Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) continues to grow as a global health threat, making infections harder to treat and leaving fewer options for patients. The need for new antibiotics is an urgent matter — but traditional discovery methods are slow and limited. In this episode of Let's Talk Micro, Luis is joined by Dr. James Collins, professor at MIT and researcher at the Broad Institute, who is leading efforts to apply AI to antibiotic discovery. We discuss how his team used deep learning to uncover...
Sep 04, 2025•26 min•Season 5Ep. 202
Last week, we discussed early growth isolates for antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) and the importance of obtaining results sooner. This week, we revisit an earlier study that looked at early growth but using disk diffusion. In this episode, I was joined by Dr. Carey-Ann Burnham, Dr. Daniel Webber, and Meghan Wallace to discuss their work. Tune in to hear how this approach could help deliver AST results faster, the challenges of adopting early growth methods, and what it means for clini...
Aug 28, 2025•28 min•Season 5Ep. 201
In this episode of Let's Talk Micro, Dr. Jennifer Dien Bard and Dr. Lucas Osborn discuss their recent study on early growth antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). Traditional AST often requires 18–24 hours of incubation of isolates, delaying targeted treatment. Their research shows that using 6-hour early growth isolates with both automated and manual methods delivers accurate results up to 18 hours faster—without added costs or specialized equipment. The conversation explores the study des...
Aug 21, 2025•40 min•Season 5Ep. 200
This week, Luis is joined by Dr. Ashlan Kunz-Coyne to discuss some of the newest antibiotics for urinary tract infections (UTIs). They explore why extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) are a growing concern, the impact of E. coli sequence type 131, and where new agents like cefepime–enmetazobactam, sulopenem, and tebipenem fit into treatment. The conversation also highlights clinical data, stewardship considerations, and how the infectious diseases and microbiology communities can work toget...
Aug 14, 2025•37 min•Season 5Ep. 199
Season 5 premieres today! Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) is essential for guiding effective treatment—but how has it evolved, and what challenges are we still facing? In the first episode of this series in collaboration with bioMérieux, Dr. Andrea Prinzi joins Let's Talk Micro to explore the evolution of AST—from early methods to modern platforms like VITEK 2. We discuss the known issue of outdated breakpoints in clinical practice, the challenges with regulatory hurdles, and the impa...
Aug 07, 2025•53 min•Season 5Ep. 198
This episode of Let's Talk Micro features Dr. Andrea Prinzi, a clinical microbiologist and frequent contributor to the American Society for Microbiology. Andrea joins the podcast to discuss a critical topic in clinical microbiology: antimicrobial susceptibility testing and breakpoints. Are labs using outdated breakpoints—and what does that mean for patient care? How are breakpoints determined and updated? Dr. Prinzi breaks it all down and shares insights from her article on the subject. Tune in ...
Jul 31, 2025•41 min•Season 4Ep. 197
The Clinical Microbiology Procedures Handbook (CMPH) has long been a trusted resource for laboratories. With the release of its 5th edition, this essential reference continues to guide clinical microbiologists through evolving standards, methods, and best practices. In this episode, Luis is joined by the editors‑in‑chief, Dr. Amy Leber and Dr. Carey‑Ann Burnham, to explore what's new in the latest edition, how the CMPH supports day‑to‑day work in the lab, and why it remains a cornerstone in clin...
Jul 17, 2025•26 min•Season 4Ep. 196
This week, Luis is joined by Dr. Christopher Doern from VCU Health to explore the complex world of diabetic wound cultures. How does diabetes impair wound healing—and what makes these infections so difficult to diagnose and treat? Dr. Doern dives into the microbiology behind diabetic foot wounds, highlighting the impact of bacterial diversity, specimen quality, and the limitations of traditional culture methods. He also shares best practices for workup strategies and antibiotic selection in thes...
Jul 10, 2025•51 min•Season 4Ep. 195
Recorded live at ASM Microbe 2025, this episode captures the energy of the American Society for Microbiology's annual event. Luis shares his top takeaways from the conference floor—including standout poster presentations, emerging technologies, and trending topics in microbiology. One clear theme dominated this year: rapid diagnostics for identification and susceptibility testing. Tune in for a front-row seat to the latest in clinical microbiology innovation. Questions? Feedback? Send those to l...
Jul 03, 2025•25 min•Season 4Ep. 194
In this episode of Let's Talk Micro, we dive into the fast-paced world of rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). Recorded live from ASM Microbe 2025, Luis is joined by Dr. Carey-Ann Burnham, CEO of Pattern Bioscience and Editor-in-Chief of the ASM Case Reports journal. Together, they explore how innovative technologies—like single-cell microbiology—are transforming clinical microbiology and accelerating diagnostic results. What is single-cell microbiology, and how does it improve rapi...
Jun 26, 2025•49 min•Season 4Ep. 193
How familiar are you with partnerships and collaborations between the laboratory and the diagnostics industry? In this episode Luis is joined by Dr. Andrea Prinzi and Dr. Kristen Smith to explore how partnerships between clinical labs, public health institutions, and the diagnostics industry drive innovation in in-vitro diagnostics (IVDs). What is the IVD pipeline? From discovery to product launch and beyond, these collaborations improve patient care, accelerate access to new technologies, and e...
Jun 12, 2025•45 min•Season 4Ep. 192
TBT- This week Let's Talk Micro is talking about virology, specifically about the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). This episode features an interview with Dr. Hsu, a stem cell specialist from the Weill Medical College at Cornell University in New York. She discusses an article about a patient that has been possibly cured from HIV after a stem cell transplant with cord blood cells. What is the CCR5 gene? What is its relationship to HIV? Tune in to find out about this interesting article. This ...
Jun 05, 2025•21 min•Season 4Ep. 191
This week Luis is joined by Dr. Callan Bleick and Dr. Mohammed Al Musawa to talk about an antibiotic that was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA): aztreonam-avibactam. Our guests wrote a review about this drug and they joined the podcast to talk about it. What is aztreonam? What is avibactam? Why combine them? What type of activity has it demonstrated against beta-lactamase producing organisms? When will it be available? Tune in for more information. Link to review: https...
May 29, 2025•35 min•Season 4Ep. 190
There are many challenges when it comes to outbreak detection. It involves surveillance, time, and effort among other factors. Some of these challenges are linking multiple patients to an outbreak, or investigating a potential outbreak that turns out to be separate occurrences of an infection. In this episode Luis is joined by Dr. Alex Sundermann to talk about an outbreak detection system developed by his team at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. What components did they use to develo...
May 22, 2025•35 min•Season 4Ep. 189
This week Luis continues going over Haemophilus . This time he goes over biochemicals, testing systems, and susceptibility testing. What is the ALA test? What commercial systems are able to identify Haemophilus ? What about for Haemophilus influenzae ? What is HTM agar? Are there any vaccines for H. influenzae? Tune in to find out more. More information on H. influenzae vaccines: https://www.cdc.gov/hi-disease/vaccines/index.html Questions? Feedback? Send those to letstalkmicro@outlook.com Want ...
May 15, 2025•25 min•Season 4Ep. 188
In this episode Luis continues going over organisms. This time he goes over the genus Haemophilus . We start with an overview of the different species of Haemophilus. Why can't Haemophilus grow on blood agar? What are the X and V factors? Satellite phenomenon? What is the gram stain? What about media? Tune in for the first part of a series about Haemophilus. Questions? Feedback? Send those to letstalkmicro@outlook.com Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/letstalkmi...
May 08, 2025•27 min•Season 4Ep. 187
If you are part of the clinical microbiology community, you might have heard of a CPEP Fellowship, or might have met someone pursuing one. In this episode Luis is joined by Dr. Samuel Goodfellow to talk about the Subcommittee on Postgraduate Educational Programs (CPEP) Fellowship. Dr. Goodfellow is currently participating in one and he joins us to go over the different components of it. What is a CPEP Fellowship? What is the application process like? What are the daily activities of a fellow? Wh...
May 01, 2025•51 min•Season 4Ep. 186
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? W...
Apr 24, 2025•1 hr 20 min•Season 4Ep. 185
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: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025...
Apr 17, 2025•36 min•Season 4Ep. 184
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 br...
Apr 10, 2025•31 min•Season 4Ep. 183
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...
Apr 03, 2025•47 min•Ep. 182
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: ...
Mar 27, 2025•26 min•Season 4Ep. 181
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: https://clsi.org/all-free-resources/ Link to webinar: https://clsi.org/standards...
Mar 20, 2025•42 min•Season 4Ep. 180
This week Luis continues going over organisms. This time he goes over Eikenella. Are there any other Eikenella species other than Eikenella corroden s? 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 letstalkmicro@outlook.com Want to support the ...
Mar 13, 2025•26 min•Season 4Ep. 179
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 ...
Mar 06, 2025•46 min•Season 4Ep. 178
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, ...
Feb 28, 2025•29 min•Season 4Ep. 177
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: https://carolinadistancelearning.com/ready-to-ship/ Que...
Feb 21, 2025•26 min•Season 4Ep. 176
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 letstalkmicro@outlook.com Want to support the podcast? Here's...
Feb 14, 2025•1 hr•Season 4Ep. 175
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 letstalkmicro@o...
Feb 07, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Season 4Ep. 174
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 letstalkmicro@outlook.com Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: https://v...
Jan 31, 2025•39 min•Season 4Ep. 173
