Épisodes

  • Trillion Dollar Microbes Make the Bioeconomy Go Round With Tim Donohue

    Trillion Dollar Microbes Make the Bioeconomy Go Round With Tim Donohue
    May 28 2024
    Episode Summary Timothy Donohue, Ph.D.—ASM Past President, University of Wisconsin Foundation Fetzer Professor of Bacteriologyand Director of the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) calls genomics a game-changer when it comes the potential of microbes to create renewable resources and products that can sustain the environment, economy and supply chain around the world. He also shares some exciting new advances in the field and discusses ways his research team is using microorganisms as nanofactories to degrade lignocellulose and make a smorgasbord of products with high economic value.

    Take the MTM listener survey! Ashley's Biggest Takeaways:
    • The bioeconomy can be broadly defined as the use of renewable resources, including microorganisms, to produce valuable goods, products and services.
    • Microbes have the potential to create products that cannot be made by existing synthetic chemistry routes.
    • Using raw, renewable resources to create a circular bioeconomy is beneficial to the environmental footprint, economic footprint and supply chain security around the globe.
    Links for This Episode:
    • The theme of our Spring 2024 Issue of Microcosm, our flagship member magazine is Microbes and the Bioeconomy: Greasing the Gears of Sustainability, launches this week and features an article based on this MTM conversation. If you are an ASM Member, check back on Wed., June 30 for the newly published content! Not a member? Consider renewing or signing up today, and begin exploring endless potential to boulster your career and network with professionals, like Donohue, in your field.
    • Get Bioeconomy Policy Updates.
    • Heading to ASM Microbe 2024? Check out this curated itinerary of sessions on the bioeconomy, including those discussing the use of algae for bioproduction and synthetic biology for natural product discovery.
    • Learn more about the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center.
    • MTM listener survey!
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    49 min
  • Rabies: The Diabolical Virus With Many Symptoms and Hosts With Rodney Rohde

    Rabies: The Diabolical Virus With Many Symptoms and Hosts With Rodney Rohde
    May 7 2024

    Rodney Rohde, Ph.D., Regents’ Professor and Chair of the Medical Laboratory Science Program at Texas State University discusses the many variants, mammalian hosts and diverse neurological symptoms of rabies virus.

    Take the MTM listener survey!

    Ashley’s Biggest Takeaways:
    • Prior to his academic career, Rohde spent a decade as a public health microbiologist and molecular epidemiologist with the Texas Department of State Health Services Bureau of Laboratories and Zoonosis Control Division, and over 30 years researching rabies virus.
    • While at the Department of Health Lab, Rohde worked on virus isolation using what he described as “old school” cell culture techniques, including immunoassays and hemagglutinin inhibition assays.
    • He also identified different variants of rabies virus, using molecular biology techniques.
    • Rohde spent time in the field shepherding oral vaccination programs that, according to passive surveillance methods have completely eliminated canine rabies in Texas.
    • In the last 30-40 years, most rabies deaths in the U.S. have been caused by bats.
    • Approximately 98% of the time rabies is transmitted through the saliva via a bite from a rabid animal.
    • Post-exposure vaccination must take place before symptoms develop in order to be protective.
    Links for This Episode:
    • Molecular epidemiology of rabies epizootics in Texas.
    • Bat Rabies, Texas, 1996–2000.
    • The Conversation: Rabies is an ancient, unpredictable and potentially fatal disease. Rohde and Charles Rupprecht, 2 rabies researchers, explain how to protect yourself.
    • The One Health of Rabies: It’s Not Just for Animals.
    • MTM listener survey!
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    55 min
  • Increasing Laboratory Capacity for TB Diagnosis With Aureliana Chambal

    Increasing Laboratory Capacity for TB Diagnosis With Aureliana Chambal
    Mar 9 2024
    ASM's Young Ambassador, Aureliana Chambal, discusses the high incidence of tuberculosis in Mozambique and how improved surveillance can help block disease transmission in low resource settings. Ashley's Biggest Takeaways: Mozambique is severely impacted by the TB epidemic, with one of the highest incidences in Africa (368 cases/ 100,000 people in the population).Human-adapted members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) belong to 7 different phylogenetic lineages.These 7 lineages may vary in geographic distribution, and have varying impacts on infection and disease outcome.For decades, 2 reference strains have been used for TB lab research, H37Rv, which Chambal mentions, and Erdman. Both of these belong to TB Lineage 4.According to Chambal, the reference strains that we use for whole genome sequencing (worldwide) may be missing genes that are related the virulence (and/or resistance) of strains that are circulating in a given population and detected in clinical settings.Chambal is endeavoring to employ a new strain to control these analyses and better understand transmission dynamics in the community setting. Featured Quotes: The Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the Future Fellowship is one of my proudest accomplishments for the 2023. I applied for this fellowship last year to pursue my Ph.D. It is a program that supports women coming from emerging and developing economies to pursue advanced research qualifications in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. I applied because I was looking to get more skills in microbiology, specifically tuberculosis, to pursue my Ph.D. at Nottingham Trent University. Pathway to Microbiology Research My trajectory is different because I have a bachelor’s in veterinary medicine. And during my undergrad, I always had more interest in the lab practice modules or disciplines. For the end of the [bachelor’s] project, I was looking to understand the anthelmintic effectiveness against the gastrointestinal parasites in goats. After I finished this project, I was looking to continue a related project, but unfortunately, I couldn't get work related to that.. In 2016, I applied for the National Institutes of Health of Mozambique, which is one of the biggest research institutions in my home country. That's when I was selected to work at the north region of Mozambique, specifically at the Nampula Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory. And then I moved to the public health laboratory as well, where I had the opportunity to work in the microbiology section. So, to be honest, my passion for microbiology started when I had the first contact with the TB lab, and then I couldn't separate myself from this area, tuberculosis. In 2016, I had the opportunity to receive a mentorship. Our lab, the TB lab of Nampula, received mentorship from the American Society for Microbiology. And we worked with Dr. Shirematee Baboolal; she was the mentor of our lab. The main idea of the program was to get the lab accredited and to build technical capacity in the lab. And to be honest, at the time, I didn't have much experience in lab techniques to detect or diagnosis tuberculosis. And I said to Dr. Shirematee, “I don't have much experience in this area, so, I don't know if I will be able to help you to accomplish these goals.” And she said, “If you want to learn, I can teach you, and you can be one of the best in this area.” And then we started training with her. It was very interesting. The passion she passed to us about microbiology—and tuberculosis, in particular—was one of the triggers for my passion in this area. So, to be honest, Dr. Shirematee Baboolal was one of the persons that triggered my interest from tuberculosis. So, I have to say thank you to her! Tuberculosis Genomic Diversity and Transmission Dynamics Mozambique is one of the higher burden countries of tuberculosis. So, our population is about 33 million people. And the case rate is high, it is approximately 360 per 100,000 people in the population, which is equivalent to over 110,000, which is equivalent 211,000 cases in the population. So, while I was working for the TB lab, I always had the desire to understand more about the transmission of the disease in the community. And I felt like I didn't have enough skills to do that; I didn't the tools to do that. And I said, “Okay, let me try to look to improve the skills.” That's why for my master's degree I tried to understand the genomic diversity of M. tuberculosis and see how we can see the gene content diversity within the lineage for which is the most spread lineage worldwide, and is predominant in Mozambique. Afterwards, I tried to expand to the other lineages. When I finished my master's degree, I felt that it was still missing something. I had the information about [TB] diversity, but I didn't get the point about transmission itself. That's why, when I went back and applied for my Ph.D., I structured my current project to specifically...
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    35 min
  • Good Science, Bad Science and How to Make it Better with Ferric Fang and Arturo Casadevall

    Good Science, Bad Science and How to Make it Better with Ferric Fang and Arturo Casadevall
    Jan 26 2024

    The scientific process has the power to deliver a better world and may be the most monumental human achievement. But when it is unethically performed or miscommunicated, it can cause confusion and division. Drs. Fang and Casadevall discuss what is good science, what is bad science and how to make it better.

    Get the book! Thinking about Science: Good Science, Bad Science, and How to Make It Better
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    59 min
  • Using AI to Understand How the Gut-Brain Axis Points to Autism With James Morton

    Using AI to Understand How the Gut-Brain Axis Points to Autism With James Morton
    Dec 11 2023

    Dr. James Morton discusses how the gut microbiome modulates brain development and function with specific emphasis on how the gut-brain axis points to functional architecture of autism.

    Watch James' talk from ASM Microbe 2023: Using AI to Glean Insights From Microbiome Data https://youtu.be/hUQls359Spo
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    44 min
  • Atypical Metabolism of Leishmania and Other Parasitic and Free-Living Protists With Michael Ginger

    Atypical Metabolism of Leishmania and Other Parasitic and Free-Living Protists With Michael Ginger
    Oct 31 2023

    Dr. Michael ginger, Dean of the School of Applied Sciences in the Department of Biological and geographical Science at the University of Huddersfield, in West Yorkshire, England discusses the atypical metabolism and evolutionary cell biology of parasitic and free-living protists, including Leishmania, Naegleria and  even euglinids.
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    44 min
  • IBS Biomarkers and Diagnostic Diapers With Maria Eugenia Inda-Webb

    IBS Biomarkers and Diagnostic Diapers With Maria Eugenia Inda-Webb
    Sep 22 2023
    Dr. Maria Eugenia Inda-Webb, Pew Postdoctoral Fellow working in the Synthetic Biology Center at MIT builds biosensors to diagnose and treat inflammatory disorders in the gut, like inflammatory bowel disease and celiac disease. She discusses how “wearables,” like diagnostic diapers and nursing pads could help monitor microbiome development to treat the diseases of tomorrow.   Subscribe (free) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Android, RSS or by email. Ashley's Biggest Takeaways Biosensors devices that engineer living organisms or biomolocules to detect and report the presence of certain biomarkers.  The device consists of a bioreceptor (bacteria) and a reporter (fluorescent protein or light).Inda-Webb’s lab recently published a paper in Nature about using biosensors (Sub-1.4 cm3 capsule) to detect inflammatory biomarkers in the gut. The work is focused on diagnosing and treating inflammatory bowel disease, but Inda-Webb acknowledged that that is a large research umbrella.The next step for this research is to monitor the use of the biosensor in humans to determine what chemical concentrations are biologically relevant and to show that it is safe for humans to ingest the device.It is believed that the gut microbiome in humans develops in the first 1000 days to 3 years of life.Early dysbiosis in the gut has been linked to disease in adulthood. However, we do not have a good way to monitor (and/or influence) microbiome development.Inda-Webb hopes to use biosensors in diapers (wearables) to monitor microbiome development and prevent common diseases in adulthood.In 2015, Inda-Webb became ASM’s first Agar Art Contest winner for her piece, “Harvest System.”Inda-Webb is the 2023 winner of the ASM Award for Early Career Environmental Research, which recognizes an early career investigator with distinguished research achievements that have improved our understanding of microbes in the environment, including aquatic, terrestrial and atmospheric settings. Learn More About ASM’s Awards Program Featured Quotes: We engineer bacteria to sense particular molecules of interest—what we call biomarkers—if they are associated with a disease. And then, we engineer a way that the bacteria will produce some kind of molecule that we can measure—what we call reporter—so that could be a fluorescent protein or light, like the one that we have in this device. The issue is that inflammation in the gut is really very difficult to track. There are no real current technologies to do that. That is like a black box. And so, most of what we measure is what comes out from the gut, and has its limitations. It doesn't really represent the chemical environment that you have inside, especially in areas where you're inflamed. So, we really needed technologies to be able to open a window in these areas. The final device that I am actually bringing here is a little pill that the patient would swallow and get into the gut. And then they engineer bacteria that the biosensors, will detect, let's say, nitrous oxide, which is a very transient molecule. And the bacteria are engineered to respond to that in some way—to communicate with the electronics that will wirelessly transmit to your cell phone. And from there, to the gastroenterologist. We make the bacteria produce light. If they sense nitrous oxide, they produce light, the electronics read that, and the [information] finally gets into your phone. Part of the challenge was that we needed to make the electronics very very tiny to be able to fit inside the capsule. And also, the amount of bacteria that we use also is only one microliter. And so, imagine one microliter of bacteria producing a tiny amount of light. Finally, the electronics need to be able to read it. So that has been also part of the challenge. In this case, you have 4 different channels. One is a reference, and then the other 3 are the molecule of your choice. So, for example, what we show in the paper here is that we can even follow a metabolic pathway. So, you can see one more molecule turn into the other one, then into the other one. I'm really excited about that. Because normally we kind of guess as things are happening, you know, but here you can see in real time how the different molecules are changing over time. I think that's pretty exciting for microbiologist. The immediate application would be for a follow up. Let's say the patient is going to have a flare, and so you could predict it more much earlier. Or there's a particular treatment, and you want to see what is happening [inside the gut]. But for me, as a microbiologist, one of the things I'm most excited about will be more in the longer term. One of my favorite experiments that I do with the students is the Winogradsky column, and everyone gets super excited. So, we all have nice feelings for that. And it’s basically a column where we asked the students to bring mud from a lake, for example, and then some sources of ...
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    32 min
  • Think Fungus Early: Preventing Angioinvasion Via Early Detection With Gary Procop

    Think Fungus Early: Preventing Angioinvasion Via Early Detection With Gary Procop
    Sep 1 2023

    Dr. Gary Procop, CEO of the American Board of pathology and professor of pathology at the Cleveland Clinic, Lerner School of Medicine discusses the importance of early detection and diagnosis in order to prevent fungal invasion leading to poor outcomes, particularly in immunocompromised patients. He emphasizes the importance of thinking fungus early, shares his passion for mentoring and talks about key updates in the recently released 7th Edition of Larone’s Medically Important Fungi.

    Ashley's Biggest Takeaways
    • Many invasive fungal infections are angiotrophic, meaning they actually grow toward, and into, blood vessels.
    • Once the fungus has penetrated the blood vessel, the blood essentially clots, causing tissue downstream from the blood clot to die (infarction).
    • When tissues that have been excised are viewed under the microscope, hyphal elements can be seen streaming toward or invading through the wall of the blood vessels. Once the clot forms, those hyphal elements can be seen in the center of the blood vessel where only blood should be.
    • Antifungals cannot be delivered to areas where the blood supply has stopped. Therefore, treatment requires a combined surgical and medical approach, and the process is very invasive.
    • Early detection can prevent these bad outcomes by allowing antifungal treatment to be administered before angioinvasion occurs.
    Links for the Episode:
    • Expand your clinical mycology knowledge with the recently released 7th edition of Larone's Medically Important Fungi: A Guide to Identification. Written by a new team of authors, Lars F. Westblade, Eileen M. Burd, Shawn R. Lockhart and Gary W. Procop, this updated edition continues the legacy of excellence established by founding author, Davise H. Larone.
      Since its first edition, this seminal text has been treasured by clinicians and medical laboratory scientists worldwide. The 7th edition carries forward the longstanding tradition of providing high-quality content to educate and support the identification of more than 150 of the most encountered fungi in clinical mycology laboratories.

      Get your copy today with $1 flat rate shipping within the U.S. or order the e-book! ASM members enjoy 20% off at checkout using the member promo code.

    Let us know what you thought about this episode by tweeting at us @ASMicrobiology or leaving a comment on facebook.com/asmfan.
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    41 min