Category Archives: Microbiology

New Myxococcus Species: Myxococcus WTF?

Posted on October 15, 2020 by mikethemadbiologist

OK, it’s not Myxococcus WTF, it’s called Myxococcus llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogochensis (boldface mine): Members of the predatory Myxococcales (myxobacteria) possess large genomes, undergo multicellular development and produce diverse secondary metabolites, which are being actively prospected for novel drug discovery. To direct such … Continue reading →

Posted in Genomics, Microbiology | Comments Off on New Myxococcus Species: Myxococcus WTF?

Our Looming Bacterial Transposon Crisis

Posted on December 13, 2018 by mikethemadbiologist

For the non-biologists, a bacterial transposon is a region of DNA, usually five to twenty thousand bases (‘letters of DNA’) long that can move around (transposition). Many bacterial plasmids–mini-chromosomes that can move from bacterium to bacterium–carry transposons. In bacterial, transposons … Continue reading →

Posted in Microbiology | 1 Comment

Clostridioides Difficile Is Expensive

Posted on February 6, 2018 by mikethemadbiologist

The infection known as ‘C diff’ is caused by the organism Clostridioides* difficile. It’s often the result of antibiotic therapy, since antibiotic use can disrupt the normal microbial flora, making way for C. difficile. This means this infections are likely … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Microbiology, Public Health | 1 Comment

Betsy McCaughey Engages In Classic Whattaboutism On Healthcare

Posted on July 10, 2017 by mikethemadbiologist

So I came across this op-ed about Medicaid by Betsy McCaughey, a long-time foe of, well, any healthcare insurance improvements (and who also thinks we can combat the antibiotic resistance problem with hospital choice), and, surprisingly, it started off well … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservatives, Healthcare, Microbiology, Public Health | Comments Off on Betsy McCaughey Engages In Classic Whattaboutism On Healthcare

Men Against Death

Posted on June 26, 2017 by mikethemadbiologist

Observed at the New Orleans Convention Center, New Orleans, LA: And always push your catalog:

Posted in Microbiology, New Orleans | 1 Comment

Microbe

Posted on June 8, 2017 by mikethemadbiologist

Observed at the New Orleans Convention Center, LA:

Posted in Microbiology | 1 Comment

Fermenter

Posted on September 15, 2016 by mikethemadbiologist

A fermenter from the 1980s, used to produce insulin, at the National Museum of American History, D.C.: Closeup:

Posted in Microbiology, Museums etc. | 2 Comments

Thoughts On ASM Microbe 2016

Posted on June 23, 2016 by mikethemadbiologist

And other possibly related things as well, along with various ruminations on my part. Let’s begin: 1. E. coli ST131-fimH30, the clone (‘MLST type’) that causes many ESBL and CRE infections (the only beta-lactams that work against ESBLs are carbapenemes, … Continue reading →

Posted in Meetings, Microbiology | Comments Off on Thoughts On ASM Microbe 2016

Yes, We Can Isolate Most Human Gut Microbes

Posted on May 6, 2016 by mikethemadbiologist

A long-standing canard that really bothers me is the notion that most (“99%”) human gut microbes are unculturable–that is, we can’t grow them in the lab. As I noted a long time ago, that’s not the case: This false statement … Continue reading →

Posted in Microbiology, Microbiome | Comments Off on Yes, We Can Isolate Most Human Gut Microbes

The Great Agar Crisis of 2015

Posted on December 12, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

This doesn’t bode well (boldface mine): Microbiology’s most important reagent is in short supply, with potential consequences for research, public health and clinical labs around the world. Agar — the seaweed-derived, gelatinous substance that biologists use to culture microbes — … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Microbiology | 1 Comment