Do you have a different occupation within the field than the one you started with? This episode is part of a series that features members of the laboratory and microbiology community, who come in and share their journey. They talk about their positions, what they have enjoyed, what challenges they have encountered, and more. Questions? Feedback? Send those to Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/35868115

173: Acid- fast bacilli (AFB) : An Introduction 01/31/2025

173: Acid- fast bacilli (AFB) : An Introduction It's time to talk about AFB! What is acid fastness? What are some stains used for acid-fast bacilli? In this episode Luis is joined by Dr. Filipe Cerqueira to talk about AFB. He goes over stains, media, processing of AFB cultures, Runyon groups, and more. He also talks about Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) and provides examples of organisms. Tune in for another great episode . Questions? Feedback? Send those to Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/35868120

172: Talking AMR: Macrolides and Lincosamides 01/24/2025

172: Talking AMR: Macrolides and Lincosamides The next episode of the AMR series is here! This time Luis and Andrea are joined by Sonali Kalathiya, a pharmacist and Medical Science Liaison. Sonali joins the podcast to talk about two classes of antibiotics: macrolides and lincosamides. Have you performed a D-test in the lab? What is the purpose of the test? If you have performed it and perform susceptibilities for erythromycin and clindamycin, then you are familiar with these classes of drugs. Tune in to learn more. Also, in the episode Sonali asks Luis about the origin of the Let's Talk Micro logo. Questions? Feedback? Send those to Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/35868125

171: Microbiology and Blood Bank Simulation Lab 01/17/2025

171: Microbiology and Blood Bank Simulation Lab A simulation laboratory? In this episode Luis is joined by Emily Matthys, an Assistant Professor at Northern Michigan University. Emily teaches at a Medical Laboratory Sciences program and she joins the podcast to talk about a simulation laboratory that was implemented for blood bank and microbiology for medical laboratory technician students. As some labs become more centralized, and end result might be diminished exposure to some areas for medical laboratory science students undergoing their clinical rotations. How does this simulation lab help students? What do the students do in this lab? Tune in for another great episode. Questions? Feedback? Send those to Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/35868130

170: Sulopenem 01/10/2025

170: Sulopenem Let's Talk Micro kicks off 2025 with a great new episode. This time Luis is Joined by Dr. Sam Aitken to talk about sulopenem. Have you heard about this oral antibiotic? It was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the use of uncomplicated urinary tract infections (uUTIs). This is an oral penem, and the news of its release has caused different reactions in social media by members of the Microbiology/Infectious Diseases community. What is sulopenem? Why is it combined with probenecid (Orlynvah)? What are the concerns regarding sulopenem? When are carbapenems appropriate for treatment? Tune in for a great episode . Questions? Feedback? Send those to Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/35868135

169: Health Care Linens: outbreaks and more 12/20/2024

169: Health Care Linens: outbreaks and more Working in the microbiology field you might be familiar with outbreaks and health care associated infections (HAI). What about linens in health care? What outbreaks have been associated with health care linens (HCLs)? Are there any regulations regarding their use? What about the MOULD study? Luis is joined by Dr. Alex Sundermann to talk about HCLs, regulations, mold-associated outbreaks, and more. Link to Dr. Sundermann's article: Questions? Feedback? Send those to Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/35868140

168: Pasteurella: species, media, and more 12/13/2024

168: Pasteurella: species, media, and more Following the episode with Dr. Kelli Maddock, Luis decided to talk about his favorite organism: Pasteurella! This time Luis goes into more detail. What are some species of Pasteurella? Which animals are they found on? Which species are isolated from humans? This episode also covers media, biochemicals, diseases, and more. Questions? Feedback? Send those to Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/35868145

167: Talking AMR: Oxazolidinones 12/06/2024

167: Talking AMR: Oxazolidinones Luis and Andrea are back to talk antibiotics! This time they are joined by David Allen, an infectious diseases (ID) pharmacist to talk about another class : oxazolidinones. How familiar are you with this class? Have you performed testing on linezolid in the lab? Then you might be somewhat familiar. What is the mechanism of action? Intrinsic resistance? What organisms does this class have activity against? Tune in to find out. Questions? Feedback? Send those to Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/35868150

166: Pasteurella multocida: capsular groups and more 11/29/2024

166: Pasteurella multocida: capsular groups and more A Pasteurella multocida episode! In this episode Luis is joined by Dr. Kelli Maddock to talk about P. multocida. Kelli was a previous guest and this time returns to talk about the capsular types of P. multocida. What are these types? What diseases are associated with them? What about hemorrhagic septicemia? Kelli also talks about a model developed to look for hemorrhagic septicemia types of P. multocida using MALDI-TOF MS. Don't miss out on a great episode! Link to Dr. Maddock's article: Questions? Feedback? Send those to Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/35868155

165: E. coli: NDM and PBP variants 11/22/2024

165: E. coli: NDM and PBP variants As a new microbiologist sometimes terms like beta-lactams, beta-lactamases, or penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) can be confusing. Are you familiar with the New-Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM) and its variants? How many are there? How does this enzyme affect beta-lactam drugs?How about NDM-5? In this episode Luis is joined by Dr. Raneem Pallotta, an infectious diseases pharmacist. In the episode we go over these terms. Dr. Pallotta also talks about an NDM-producing E. coli that harbors PBP3 variants. How do these variants affect beta-lactam antibiotics? Tune in for a great episode. Link to Dr. Pallotta's article: Link to other articles: Questions? Feedback? Send those to Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/35868160

164: MicroClinUy (En Español/ In Spanish) 11/20/2024

164: MicroClinUy (En Español/ In Spanish) En este episodio en español, Luis conversa con la Dra. Verónica Seija. La Dra. Seija es especialista en microbiología y tiene un blog, redes sociales y un podcast donde habla sobre microbiología bajo el nombre MicroClinUY. ¿ Qué motivó a la Dra. a comenzar a hablar sobre microbiología? ¿Qué tipo de contenido encontramos en sus redes sociales y el podcast? ¿Dónde encuentran el podcast? Sintonizen y no se pierdan de una gran conversación. Enlace al podcast: Enlace a la página web de MicroClinUy: Preguntas? Comentarios? Envíen un correo electrónico a Desean apoyar al podcast? Pueden hacerlo de la siguiente forma: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/35868165

163: Talking AMR- Glycopeptides 11/15/2024

163: Talking AMR- Glycopeptides Luis and Andrea return with a new episode of the AMR series. This time, they are joined by Dr. Nikunj Vyas, and they go over glycopeptides. Whether you are a microbiologist, provider or an ID pharmacist, you are familiar with vancomycin. What is the mechanism of action of glycopeptides? Is there intrinsic resistance? How does a difference in minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) affect treatment? Tune in to learn more. Questions? Feedback? Send those to Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/35868170

TBT: Veterinary Microbiology 11/08/2024

TBT: Veterinary Microbiology Throwback to a great episode! Have you worked in a veterinary laboratory? What kind of training do you need? Are you able to work in one as an MLS? Have you thought about what a culture from a veterinary specimen might look like? How do you work those up? What about antimicrobials and guidelines? Kelli Maddock and Sarah Gefroh from the North Dakota State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory join the podcast to answer these questions. They are Medical Laboratory Scientists with experience in human medicine who switched to veterinary medicine. Questions? Feedback? Send those to Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/35868175

TBT: Biochemicals- catalase and coagulase 10/24/2024

TBT: Biochemicals- catalase and coagulase One of the first episodes published and one of the most downloaded episodes. In it Luis goes over catalase and coagulase. What are biochemicals? How are they useful in the identification of bacteria? In this episode I start going over biochemicals: catalase and coagulase, two of the most commonly used biochemicals in Clinical Microbiology. Questions? Feedback? Send those to Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/35868180

TBT: Media 10/17/2024

TBT: Media 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. Questions? Feedback? Send those to Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/35868185

159: A novel microbicide for Neisseria gonorrhoeae 10/10/2024

159: A novel microbicide for Neisseria gonorrhoeae 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: Link to study: Questions? Feedback? Send those to Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/35868190

158: Joint Infections PCR Panel 10/03/2024

158: Joint Infections PCR Panel 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: Questions? Feedback? Send those to Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/35868195

157: Lactobacillus 09/26/2024

157: Lactobacillus 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. Questions? Feedback? Send those to Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/35868205

156: Actinotignum schaalii 09/19/2024

156: Actinotignum schaalii 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. Questions? Feedback? Send those to Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: Buy me a Ko-fi: /episode/index/show/5400ef0e-42c5-4ee5-ba86-0450cb7938a5/id/35868210

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