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Microbe Talk: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Microbiology Society
Microbe Talk is a podcast from the Microbiology Society, interviewing researchers about bacteria, viruses and parasites. We are the largest microbiology society in Europe, covering all aspects of microbial science.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- Apr 24, 202632 min
Episode 183: Annual Conference 2026: Meet the Panel behind the programme
Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes planning our flagship Annual Conference? Listen in as Lilly talks to Chairs of the Scientific Conferences Panel during the four day event in Belfast, about the challenges and joys of putting together the exciting programme. Interested in joining? Visit our website to find out more about how to apply for vacancies in our governance structure.
- Mar 26, 202643 min
Episode 182: Sepsis, superbugs, and antibiotic stewardship
"I often like to say that we're not the antibiotic police, but we're the antibiotic sommelier. So, you have a bug and we have the drug, and we try to find the best fit."In this month's Microbe Talk, Charlotte Holtum (Head of Engagement & Storytelling) welcomes guests Dr Alicia Demirjian (UK Health Security Agency and Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust) and Dr Yoann Personne (bioMérieux), to explore an underdiscussed corner of the antimicrobial resistance conversation: its management with sepsis. They discuss what underpins the real-world relationship of AMR and sepsis, improving antibiotic stewardship in hospitals, and addressing these issues sooner rather than later.If you would like to read the ESPAUR report 2024 mentioned in this episode, please find it here.
- Feb 13, 202616 min
Episode 181: Sexual health and the vaginal microbiome
What does a healthy vaginal microbiome look like? Are store-bought vaginal probiotics backed by science? How do these microbes interact with sexually transmitted infections (STIs)? 🦠Research is uncovering more and more about the relationship between the vaginal microbiome and sexual health. That's why this month, I spoke with Prof Wilhelmina Huston, a microbiologist specialising in STIs at the University of Melbourne, Australia, to discuss what science knows so far. 🎧Listen in wherever you get your podcasts🔗If you’d like to read the review in Microbial Genomics you can do so by following this link https://microb.io/46tUCxaA full, auto generated, transcript of the podcast is available on our website here https://microb.io/3M7M7B7
- Dec 29, 202519 min
Episode 180: Society Staff Reflect on 2025
In this episode of Microbe Talk, we meet some members of staff at the Microbiology Society to reflect on 2025 and look at ways to get involved in 2026.
- Dec 17, 202525 min
Episode 179: Hidden Companions: how parasites are adapting to a changing world
The relationship between humans and parasites is changing along with the climate crisis, globalisation, and innovations in science. In this month's Microbe Talk, we chat to expert Kinga Kowalewska-Grochowska at the University of Alberta, Canada, about the evolutions in how we look at parasites, where they are found, and what the future holds for diagnosing and treating these illnesses. This follows Kowalewska-Grochowska's latest review of the same topic published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology.If you’d like to read the paper, you can do so by following this link. Stay tuned to the Microbiology Society socials to be the first to hear about exciting new research in the world of microbiology.You can download a full, auto generated transcript of the podcast here.
- Nov 6, 202517 min
Episode 178: The Kocurious case of Noodlococcus: From discovery to community
In 2019, a mysterious shape appeared on a petri dish in a Birmingham lab. Its surprising appearance, similar to noodles, intrigued researchers to find out more about it. They consulted other scientists online at the time, which sparked an idea to start an online club dedicated to sharing laboratory contaminants.Now, the team finally publish their research characterising this contaminant as a new species of bacteria, Kocuria rhizophila, in our journal Microbial Genomics. Researchers Rob Moran and Greg McCallum join Communications and Media Officer Lilly Tozer to talk about their journey from discovery to publish.If you’d like to read the paper, you can do so by following this link: microb.io/47L8aoYStay tuned to the Microbiology Society socials to be the first to hear about exciting new research in the world of microbiology.You can download a full, auto generated transcript of the podcast here: microb.io/3J6DUf3
- Jul 28, 202530 min
Episode 177: Chemical Conversations: Exploring the gut:brain link in bipolar treatments
In this episode of Microbe Talk, Clare talks to An Bui from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Alberta about their paper published in Microbiology, the first systematic review of the potential effects of psychotropics (the drugs used to treat bipolar disorder) on the gut microbiome of treated and untreated bipolar individuals.A full transcript of this episode is available on our website.
- Jun 27, 202522 min
Episode 176: From workshop to publication: discussing microbiome safety with Lindsay Hall and Aline Metris
In January 2024, Aline Metris and Lindsay Hall hosted an academic-industry workshop at the Microbiology Society offices to discuss the potential long-term implications of microbiome perturbations. Since then, they’ve published a comprehensive summary of the findings from the workshop in Microbial Genomics. We invited them back to the Microbiology Society offices to chat with Clare about their experiences hosting the workshop and share their insights from the paper. If you’d like to read the review in Microbial Genomics you can do so by following this link. Stay tuned to the Microbiology Society socials to be the first to hear about Lindsay and Aline’s further work and our other projects on the microbiome. You can also read a full auto generated transcript of the podcast on our website here.
About Microbe Talk
Microbe Talk is a podcast from the Microbiology Society, interviewing researchers about bacteria, viruses and parasites. We are the largest microbiology society in Europe, covering all aspects of microbial science.
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