MicrobeWorld

The spring semester has begun at Columbia University, which means that it is time to teach my virology course. The fourth annual installment of my virology course, Biology W3310, has begun. This course, which I taught for the first time in 2009, is intended for advanced undergraduates and conven... Read More

With the news of a trial badger cull in England as an attempt to reduce the levels of Mycobacterium bovis or bovine TB in cattle, this post reviews why it is so important to reduce the level of the organism in the cattle and badger populations. Read More

The CDC has just released a general question and answers document on 2009 H1N1 influenza A vaccine safety.

"We expect the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine to have a similar safety profile as seasonal flu vaccines, which have a very good safety track record. Over the years, hundreds of millions of ... Read More

Alaric writes:

Hello Vince and Dick,

I just found your podcast and I love it! You have some wonderfully witty banter.

I am only on my 4th episode (that's what you call a podcast segment right?), and have a question pertaining to my original reason for ... Read More

El podcast del Microbio Nº 300 and 301 is dedicated to Joseph Lister, the British surgeon pioneer of antiseptic surgery, o... Read More

In early 2012 influenza virus researchers around the world decided to stop working on highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus. This decision came after work from the Fouchier and Kawaoka laboratories revealed the isolation of influenza H5N1 strains that can be passed among ferrets by aeroso... Read More

Dr. Christine Hoang, Assistant Director of The American Veterinary Medical Association’s Scientific Activities Division responds to a five minute Q & A about E.coli from a consumer/food safety perspective.

{mp3remote}http://www.avmamedia.org/manage/mediaimg/s214-e.%20coli%20(huang).mp3{/mp3re... Read More

John writes:

Dear Vincent and Dickson,

I just heard your most recent TWIP. Please keep these podcasts going! I love listening to your podcasts and hearing your enthusiasm for my favorite biological topic, parasites. Remember that for every fan... Read More

El podcast del Microbio Nº 162 is dedicated to the article by Heijtz et al. on the role of gut microbiota in brain developm... Read More

Due to blogger problems, I reloaded this entry. El podcast del Microbio Nº208 is about the experiments done by Deguchi on M... Read More

This is a really interesting paper specifically on Red clover necrotic mosaic virus replication and implicitly on positive sense RNA virus replication. There is a very satisfying model proposed that is very "blow your hair back"-like. Read More

Maryn McKenna, a contributing writer for the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota and media fellow at the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, discusses MRSA in this promotional video for her new book "Superbug: The Fatal Menace of MRSA."

 ... Read More

A guest post on Small Things Considered by S. Marvin Friedman, Professor Emeritus, Department of Biological Sciences, Hunter College of CUNY, New York City, reviews the various mechanisms thermophiles and hyperthermophiles may use to proliferate at extreme temperatures. Friedman wonders whether ... Read More

Does a bacterium’s cell wall, shape, way of moving, and environment really matter?

Yes! The more we know about bacteria, the more we are able to figure out how to make microbes work for us or stop dangerous ones from causing serious harm. And, for those of us who like to ponder more philosop... Read More

Developing tricks and tools to keep their enzymes in order is one way thermophiles survive. They also use techniques to keep their DNA from falling apart under intense heat. Like proteins, the parts of the long, spiral ladder-shaped DNA molecule start to unravel and break apart under high hea... Read More

In this blog post, I describe a simple "colony transformation" experiment I have done with my freshman students, illustrating transformation, antibiotic resistance, and GFP. The visual aspects help drive home the points effectivel. Read More

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Read More

The risk of being infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is substantially enhanced in individuals with other sexually transmitted diseases. For example, infection with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) increases the risk ratio of acquiring HIV from 2 to 4. Explanations for t... Read More

Every day from 10 AM - 4 PM Eastern Standard Time, the Smithsonian Institution hosts Microtheater: A tremendous array of organisms is too small to be seen with the naked eye. This microscope cam offers an up-close glimpse of such little-known life forms as paramecia, rotifers, amoebas, and volvo... Read More

Sourdough bread resists mold, unlike conventionally leavened bread. Now Michael Gaenzle and colleagues of the University of Alberta, Edmonton, show why. During sourdough production, bacteria convert the linoleic acid in bread flour to a compound that has powerful antifungal activity. The researc... Read More