Show Notes
I almost can't believe that we are wrapping up yet another year on the podcast this month, which has been going strong for 6 years now! And it has been another exciting year in the world of Clin Micro as well with improvements and new assays available for some of our bread and butter tests, but the year also brought about significant developments in the application of AI and digital imaging, use of NGS methods, and probably some cool AST stuff in there too among other things, with many of these advancements published in JCM. And so, as has become customary for the last 6 years, for this episode, we will be sharing some of our favorite papers or more intriguing manuscripts published in the Journal this year. And I have to say, this is probably one of the hardest episodes to prep for because picking just on paper to talk about is an incredible difficult task! But, we are up to the challenge and we'll share those with you over the next half hour or so, all the while wearing ridiculous holiday sweaters and/or holiday headgear, as is now tradition. So, if you are not watching, you may want to switch and find a video option for your viewing pleasure. Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/taqcjqeQQBE Paper Links: Interlaboratory assays from the fungal PCR Initiative and the Modimucor Study Group to improve qPCR detection of Mucorales DNA in serum: one more step toward standardization | Journal of Clinical Microbiology https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jcm.01525-24 Detection of protozoan and helminth parasites in concentrated wet mounts of stool using a deep convolutional neural network | Journal of Clinical Microbiology https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jcm.01062-25 Prediction of antimicrobial susceptibility of pneumococci based on whole-genome sequencing data: a direct comparison of two genomic tools to conventional antimicrobial susceptibility testing | Journal of Clinical Microbiology https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jcm.01079-24 a. Bonus: Rapid detection of gram-negative antimicrobial resistance determinants directly from positive blood culture broths using a multiplex PCR system | Journal of Clinical Microbiology https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jcm.00384-25 A novel single-tier serologic test to diagnose all stages of Lyme disease | Journal of Clinical Microbiology https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jcm.00483-25 This episode of Editors in Conversation is brought to you by the Journal of Clinical Microbiology and hosted by JCM Editor in Chief, Romney Humphries, Ph.D., D(ABMM) and Elitza (Elli) Theel, Ph.D., D(ABMM). Editors in conversation is supported by the American Society for Microbiology, which publishes JCM. Become an ASM member to receive up to 50% off publishing fees when you publish in JCM or any of the ASM journals. Sign up at https://asm.org/joinasm. Visit https://journals.asm.org/journal/jcm to read articles and/or submit a manuscript. Get the audio only podcast at https://asm.org/eic.
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An outbreak of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus remains in a period of intense transmission, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since it's first detection in May, 6757 cases have been confirmed across 6 provinces of the DRC, along with 20 cases in Uganda and one in France (as of September 8). A crude case fatality ratio of 48% underscores the severity of the disease and the ongoing challenges towards case detection, clinical care and, ultimately, interruption of transmission. Unchecked transmission of Bundibugyo in the DRC heightens the risk of exportation across international borders. Furthermore, healthcare workers recovering from the disease have been medically evacuated to both Germany and France for enhanced care. Is your laboratory prepared to handle a potential case? Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/zIDFuwflo8Q Guests: Daniel Rhoads, M.D., Zoe Weiss, M.D., Beverley Orr, MT(ASCP), Nicholas Heger, Ph.D.
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Equitable access to healthcare, and more specifically diagnostic testing, remains elusive globally, negatively impacting the health and wellbeing of all people. A not-so-distant illustration was access to testing during the COVID-19 pandemic, when testing sites globally, including here in the United States, underserved the very populations who bore a disproportionate burden of COVID-19 cases and deaths. There is a tremendous opportunity for research on diagnostic access, as well as the epidemiology and diseases that impact underrepresented groups, in clinical microbiology. In 2026, JCM launched a new section, entitled "Diagnostic Access and Equity". In today's episode of Editors in Conversation, I'm joined by the Editor overseeing this section, Dr. Ellie Theel, and one of our editorial board members, Dr. Shawn Lockhart of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to discuss diagnostic access, equity and what the clinical microbiology community is doing to move the needle on these issues. Guests: Elitza Theel, Ph.D., D(ABMM) Shawn Lockhart, Ph.D., D(ABMM) Links: Remote regions, rapid recognition: performance and timeliness of BIOFIRE FilmArray BCID2 for diagnosing bloodstream infection in remote northern Australia This episode is brought to you by the Journal of Clinical Microbiology. Visit asm.org/jcm to browse issues and/or submit a manuscript. If you plan to publish in JCM, ASM Members get up to 50% off publishing fees. Visit asm.org/joinasm to sign up.
Multidrug-resistant Gram-negative infections remain one of the most urgent public health challenges worldwide, with some infections approaching the limits of available treatment options. In this special edition of Editors in Conversation, we celebrate the remarkable 10-year tenure of Dr. Laurent Poirel, whose pioneering work has profoundly shaped our understanding of antimicrobial resistance. Through his unique perspective, we will explore the evolving landscape of resistance in Gram-negative organisms, reflect on the major advances and challenges of the past decade, and discuss what the future may hold for this rapidly changing field. View this episode: https://youtu.be/3OuzU4HjZcY Topics discussed: The most important events in Gram-negative resistance in the last 10 years How the antibiotic pipeline has responded to the challenge of Gram-negative resistance How the field would move in the next 10 years. Guest: Laurent Poirel, Ph.D. Senior Researcher, Medicine Section. University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland, Editor AAC 2016-2026. Links: This episode is brought to you by the Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy Journal. Visit asm.org/aac to browse issues and/or submit a manuscript. If you plan to publish in AAC, ASM Members get up to 50% off publishing fees. Visit asm.org/joinasm to sign up.
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