x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Let"s Talk Micro

Clinical microbiology explained in simple terms, suitable for students and microbiologists alike. We discuss organisms, reactions, infectious diseases, and more. Hosted by Luis Plaza, a Medical Laboratory Scientist and microbiologist, who also shares his experiences in the field.

science life sciences

All Episodes

41:04

TBT: Talking Breakpoints with Dr. Andrea Prinzi

Let"s Talk Micro ·

2025/07/31

This episode of Let’s Talk Micro features Dr. Andrea Prinzi, a clinical microbiologist and frequent contributor to the American Society for Microbiology. Andrea joins the podcast to discuss a critical topic in clinical microbiology: antimicrobial susceptibility testing and breakpoints. Are labs using outdated breakpoints—and what does that mean for patient care? How are breakpoints determined and updated? Dr. Prinzi breaks it all down and shares insights from her article on the subject. Tune in to

en

26:25

TBT: Clinical Microbiology Procedures Handbook

Let"s Talk Micro ·

2025/07/17

The Clinical Microbiology Procedures Handbook (CMPH) has long been a trusted resource for laboratories. With the release of its 5th edition, this essential reference continues to guide clinical microbiologists through evolving standards, methods, and best practices. In this episode, Luis is joined by the editors‑in‑chief, Dr. Amy Leber and Dr. Carey‑Ann Burnham, to explore what’s new in the latest edition, how the CMPH supports day‑to‑day work in the lab, and why it remains a cornerstone in

en

51:14

195: Diabetic Wound Cultures: From Chaos to Clarity...

Let"s Talk Micro ·

2025/07/10

This week, Luis is joined by Dr. Christopher Doern from VCU Health to explore the complex world of diabetic wound cultures. How does diabetes impair wound healing—and what makes these infections so difficult to diagnose and treat? Dr. Doern dives into the microbiology behind diabetic foot wounds, highlighting the impact of bacterial diversity, specimen quality, and the limitations of traditional culture methods. He also shares best practices for workup strategies and antibiotic selection in these

en

25:00

194: Live from ASM Microbe 2025: Poster Highlights,...

Let"s Talk Micro ·

2025/07/03

Recorded live at ASM Microbe 2025, this episode captures the energy of the American Society for Microbiology’s annual event. Luis shares his top takeaways from the conference floor—including standout poster presentations, emerging technologies, and trending topics in microbiology. One clear theme dominated this year: rapid diagnostics for identification and susceptibility testing. Tune in for a front-row seat to the latest in clinical microbiology innovation. Questions? Feedback? Send those to

en

48:42

193: ASM 2025: Fast Science. Big Cases

Let"s Talk Micro ·

2025/06/26

In this episode of Let’s Talk Micro, we dive into the fast-paced world of rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). Recorded live from ASM Microbe 2025, Luis is joined by Dr. Carey-Ann Burnham, CEO of Pattern Bioscience and Editor-in-Chief of the ASM Case Reports journal. Together, they explore how innovative technologies—like single-cell microbiology—are transforming clinical microbiology and accelerating diagnostic results. What is single-cell microbiology, and how does it improve rapid

en

45:29

192: Stronger Together: Partnerships in Diagnostics

Let"s Talk Micro ·

2025/06/12

How familiar are you with partnerships and collaborations between the laboratory and the diagnostics industry? In this episode Luis is joined by Dr. Andrea Prinzi and Dr. Kristen Smith to explore how partnerships between clinical labs, public health institutions, and the diagnostics industry drive innovation in in-vitro diagnostics (IVDs). What is the IVD pipeline? From discovery to product launch and beyond, these collaborations improve patient care, accelerate access to new technologies, and

en

21:26

191: TBT- Talking HIV with Dr. Hsu

Let"s Talk Micro ·

2025/06/05

TBT- This week Let's Talk Micro is talking about virology, specifically about the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). This episode features an interview with Dr. Hsu, a stem cell specialist from the Weill Medical College at Cornell University in New York. She discusses an article about a patient that has been possibly cured from HIV after a stem cell transplant with cord blood cells. What is the CCR5 gene? What is its relationship to HIV? Tune in to find out about this interesting article. This

en

34:50

190: Aztreonam-avibactam

Let"s Talk Micro ·

2025/05/29

This week Luis is joined by Dr. Callan Bleick and Dr. Mohammed Al Musawa to talk about an antibiotic that was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA): aztreonam-avibactam. Our guests wrote a review about this drug and they joined the podcast to talk about it. What is aztreonam? What is avibactam? Why combine them? What type of activity has it demonstrated against beta-lactamase producing organisms? When will it be available? Tune in for more information. Link to review:

en

34:31

189: Outbreak Detection System

Let"s Talk Micro ·

2025/05/22

There are many challenges when it comes to outbreak detection. It involves surveillance, time, and effort among other factors. Some of these challenges are linking multiple patients to an outbreak, or investigating a potential outbreak that turns out to be separate occurrences of an infection. In this episode Luis is joined by Dr. Alex Sundermann to talk about an outbreak detection system developed by his team at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. What components did they use to develop

en

25:27

188: Haemophilus: ALA, susceptibilities, and more

Let"s Talk Micro ·

2025/05/15

This week Luis continues going over Haemophilus. This time he goes over biochemicals, testing systems, and susceptibility testing. What is the ALA test? What commercial systems are able to identify Haemophilus? What about for Haemophilus influenzae? What is HTM agar? Are there any vaccines for H. influenzae? Tune in to find out more. More information on H. influenzae vaccines: https://www.cdc.gov/hi-disease/vaccines/index.html Questions? Feedback? Send those to letstalkmicro@outlook.com Want

en

26:53

187: Haemophilus

Let"s Talk Micro ·

2025/05/08

In this episode Luis continues going over organisms. This time he goes over the genus Haemophilus. We start with an overview of the different species of Haemophilus. Why can’t Haemophilus grow on blood agar? What are the X and V factors? Satellite phenomenon? What is the gram stain? What about media? Tune in for the first part of a series about Haemophilus. Questions? Feedback? Send those to letstalkmicro@outlook.com Want to support the podcast? Here's how: Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/letstalkmicro

en

51:27

186: Talking CPEP Fellowship

Let"s Talk Micro ·

2025/05/01

If you are part of the clinical microbiology community, you might have heard of a CPEP Fellowship, or might have met someone pursuing one. In this episode Luis is joined by Dr. Samuel Goodfellow to talk about the Subcommittee on Postgraduate Educational Programs (CPEP) Fellowship. Dr. Goodfellow is currently participating in one and he joins us to go over the different components of it. What is a CPEP Fellowship? What is the application process like? What are the daily activities of a fellow? What

en

01:20:29

185: The Path to Microbiology: their journey pt. 3

Let"s Talk Micro ·

2025/04/24

What led or inspired you to choose the field of microbiology or laboratory medicine? Has your profession changed within the field? In this series where microbiologists and people from laboratory medicine talk about their careers, Luis is joined by Dr. Andrea Prinzi and Lisa Parlich. Andrea is a microbiologist that works in the industry and the co-host of the AMR series in this podcast. Lisa is a microbiologist who works now as an Infection Preventionist. What was their start in their lab like? What

en

35:48

184: Lariocidin

Let"s Talk Micro ·

2025/04/17

Discovery of new potential antimicrobial compounds is important as we take many measures to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In this episode Luis is joined by Dr. Manoj Jangra and Dr. Dmitrii Travin to discuss lariocidin: a potential antibiotic. What is the mechanism of action? What are lasso peptides? Tune in to listen about the discovery of this potential antibiotic, organisms it has shown activity against, challenges, and more. Link to article:

en

30:51

183: 101 Topics for Clinical Microbiology Lab Leaders

Let"s Talk Micro ·

2025/04/10

There are many challenges in the microbiology laboratory. As a leader, you have to deal with things like validations, verifications, and knowledge of regulations among other things. As a microbiologist in a non-leadership position you need to be familiar with some of these as well. With so much information out there, where do we go? In this episode Luis is joined by Dr. Rebekah Martin, author of the “101 Topics for Clinical Microbiology Laboratory Leaders” book. This book was made in order to bring

en

47:29

182: TBT- Next Generation Sequencing

Let"s Talk Micro ·

2025/04/03

The field of Microbiology continues to change. Organisms were primarily identified in the clinical laboratory by biochemical testing. Then MALDI-TOF came to the lab and was incorporated into the workflow. Now labs are bringing next-generation sequencing (NGS). What is NGS? How does it work? Have you heard of Nanopore technologies? In this episode Dr. Jose Alexander and Daniel Navas from Advent Health Orlando, join the podcast to talk about NGS. They brought it to their laboratory and discuss the

en

26:02

181: Microbiology CAP Checklists: Latest Updates

Let"s Talk Micro ·

2025/03/27

Is your laboratory accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) ? Are you familiar with their checklists? What are the latest updates to the microbiology checklist? In this episode Luis is joined by Dr. Christi Wojewoda to discuss the latest updates to the microbiology checklist: media quality control and nomenclature. Why are some media exempt and some non-exempt? Regarding nomenclature, do we need to report the new name or the old name? Tune in to find out. ASM IQCP template

en

42:06

CLSI M100-Ed35: updates and more

Let"s Talk Micro ·

2025/03/20

The latest edition of the CLSI M100 has been published. What are the latest updates? One of them is the deletion of breakpoints for Burkholderia cepacia complex. What are the recommendations for susceptibility testing? Dr. April Bobenchik returns to the podcast to talk to Luis about the latest updates. She also talks about the M45. Will there be an update to the M45? Tune in to find out. Link to CLSI free resources: https://clsi.org/all-free-resources/Link to webinar:

en

25:41

179: Eikenella

Let"s Talk Micro ·

2025/03/13

This week Luis continues going over organisms. This time he goes over Eikenella. Are there any other Eikenella species other than Eikenella corrodens? What is the morphology of E. corrodens? How about biochemicals? What are the members of the HACEK group? What is the HACEK group known for? Tune in to learn about this organism, which is seen in infections such as bite wounds, periodontitis, endocarditis, and more. Questions? Feedback? Send those to letstalkmicro@outlook.comWant to support the

en

45:46

178: Talking Micro with Janet Hindler

Let"s Talk Micro ·

2025/03/06

Talk about a great career! In this episode Luis is joined by Janet Hindler. Janet is a microbiologist with a career that has spanned over many decades. Just like most Medical Laboratory Scientists, she started working in the lab and early on she had a passion for microbiology. Then she got involved in work that took her beyond the bench such as the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In this episode Janet talks about her career and

en

224 results

Similar Podcasts

Classic Radio Science Fiction

solgoodmedia.com

Mission to Mars

Inception Point Ai

The 365 Days of Astronomy

365DaysOfAstronomy.org

Creek Devil

william Jevning

UFO Chronicles Podcast

Nik Hunter