Category Archives: Microbiology

Maybe This Blogging Thing Does Some Good After All

Posted on May 3, 2012 by

Global Communications Headquarters of the Mad Biologist (from here) From the Mad Biologist’s far-flung global network of correspondents, we receive the following: Hey, just a quick thanks – your link to the Scientific American article about putting bee honey on … Continue reading →

Posted in Antibiotics, Education, Microbiology | 1 Comment

Are Deer the Reservoir for Shiga-Toxinogenic E. coli (STEC)?

Posted on April 9, 2012 by

THIS IS THE FACE OF THE ENEMY! (from here) A recent paper in Applied and Environment Microbiology describes the frequency of STEC–Shiga toxin producing E. coli–in wild animals. STEC can cause organ failure and death and are found throughout E. … Continue reading →

Posted in E. coli, Food, Microbiology, Public Health

George Whipple, the Chestnut Hill Biological Laboratory, and Water Safety

Posted on March 22, 2012 by

It’s hard for those of us in developed countries in the 21st century to realize how clean, potable water radically changed life in 19th century cities. Rather than being breeding grounds for cholera and other water-born diseases, people could live … Continue reading →

Posted in Boston, Microbiology, Public Health | 5 Comments

Belated Movie Review: Contagion

Posted on March 18, 2012 by

Between Netflix and the inability of modern Americans to behave in public places, I don’t really see a lot of movies in the theater (unless I can manage to catch a weekday late afternoon showing). So I’m often late to … Continue reading →

Posted in Microbiology, Movies, Public Health | 1 Comment

So How Will the Ag Lobby Explain This?

Posted on February 22, 2012 by

A brand spanking new paper in mBio describes how a clone of MRSA (the bacterium methicillin rensitive Staphylococcus aureus), known as ST398, long-associated with agriculture including pigs gained its methicillin and tetracylcine resistance. Surprise! It happened in the agricultural setting. … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Antibiotics, Evolution, Microbiology, MRSA | 4 Comments

The Odd Conversations You Have When You’re a Microbiologist

Posted on January 17, 2012 by

Back when my research was fully focused on E. coli and urinary tract infections, I always used to get one of three responses from people: 1) People would move away from me as if I could give them a UTI … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Ick, Microbiology | 2 Comments

A Simple and Boring Connection Between Antibiotics and Obesity, Diabetes, and Stroke

Posted on November 26, 2011 by

While I’m loath to disagree with Maryn McKenna (aka Scary Disease Lady), I think both she and Ramanan Laxminarayan are overthinking the correlation between regions in the U.S. with poor health (high rates of diabetes, stroke, and obesity) and antibiotic … Continue reading →

Posted in Healthcare, Microbiology, Public Health | 6 Comments

Listeria and the Failure of Privatized Regulation

Posted on October 21, 2011 by

You might have heard of the recent Listeria outbreak that was traced back to contaminated melons. Well, it turns out that the healthy and safety inspections–outsourced to private organizations–utterly failed (boldface mine): Government investigators said that workers had tramped through … Continue reading →

Posted in Microbiology, Public Health, The Rule of Law | 2 Comments

Where Did the Term ‘Core Microbiome’ Come From?

Posted on September 19, 2011 by

In an excellent post about the vaginal microbiome (the microbes that in the vagina), Dr. Rad asks: I wonder if the idea of a ‘core microbiome’ came from Lourens Baas Becking’s oft-quoted idea in microbial ecology that ‘Everything is everywhere, … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecology, Genomics, Microbiology, Microbiome, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Dear IDiots: Here’s Another Bacterial Structure That Isn’t ‘Irreducibly Complex’

Posted on September 15, 2011 by

That is, if you’re not stupid. If you’ve had to deal with creationist dumbitude, you’ve probably encountered what they call ‘irreducible complexity.’ By that, they mean that some structures are so complex, only a Vorlon an Intelligent Designer could have … Continue reading →

Posted in Creationism, Evolution, Fucking Morons, Microbiology | 2 Comments