This Week in Microbiology

TWiM explains how an enhanced domestication method allows for growth of uncultured bacteria, and identification of the oncogene SLC35F2 as is a high-specificity transporter for the micronutrients queuine and queuosine. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, and Michele Swanson. Guest: Mark O. Martin Become a patron of TWiM. Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission. Links for this episode Domestication method for uncultured bacteria (ISME Comm) Transporter for the micronutrients queuine and queuosine (PNAS) How diet and microbiome can impact your health (UF blog) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM explains a candidate signature of health in the gut microbial community, and how an intestinal bacterium exacerbates cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Michele Swanson and Petra Levin. Become a patron of TWiM. Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission. Links for this episode A candidate signature of health in the gut microbiome (Cell Host Microbe) 204,938 reference genomes from the human gut microbiome (Nat Biotech) A human gut metagenome-assembled genome catalogue spanning 41 countries (Nat Micro) A comprehensive ruminant microbial catalog (Gigascience) Bacteroides acidifaciens exacerbates cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury (Cell Host Microbe) The Great Ozempic Experiment (NY Times, paywall) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM explains how to use microbes to enhance maize yield and reduce corn rootworm damage, and how the human microbiota modulates IgE-mediated reactions to foods through allergen metabolism. Hosts: Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin, and Michele Swanson. Guest: Mark O. Martin Become a patron of TWiM. Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission. Links for this episode Harnessing Microbes for Crop Production (Phytobiome J) Microbes take on corn rootworm (Science) Microbial metabolism of food allergens (Cell Host Microbe) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM reveals the archaeal roots of eukaryotic life, and a building a gut malabsorption biosensor with bacteria. Become a patron of TWiM. Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission. Links for this episode The archaeal roots of eukaryotic life (PNAS) Building a malabsorption biosensor (Cell) Engineering gut biosensors with microbes (Nature) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM discusses the use of bacteriophage-loaded microneedle patches for targeted and minimally disruptive foodborne pathogen decontamination, and a conjugal gene drive-like system that efficiently suppresses antibiotic resistance in bacteria. Become a patron of TWiM.   Links for this episode:   Bacteriophage-loaded microneedle patches for food (Sci Adv) Gene drive to suppress antibiotic resistance (npj antimicrob and resistance) CRISPR gene drives (Syntego) Bier laboratory Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission. Send your microbiology questions and comments to [email protected]

Nancy and Maggie join TWiM to share how and why they created a freely available ebook of TWiM-based science literacy resources and classroom exercises that support teaching across key microbiology and molecular biology topics. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode: <ul style= "margin-top: 0px; margi

TWiM explains how mechano-bactericidal surfaces made from diverse materials and patterned with spikes kill bacteria on contact, and virus-host evolution is reshaped by microgravity aboard the International Space Station. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode: <p dir="ltr" style= "line-height: 1

TWiM explains the finding that owning a dog during adolescence alters the microbiota and improves mental health, and the molecular basis for multidrug efflux by an anaerobic-associated resistance-nodulation-cell division transporter. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Michele Swanson and Petra Levin. Become a patron of TWiM. Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission. Links for this episode Dog ownership and the microbiome during adolescence (iScience) Molecular basis for multidrug efflux (Nat Comm) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM explains how S. aureus pathogenicity is a dynamic, niche-specific choreography that constantly recalibrates in response to the host microenvironment, and short chain fatty acids produced by commensal microbiota reduces its competitive fitness. Hosts: Michael Schmidt, Michele Swanson and Petra Levin. Guest: Mark O. Martin Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode: Niche-specific fitness of S. aureus at the wound edge (Nat Comm) Commensal derived

TWiM explains how competition for nutrients anticipates and potentially mitigate drug side effects on the gut microbiota, and metabolic control of porin permeability influences antibiotic resistance. Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt and Petra Levin Guest: Mark O. Martin Become a patron <span style= "font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; fo

TWiM explains a biological mechanism that links sulfur and iron cycling in anoxic environments, and "swashing," a form of surface movement in which bacteria migrate without active propulsion. Hosts:  Michael Schmidt, Michele Swanson, and Petra Levin Guest: Mark O. Martin Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts, RSS, or by email. Links for this episode Sulfur and iron cycling in anoxic environments (Nature) Bacterial surface migration by swashing (J Bacteriol) Become a Patron of TWiM! Music used on TWiM is by Ronald Jenkees. Send your microbiology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiM reveals the bacteria, acids, and enzymes behind yogurt made with ants, and a defined set of microbes that reproduces attributes of fine flavor chocolate fermentation Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, and Petra Levin Guest: Mark O. Martin Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode: Making yogurt with ants (iScience) The Alchemist Restaurant <li dir="ltr" style

TWiM explores two different ways that bacteria defend against phages through the synthesis of cyclic nucleotides. Hosts: Michael Schmidt and Mark O. Martin Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode: Decoy cyclic nucleotides in phage defense (Nature) CRISPR defense with nucleotides (Nature) <li dir="ltr" style= "list-style-type: disc; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"

TWiM explains studies that show that the oral bacterial and fungal microbiome are risk factors for pancreatic cancer, and the gut microbiome and pyruvate metabolism of older adults are a link between sleep quality and frailty. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, and Michele Swanson. Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Android, RSS, or by email. Become a patron of TWiM. Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission. Links for this episode Oral microbiome and pancreatic cancer risk (JAMA Oncol) 2025 Cancer Facts & Figures (ACS) Periodontal Disease: The Good, The Bad, and The Unknown (Front Cell Infect Micro) Socransky's disease complexes (Microorg) Microbiome, pyruvate metabolism, sleep quality, and frailty (Cell Rep) Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (pdf) <a href= "https://www.sleep.pitt.edu/sites/default

TWiM reveals a Vibrio as the causative agent of sea star wasting disease, and using microcolony-seq to uncover phenotypic inheritance from single cells. Hosts:  Michael Schmidt and Michele Swanson Guest: Mark O. Martin Become a patron <span style= "font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sa

TWiM explores the varied and distinct microbiome of trees, and an array of biopesticidal metabolites against mosquito larvae isolated from a Mediterranean island. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode: <li dir="ltr" style= "list-style

TWiM pays tribute to Elio Schaechter, former TWiM host, blogger, and microbiologist extraordinaire, then reviews the finding that Archaea produce peptidoglycan hydrolases that kill bacteria - a form of competition. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Michele Swanson and Petra Levin. Guest Mark O. Martin. Become a patron of TWiM. Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission. Links for this episode Elio Schaechter (Wikipedia) Elio Schaechter Funeral Service (video) Archaea produce peptidoglycan hydrolases that kill bacteria (PLoS Biol) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM discusses outbreak of Legionnaires disease in Harlem NY, an automated whole genome sequencing platform for bacterial strain typing in clinical microbiology laboratories, building E. coli with a 57-codon genetic code. Links for this episode Legionnaires' disease outbreak in NY (NY Health) Automated whole genome sequencing for clinical labs (J Clin Micro) Sequencing workflow for outbreaks (J Clin Micro) Rewriting code of life (NYTimes) E. coli with a 57-codon genetic code (Science) E. coli with one stop codon (TWiM 330) Become a patron of TWiM. Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission.

TWiM explains a study that examines pathogen presence in ancient humans and concludes that zoonoses emerged 6500 years ago with the domestication of livestock, and determination of universal rules that govern plasmid copy number. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Michele Swanson, and Petra Levin Guests: Mark O. Martin Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode: Human pathogens in ancient Eurasia (Nature) What once <a style="text-decoration: none;" href= "https://w

TWiM explores the use of gas sensors and machine learning to identify microbes and antimicrobial resistance in clinical specimens, and how a harmful algal bloom species releases thiamin antivitamins to suppress competitors.   Become a patron of TWiM.   <span style= "font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-va

TWiM explains two strategies for bacterial competition for resources: by laying down a slippery lipid and pushing away competitors, or by breaking open cells with a spike, liberating essential nutrients. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode: <p dir="ltr" style= "line-height: 1.38; margin-ri

TWiM describes how microbiological analysis of the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn has revealed an antimicrobial resistance reservoir and bioremediation potential, and fungicide resistance in Fusarium graminearum, the fungus recently smuggled into the US. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, and Petra Levin. Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Android, RSS, or by email. Become a patron of TWiM. Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission. Links for this episode Microbiology of the Gowanus Canal (J. Appl. Micro) Microbes clean up Gowanus (BrooklynPaper) Fungicide resistance in Fusarium (Pathogens) Couple smuggles fungal pathogen into US (NBC) Fusarium and wheat-management strategies (Pathogens) Laboratory Biosafety (pdf) NIH Biosafety (NIH) <a href="https://asm.org/twimpoll" ta

TWiM explains how a mutualistic model bacterium can become lethal in a non-symbiotic host, and engineering a kill switch into a tuberculosis vaccine for improved safety. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin and Michele Swanson. Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Android, RSS, or by email. Become a patron of TWiM. Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission. Links for this episode When a mutualist becomes lethal (mBio) A lasting symbiosis (Nat Rev Micro) A kill switch for BCG (Nat Micro) Engineering mycobacteria for vaccination (Nat Micro) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM explains a study of the unique and extreme microbial and chemical environment on the International Space Station, and the connection between the gut microbiome and pain in fibromyalgia. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, and Michele Swanson. Become a patron of TWiM. Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission. Links for this episode ISS chemical and microbial environment (Cell) Gut microbiota and fibromyalgia pain (Neuron) Gut pain eases after doses of gut microbes (Nature) Skin innervation and fibromyalgia pain (Ann Neurol) Altered microbiome in fibromyalgia (Pain) Intestinal microbiome and fibromyalgia (Intl J Rheum Dis) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM describes isolation of a novel bacterial species isolated from the China Space Station, and how a chemical radar allows bacteria to detect and kill predators. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, and Petra Levin. Guest Mark O. Martin. Become a patron of TWiM. Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission. Links for this episode Niallia tiangongensis from the China Space Station (Int J Syst Evol Biol) Bacterial chemical radar (Cell) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM explains how to recode E. coli so it uses only one stop codon, and an exploration of the mechanisms of bacterial adhesion within dental plaque. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin and Michele Swanson. Become a patron of TWiM. Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission. Links for this episode Engineering E. coli with one stop codon (Nature) Bacterial adhesion in dental plaque (mBio) Microbial complexes in subgingival plaque (J Clin Periodontol) Bacterial clusters in periodontal and peri-implant diseases (Microorg) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM explains Pasteur's relentless hunt for microbes in the air, and how bacteria hunt for prey by ixotrophy - using grappling hooks! Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin and Michele Swanson. Become a patron of TWiM. Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission. Links for this episode Pasteur's hunt for microbes in the air (NYTimes) Bacterial predation by ixotrophy (Science) Enter the pirates (STC) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM describes Shigella infection is facilitated by interaction of human enteric α-defensin 5 with a colonic epithelial receptor, and an amino acid change in RNA polymerase that leads to resistance to β-lactams by preventing dysregulation of amino acid and nucleotide metabolism Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin and Michele Swanson. Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Android, RSS, or by email. Become a patron of TWiM. Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission. Links for this episode National Black HIV/AIDS awareness day (CDC) Shigella infection and human enteric alpha-defensin 5 (Nature Microbio) RNA polymerase amino acid change and resistance to beta-lactams (Cell Rep) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM explains the remarkable abilities of bacterial ice nucleating proteins to promote freezing of water, and cryoprotective proteins produced by worm microbiomes that prevent freezing. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin and Michele Swanson. Become a patron of TWiM. Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission. Links for this episode Worm microbiomes produce crytoprotective proteins (Sci Adv) Biological antifreeze in Antarctic fishes (Sciece) Enhancement of bacterial ice nucleators (PNAS) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM explores the discovery of microbial enzymes, PETases, that can degrade ubiquitous plastics, and how exogenous peptidoglycan is a danger signal to trigger biofilm formation. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Michele Swanson. Guest Mark O. Martin. Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Android, RSS, or by email. Become a patron of TWiM. Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission. Links for this episode Discovery of PET depolymerases (Science) Exogenous peptidoglycan triggers biofilm formation (Nat Micro) What is a biofilm? (Vimeo) Peptidoglycan as a PAMP/MAMP (Immunol Rev) Light organ formation triggered by peptidoglycan (Science) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM reveals that record high atmospheric methane growth has been driven by microbes, and the cecum as an adaptive niche for Salmonella typhi. Hosts: Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin and Michele Swanson. Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Android, RSS, or by email. Become a patron of TWiM. Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission. Links for this episode Why a potent greenhouse gas is rising (WaPo) Microbial emissions drove record high atmospheric methane growth (PNAS) Salmonella biofilm formation in the cecum (mBio) Typhoid Mary (The Collector) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

From ASMCUE 2024, the conference on undergraduate education, TWiM speaks with Becky, Melanie, and Katriana about their careers and how they use TWiM in undergraduate microbiology education. Hosts: Michael Schmidt and Mark O. Martin Guests: Becky Seipel-Thiemann, Melanie Melendrez-Vallard, and Katriana Popichak Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Android, RSS, or by email. Become a patron of TWiM. Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission. Links for this episode Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM describes how to make concrete more 'green' by using microbes, and bacterial bioluminescence as an important regulator of multitrophic interactions in the soil. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Michele Swanson and and Mark O. Martin. Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RSS, or by email. Become a patron of TWiM. Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission. Links for this episode Construction nanobiotechnology for concrete (Appl Env Micro) Self-healing concrete (Sci Tot Environ) Microbe-inspired self-healing concrete (Front Struct Civil Eng) Bacterial bioluminescence regulates multitrophic interactions in the soil (Cell Rep) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM explains how ticagrelor alters the membrane of S. aureus and enhances the activity of vancomycin and daptomycin without eliciting cross-resistance, and the development of a novel continuous disinfectant technology that decreases healthcare-associated infections in ICUs by 70%. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, and Michele Swanson. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode Ticagrelor and S. aureus (mBio) Novel disinfectant technology (Am J Inf Control) UVC-LED to inactivate foodborne pathogens (Appl Envir Micro) UV disinfection systems (ACS Photonics) High-touch surfaces in specialized patient care area (CDC) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM focuses on recent foodborne outbreaks of bacterial infections, and how nanopore sequencing technology can be used to identify pathogenic microbes and antimicrobial resistance genes in food products. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin and Michele Swanson. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode Foodborne outbreaks (CDC) Race to nourish a warming world (Gates Foundation) Nanopore sequencing of foods (Food Microbiol) How is Oxford Nanopore used? (YouTube) Introduction to Nanopore sequencing (YouTube) Methods for detecting foodborne pathogens (Appl Micro Biotech) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM travels to the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases to learn how research conducted at USAMRIID leads to vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, and training programs that protect both warfighters and civilians. Hosts: Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin and Michele Swanson. Guests: Norman Kreiselmeir, Christopher K Coat, Keersten Ricks, and Eric Nguyen Links for this episode: U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases Threading the NEIDL (TWiV 200) Unintentional importation of B. pseudomallei into US (Emerg Inf Dis) Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode Engineering the cow for less methane emissions (WaPo) Precision microbiome editing (Audacious Project) Giant viruses carry antibiotic resistance genes (Nat Commun) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM explains a project to engineer the cow microbiome to reduce emissions of methane, and the finding of antibiotic resistance genes in the genomes of giant viruses. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin and Michele Swanson. Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Android, RSS, or by email. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode Engineering the cow for less methane emissions (WaPo) Precision microbiome editing (Audacious Project) Giant viruses carry antibiotic resistance genes (Nat Commun) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM explains how bacterial community structure can be used to predict athletic performance in racehorses, and the idea that a tiny fraction of all species forms most of Nature. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin and Mark O. Martin. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode Microbiome picks a winner (Sci Rep) Picking a Winner by Reading the Form Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes by Stephen Jay Gould How much does it cost to breed a horse? Date of birth and purchase price as foals or yearlings and race performance Rarity as a sticky state (PNAS) How many species on Earth? (PLoS Biol) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM explains unique modifications in the energy conservation pathways linked to methanogenesis in an Archaeon, and mechanisms of white nose fungal invasion of cells from the Little Brown Bat. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin and Michele Swanson. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode Methyl-reducing methanogenesis (Nature) Pathogenic strategies of Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Science) Adaptive fungal invasion of bat cells (Science) Little brown bat (Critter Catalog) Nature Notes: Little Brown Bat (Harpswell) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM describes experiments to explore gut microbiota signatures of vulnerability to food addiction in mice and humans, and how a phage tail-like protein suppresses competitors in populations of bacteria of plants. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin and Michele Swanson. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode Gut microbiota and food addiction (Probiotics) Blautia may have probiotic properties (Gut Microbes) Blautia wexlerae ameliorates obesity and type 2 diabetes (Nat Commun) Phage tail–like bacteriocin suppresses competitors (Science) What is a bacteriocin? (Front Micro) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM explores evolution and host adaptation of Pseudomonas infections of plants, and the impact of COVID-19 on ESBL-producing E. coli on urinary tract and blood infections. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Michael Schmidt. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode Evolution and host adaptation of Pseudomonas (Science) Type III secretion system, infection by injection (Nat Comm) Demographic inference with skyline plots (Peer J) Skyline plots (Taming the Beast) Panaroo, a bacterial genome analysis pipeline (Wellcome Sanger Inst) Impact of COVID-19 on ESBL-producing E. coli infections (Antimicro Resist Inf Control) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission. Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM explores the deep-dwelling microbes that sculpt our planet, and the use of microbes in bioelectronics to manage inflammation. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin and Michele Swanson. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode Deep-dwelling microbes that sculpt our planet (NY Times) Living bioelectronics resolve inflammation (Science) Active biointegrated living electronics for managing inflammation (Science) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

From ASM Microbe in Atlanta, Georgia, Arturo joins TWiM to reveal the threats that fungi pose to human health, including the notorious Candida auris and many more and how committed experts are researching ways to save us and our food supplies. Hosts: Michael Schmidt, Mark O. Martin Guest: Arturo Casadevall Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/nKJe5xNUocU Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode Disaster mycology (Biomedica) Emergence of C. auris (mBio) What if fungi win? (JHU Press) Thinking about Science: Good Science, Bad Science, and How to Make It Better (Amazon) Recorded at ASM Microbe 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. Join us at the next ASM Microbe by visiting us at asm.org/microbe Matters Microbial Take the TWiM Listener survey! Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission. Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM explains a new mechanism for preventing lysogeny through temperate phage-antibiotic synergy, and Salmonella expansion in the murine gut dependency on aspartate derived from reactive oxygen species-mediated microbiota lysis. Hosts: Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin and Michele Swanson. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode Temperate phage-antibiotic synergy (mBio) Salmonella expansion dependent on aspartate (Cell Host Micr) Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis (Wiki) A Genetic Switch by Mark Ptashne Lysis timing and bacteriophage fitness (Genetics) HK97 capsid assembly (Ad Exp Med Biol) Mode of action of fluoroquinolones (Drugs) Salmonella a foodborne pathogen (CDC) Freeman Hrabowski Scholars Program (HHMI) Sam Kaplan - 30 years of Microbiology (McGovern Medical School) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM explores how climate change may be increasing our risks to infectious disease and then how the Odyssey literally comes alive in our microbial world but fear not, unlike the Trojans, the bacteria are fighting back and have developed resistance to this novel class of newly developed antimicrobials.    Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode: Environmental changes fueling diseases (NY Times) Global change drivers and risk of infectious diseases (Nature) First reported cefiderocol-resistant E. coli in Canada (Clin Micro) E. coli cells explode (YouTube) Music used on TWiM is composed and performed by Ronald Jenkees and used with permission. Send your microbiology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiM explores the plasticity of the adult human small intestinal stoma microbiota, and survival and rapid resuscitation that permit limited productivity in desert microbial communities. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin and Michele Swanson. Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Android, RSS, or by email. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode Plasticity of small intestinal stoma microbiome (Cell Host Micr) Desert microbial communities (Nat Comm) How soil microbes survive in the desert (Science Daily) Negev Desert (WikiCommons) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

Today on TWiM, a charcuterie invasion, and how that acid in your stomach may protect from the invading hordes of microbes. Hosts: Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin and Michele Swanson. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode 2024 Salmonella outbreak linked to charcuterie meats  Multitier regulation of the E. coli extreme acid stress response by CsrA Commentary: Peeling the onion: additional layers of regulation in the acid stress response Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM reviews a case of E. faecium bacteremia treated with combination bacteriophage and antibiotic therapy, and how dopamine receptor D2 confers colonization resistance via microbial metabolites. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin and Michele Swanson. Guest: Mark O. Martin Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode Matters Microbial Distinct Fusobacterium dominates colorectal cancer (Nature) Bacterial subspecies that might drive colon cancer (Nature) A bacterial strain linked to colon cancer (Nature) Spatial perspective on bacteria in tumors (Nature) Colorectal cancer in the young (Yale Med) Surface colonization by Flavobacterium johnsoniae promotes its survival (mBio) THOR, a model microbiome (mBio) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM reviews a case of E. faecium bacteremia treated with combination bacteriophage and antibiotic therapy, and how dopamine receptor D2 confers colonization resistance via microbial metabolites. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin and Michele Swanson. Subscribe to TWiM (free) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Android, RSS, or by email. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode Vincent's interviews at SXSW Bacteriophage and antibiotic therapy for E. faecium bacteremia (mBio) Dopamine receptor D2 confers colonization resistance (Nature) CDC's Reports of Selected E. coli Outbreak Investigations Brett Finlay's narrated EPEC animation Colonization resistance by gut microbial metabolome (ACS Chem Biol) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]

TWiM discusses the identification of natural products from reconstructed ancient bacterial genomes, and how plant mRNAs move into a fungal pathogen via extracellular vesicles to reduce infection. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, and Petra Levin. Become a patron of TWiM. Links for this episode Natural products from ancient bacterial genomes (Science) Plant mRNAs move into fungal pathogens (Cell Host Microb) Take the TWiM Listener survey! Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to [email protected]