This is the second part of the interview with Dr. Joel Mortensen and his experience at a hospital in Guinea. In this episode he continues talking about training laboratory personnel and teaching essential things like quality control. He also talks about issues like supplies and electricity and future plans. Are you trained in hematology and chemistry and speak French? Are you interested in helping out with training? You can email the podcast and your information will be forwarded or you can reac...
Oct 12, 2023•36 min•Season 3Ep. 108
This episode features an interview with Dr. Joel Mortensen. He is the Director of the Diagnostic Infectious Diseases Testing Laboratory at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Dr. Mortensen volunteered to train laboratory personnel to perform microbiology testing at a pediatric hospital that was being built in Guinea, West Africa. Tune in to learn about this hospital, hear about his experience, the challenges he encountered, and more. This is part one of a two part series. Link to Hope Ignited: https...
Oct 05, 2023•37 min•Season 3Ep. 107
We have heard or recent cases of malaria in the United States. What better than to do an episode about it? Dr. Kenneth Gavina, from the Indiana University School of Medicine, joins the podcast to talk about it. Tune in to learn about its life cycle, transmission, prevention, its relationship to pregnancy, and more.Link to CDC's life cycle: https://www.cdc.gov/malaria/about/biology/index.html Link to Future of Malaria Research Symposium: https://publichealth.jhu.edu/malaria-research-institute/202...
Sep 28, 2023•44 min•Season 3Ep. 106
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 that switche...
Sep 21, 2023•38 min•Season 3Ep. 105
This episode is part two of the great emerging viruses talk with Dr. Ryan Relich and Benjamin Pinsky. They talk over diagnostic tests for viruses, challenges with test development, and they share their thoughts on viruses and outbreaks. Link to the National Academies Arbovirus workshop: https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/mitigating-arboviral-threats-and-strengthening-public-health-preparedness-a-workshop Link to the Pan American Society for Clinical Virology: https://www.pascv.org/defaul...
Sep 14, 2023•38 min•Season 3Ep. 104
With all the information about viruses that we see coming out, what better than an episode about emerging viruses. Dr. Benjamin Pinsky and Dr. Ryan Relich, two experienced virologists, join the podcast to talk about viruses. Tune in to learn about the different type of viruses, mode of entry, diseases, and more. This is part one of a two-part series. Link to the Clinical Virology Symposium: https://asm.org/Events/Clinical-Virology-Symposium/Home...
Sep 07, 2023•39 min•Season 3Ep. 103
In this episode Dr. Ryan Relich and Dr. Kenneth Gavina join the podcast to talk about an article where Francisella tularensis spp . novicida was recovered from a blood culture. Are you familiar with this organism? What are the subspecies of Francisella tularensis ? What are the biochemicals tested on it and their results? While most of us might never see this organism in our careers, being aware and prepared to recognize it is essential. We have to be prepared and have a plan in place. Tune in t...
Aug 31, 2023•39 min•Season 3Ep. 102
Season 3 kicks off with the second episode of the AMR sub-series with Dr. Andrea Prinzi. In this episode we go over beta-lactam antibiotics. Dr. Brian Raux, a Pharmacist and Medical liaison joins us. What are the beta-lactams? What is their mechanism of action? Which drugs are part of this group? Intrinsic resistance? Tune in to learn about this class of antibiotics and what the CLSI has about them.
Aug 24, 2023•46 min•Season 3Ep. 101
Hi everyone. Just wanted to take some time to give you some previews of upcoming episodes. From viruses, to Franciscella, to the next episode of the AMR sub-series, Let's talk Micro is kicking off season 3 with some great episodes. Also don't miss the webinar that I am presenting next week on tools and resources in a Microbiology laboratory! Registration is free. Link to sign up for webinar: https://www.clinicallab.com/trends/the-transfusion-medicine-laboratory/2023-blood-microbiology-digital-fo...
Aug 17, 2023•10 min
This episode is a collaboration with the Microbe Mail podcast. Dr. Vindana Chibabhair and I go over yeast in cultures: appropriate sources, significance, and pathogenicity versus normal flora. We also talk about instruments used to identify yeast, antifungals, and more... Check out the Microbe Mail podcast: https://microbemail.captivate.fm
Jul 18, 2023•43 min•Season 2Ep. 100
This episode features a conversation with Dr. Melissa Jamerson, chair of the Medical laboratory Sciences department at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Dr. Jamerson talks about the degrees offered for Medical Laboratory Sciences (MLS) at her institution, which include undergraduate and graduate. A new Masters degree with a concentration in Public Health Laboratories is starting this fall. What are the requirements for this degree? How does it differ from other Masters degrees in MLS? Tune...
Jul 13, 2023•27 min•Season 2Ep. 99
This episode is the first episode in what is going to be an Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) sub-series. Dr. Andrea Prinzi joins me in this series. Together we breakdown this complex topic. In this episode we start with an overview of the state of AMR, Dr. Prinzi provides some history, and we explain what the series is going to be about. Learning this information can be challenging for professionals, but we are going to break it down as simple as we can. Knowing and understanding this information ...
Jul 06, 2023•40 min•Season 2Ep. 98
Digital technology is part of the laboratory. We see it on instruments in Urinalysis and Hematology where images such as those of cells are produced. What about Parasitology? Can it be used for it? Dr. Bobbi Pritt, from the Mayo Clinic Laboratory , joins the podcast to talk about it. An algorithm with Artificial Intelligence has been implemented in her lab for protozoa. How did it do? What are the components? Tune in to find out.
Jun 29, 2023•30 min•Season 2Ep. 97
This episode was recorded while at the American Society for Microbiology's (ASM) Microbe 2023 at Houston. I go over my favorite posters, sessions and more. It was great connecting with fellow microbiologists. Great posters such as Shewanella and oysters, frogs and potential compounds, and more. Of course, as a podcaster I had to sit through an episode of Editors in conversation.
Jun 22, 2023•17 min•Season 2Ep. 95
This episode was recorded while at the American Society for Microbiology's (ASM) Microbe 2023. I went over what I liked about this conference as a first timer. I also talk more about other courses I took and my experience overall. Then I was joined by great company: Elizabeth Deyett and Jon Mitchell from the Microbe Moment, They have a podcast called the Microbe Moment with the Microbigals. They talk about the impact of microbes in life, provide historical perspectives, and more. They also atten...
Jun 22, 2023•44 min•Season 2Ep. 96
In this episode I am joined by Dr. April Bobenchik, the Medical Microbiology Director at Penn State Health. She talks about the latest updates of the CLSI's M100. CLSI (Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute) publishes many documents, the M100 being one of them, which is updated yearly. What is the M100? How does it relate to the work that we do in Clinical Microbiology? What is new this year? Tune in to find out.CLSI's webpage: https://clsi.org M100 webinar from CLSI link: https://clsi.org/sta...
Jun 15, 2023•33 min•Season 2Ep. 94
Some of you might me familiar with the parasite wonders blog. Dr. Bobbi Pritt, the creator of this blog, joins the podcast to talk about parasites. What samples are typically tested for parasites? What type of testing is there?Is there a role for digital Parasitology? Dr. Pritt, Director of the Parasitology Laboratory at the Mayo Clinic provides us the answers to these questions and more. Want to learn more? Sign up for the workshop.... Link to blog: https://parasitewonders.blogspot.com Link to ...
Jun 08, 2023•43 min•Season 2Ep. 93
This episode is the conclusion of Dr. Wojewoda's story about her hospital's network going down. What was the overall effect of the network going down?What happened when the system came back up? Any lessons learned and advice? Tune in to find out. Questions? Feedback? Send those to [email protected] Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/letstalkmicro Buy me a Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/letstalkmicro...
Jun 01, 2023•24 min•Season 2Ep. 92
Those of us that work in the laboratory have experienced a downtime at some point or another. They tend to be about 4 hours long. What if the downtime went on for days? How would you perform tasks such as add-on testing or referencing cultures? What if the whole system was down? Dr. Christina Wojewoda from the University of Vermont Medical Center joins the podcast to tell her "horror" story of when the network at her hospital went down. This is part 1 of 2 episodes. Questions? Feedback? Send tho...
May 25, 2023•27 min•Season 2Ep. 91
This episodes features a conversation with Dr. Romney Humphries and Dr. April Abbott. They join the podcast to talk about a study where Piperacillin-Tazobactam (TZP) was evaluated. Testing results from automated systems were compared to a reference method. How did the systems perform? What are the challenges? What are CLSI breakpoints and FDA breakpoints? What is the MERINO trial? Tune in to find out. Link to article: https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jcm.01617-22 Questions? Feedback? Send th...
May 18, 2023•45 min•Season 2Ep. 90
This episode features a conversation with Dr. Louise Francois Watkins and Dr. Naeemah Logan from the CDC. They join the podcast to talk about extensively drug resistant Shigella (XDR). What is Shigella ? How is it transmitted? What makes it an XDR? Tune in to find out. Resources: Health Alert Network (HAN) - 00486 | Increase in Extensively Drug-Resistant Shigellosis in the United States ( cdc.gov ) Webinar Tuesday, February 28, 2023 - Epidemiology, Testing, and Management of Extensively Drug-Res...
May 11, 2023•26 min•Season 2Ep. 89
The 5th edition of the Clinical Microbiology Procedures Handbook (CMPH) was recently published. This is a resource from the American Society for Microbiology that is widely used in clinical laboratories. The editors-in-chief join the podcast to talk about it: Dr. Amy Leber and Dr. Carey-Ann Burnham . What is the CMPH and how it relates to Clinical Microbiology? What is new in this edition? Tune in to find out.Link to ClinMicroNow attached.
May 04, 2023•30 min•Season 2Ep. 88
Happy Lab week! Thank you for all you do. This episode features a conversation with Amanda Reed , director of the St. Louis University Medical Laboratory Sciences program (SLU-MLS). In addition to being the director, she also teaches Microbiology. Tune in to find out about their program, a talk about the importance of biochemicals , and more. They also have something called "Name that bug" that prepares students to recognize and learn about organisms.Link to program attached.
Apr 27, 2023•41 min•Season 2Ep. 87
This episode features a conversation with the team behind Bacteria Game: Mathilde Lescat, Nicolas Piñeros and Katie Teinallon. A good educator is always trying to find ways to improve and reach the students. There is a lot of information in Microbiology, so coming up with ways students can learn the material is very important. Mathilde Lescat came up with a game to teach students Microbiology. It is supported by the French Society for Microbiology and it is available in French and English. What ...
Apr 20, 2023•44 min•Season 2Ep. 86
This episode features a conversation with Dr. Andrea Prinzi and Dr. Rodney Rohde. They talk about an article titled "The Role of Bacterial Biofilms in Antimicrobial Resistance" What are biofilms? What organisms are seen in them? What role do they play in antimicrobial resistance (AMR)? Tune in to find out. Link to article: https://asm.org/Articles/2023/March/The-Role-of-Bacterial-Biofilms-in-Antimicrobial-Re Link to quorum sensing article: https://asm.org/Articles/2020/June/How-Quorum-Sensing-Wo...
Apr 13, 2023•35 min•Season 2Ep. 85
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a press release on March 20, 2023 about Candida auris . There is an increase in cases, so it is a good time to talk about it. Dr. Shawn Lockhart, from the Mycotic Diseases Branch of the CDC joins the podcast to talk about C. auris . What is C. auris ? How is it transmitted? What kind of antimicrobial resistance does it exhibit? Tune in to this episode to find out. Link to EPA's P list: https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-p...
Apr 06, 2023•27 min•Season 2Ep. 84
This episode features an interview with Dr. Kristen Pesavento, from the Medical Laboratory Sciences (MLS) program in Loyola University. Unlike traditional MLS programs where typically a bachelors degree is obtained upon completion, this program confers a Master of Science degree. What prerequisites do you need? Dr. Pesavento also talks about their summer immersion program, which takes place from May 17-19 of this year. Here students can get familiarized with Medical Laboratory Sciences.Link to L...
Mar 30, 2023•23 min•Season 2Ep. 83
This is part 2 of a two part series. Dr. Rachael Liesman goes over scenarios where genotypic and phenotypic testing do not match and what to do. What do you do when your molecular instrument detects mec-A and S taphylococcus aureus but your susceptibility report shows oxacillin susceptible? What about VanA and Enterococcus ? As Medical Laboratory Scientists in Microbiology, we encounter this type of situations. Tune in to find out how to troubleshoot these discrepancies. Link to Dr. Patricia Sim...
Mar 23, 2023•30 min•Season 2Ep. 82
Those of you that work in Clinical Microbiology have seen at one point that a molecular test detects a gene for antimicrobial resistance and the susceptibility profile does not match. What do we do then? In this episode Dr. Rachael Liesman joins to the podcast to talk about this. What is genotypic testing? What is phenotypic testing? How do we perform these in the lab? How do we troubleshoot these discrepancies? Tune in to this episode which is the first of a two part series to find out. Link to...
Mar 16, 2023•32 min•Season 2Ep. 81
This episode features an interview with the first graduate from the Doctorate in Clinical Laboratory Sciences (DCLS) program from Rutgers University: Dr. Brandy Gunsolus. What is the DCLS program? What are the requirements for this degree? What does a Doctor in Clinical laboratory Sciences does? Can they be directors? Tune in to find out about this career path for laboratorians and its contribution in Laboratory Medicine. Link to DCLS programs: https://shp.utmb.edu/clls/dcls/home https://shp.rut...
Mar 10, 2023•39 min•Season 2Ep. 80
