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There were some big microbiology stories in 2011 and many of them were covered on This Week in Microbiology (TWiM) a pod cast and vcast program created by Vincent Racaniello,, a Columbia University virologist and BioCrowd co-founder.

I was part of the inaugural TWiM team but other responsibilities made it difficult for me to participate on a regular basis. However, Vincent asked me if I had time over the holidays to join regular host Michael Schmidt, and him to do the 2011 review show that is posted here.

Ten Microbiology stories from 2011:

1. Bean sprouts and E. coli O104H4 (TWiM 9, 20)
2. H. pylori and asthma (TWiM 11)
3. Airborne H5N1 influenza (TWiV 159)
4. The microbiome (TWiM 2, 15, 19)
5. Synthetic biology (TWiM 12)
6. Probiotics (TWiM 24)
7. Symbiosis (TWiM 8, 10, 17, 21)
8. Turning E. coli into a pathogen (TWiM 18)
9. Mammalian endothermy restricts fungi (TWiM 16)
10. Microbiology 911 (TWiM 22)

Right click to download TWiM #24 (57.5 MB, .mp3, 79 minutes).

Subscribe to TWiM (free) on iTunes, Zune Marketplace, via RSS feed, by email or listen on your mobile device with the Microbeworld app.

Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twim@twiv.tv , or call them in to 908-312-0760. You can also post articles that you would like us to discuss at microbeworld.org and tag them with twim.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Listening!!!!!!!!

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BioCrowd co-founders Vincent Racaniello and Cliff Mintz (aka BioJobBlogger) today in association with Microbe World (sponsored by the American Society for Microbiology) created the first episode of This Week in Microbiology (TWiM), a podcast series that explores various topics in microbiology that have relevance for the lay public.

Following in the path of his successful shows 'This Week in Virology' (TWiV) and 'This Week in Parasitism' (TWiP), Vincent and his guests produce an informal yet informative conversation about microbes which is accessible to everyone, no matter what their science background.

This week’s show focused on the antibacterial properties of metallic cooper and the discovery that Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the causative agent of gonorrhea, had somehow acquired human DNA sequences. Stan Maloy and Michael Schmidt joined Vincent (host) and me (co-host) for the inaugural podcast.  

TWiM podcasts will be available at TWiV, Microbe World, BioCrowd and BioJobBlog. They can also be downloaded from iTunes and the Zune Store once we get permission to post them at those sites.

The goal of TWiM is to improve the public understanding of microbiology and related topics. While there are no exams or pop quizzes, TWiM does encourage interaction with the audience email and skype. Listeners can also use Microbe World to suggest topics for the show by submitting articles or papers to the site and tagging them with "TWiM"

I will post the first TWiV installment as soon as Vincent edits today’s podcast!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Listen to TWiM!!!!!!!!!

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The media frenzy surrounding the impending H1N1 swine flu pandemic has spawned a recent spate of articles and television news segments on “germs.” In the last 48 hours, articles on germs have appeared in the New York Times, my local paper (The Trenton Times via the Chicago Tribune), on news channels and most recently this morning on the Today Show on MSNBC. Most of these have focused on where “germs” are found, how they are spread and ways to minimize or prevent their transmission. For those of you who may be interested, the word germ was first coined in 1664 and is defined as a “small mass of living substance capable of developing into an organism or one of its parts” or more conventionally, as a “microorganism that causes disease.” While these media pieces are intended to inform the public about infectious agents and their transmission, most people who read or see these reports don’t understand that the word germ can encompass viruses, bacteria and fungi. And, to make matters worse, most Americans don’t know that viruses, bacteria and fungi are different microorganisms.

Unfortunately, after reading newspaper articles and seeing reports on television about so-called germs, many consumers rush out to their local groceries and purchase a variety of antibacterial soaps and detergents—erroneously believing that these products will protect their families from infection by the dreaded H1N1 virus and other pathogens. Although frequent hand washing and the appropriate use of viricidal disinfectants can help to reduce transmission of H1N1 and other viruses, antibacterial products are generally less effective (or ineffective) against viruses and overuse can result in emergence of multi-drug resistant bacteria.

To that end, I think it is high time that the news media eschew the use of the anachronistic term germ in favor of bacteria, virus or fungi when referring to causative agents of infectious diseases. Promulgating the use of the word germ will continue to keep the lay public in the dark about infectious agents and the diseases they cause and hinder people from making informed decisions about treatment and preventing their transmission.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!

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