Superbugs Unplugged

In this episode, we introduce our new co-host Dr. Jay Graham, Associate Professor in Residence of Environmental Health Sciences, at the University of California, Berkley  School of Public Health. Together, with Dr. Lance Price, they discuss a new study that suggests that Escherichia coli and other disease-causing microbes are passing easily between humans and animals in Cambodia, a country where clean water, sanitation and hygienic...

We'll see you next month with a brand new episode and co-host. Enjoy listening to this episode from 2021 on the fascinating and terrifying world of fungal infections.

We spend a lot of time talking about antibiotic resistance, but lately, something else has caught our attention -- antifungal resistance! 

Thanks to the changing climate and increased fungicide use, a couple of nasty fungi have begun developing resistance...

This episode first aired on March 25, 2020. We are re-airing it during our summer hiatus. We hope you enjoy listening. In this episode, co-host, Dr. Lance B. Price interviews longtime friend, colleague, and microbiologist, Jay Graham, who is an assistant professor at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. Dr. Graham is an expert in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and has been working to improve WASH in underdeveloped commun...

This episode first aired in January 2021. We are taking the summer off as we search for a new podcast co-host. We’re re-airing some of our most listened to episodes. Enjoy!

Consumption, the Captain of all these Men of Death, the White Plague, the King’s Evil -- all names for the bacterial infection known today as Tuberculosis or TB. 

In the early nineteenth century, TB was one of the most common killers American adults, bu...

This was a sad episode for our co-hosts Dr. Lance B. Price and Matt Wellington as well as our producer, Laura Rogers. In this episode we bade farewell to Matt who is leaving U.S. PIRG after 10 years to serve as the Associate Director for the Maine Public Health Association(his home state). In addition to saying goodbye, we reminisced about some of his favorite episodes including  “CDC on the Fungal Kingdom: Full of Friends and Enem...

In this episode, hosts Dr. Lance B. Price and Matthew Wellington discuss an op ed they co-authored that was published in STAT News.  The piece is titled "The window is closing to stop deadly drug-resistant fungi like Candida auris" and discusses just what you think it does. The co-hosts discuss other fungal and bacterial infections and the need for better surveillance systems in the US so we better prepared for the next p...

In our March 2023 episode, Matt Wellington interviews his co-host, Dr. Lance B. Price, about a new study he co-authored that establishes a link between E. coli in raw meat and urinary tract infections in people. First, we hear about how these infections occur in people and some steps we can take to mitigate our risk. Next, Dr. Price addresses the “shared responsibility” of reducing the spread of E. coli and other foodborne pathogen...

For our February episode, you'll hear the recording of a recent PIRG webinar, "How States can Protect Life-saving Antibiotics". First, each panelist, listed below, shares his/her perspective on the antibiotic resistance crisis. Next, the group explores the connection between antibiotic resistance and animal agriculture through moderator and audience questions. Finally, the panel turns to state action, including the T...

In our January episode of Superbugs Unplugged, co-hosts Matt Wellington and Louis Sokolow chat with Dr. Reshma Ramachandran, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine and Director of the Yale Collaboration for Regulatory Rigor, Integrity, and Transparency (CRRIT). First, we hear about Dr. Ramanchandran’s work with CRRIT to ensure that FDA-approved medical products are sufficiently safe and accessible. Next, we ...

In this episode of Superbugs Unplugged, our guest, Dr. Erin Duffy, discusses the global health threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and why and how her non-profit, CARB-X, is investing in diverse products to help overcome common challenges faced in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). Dr. Duffy is the Chief of R&D at CARB-X, a global biopharmaceutical accelerator for the discovery and early development of products to ...

In this month's episode, co-hosts Dr. Lance Price and Matthew Wellington interview award-winning chef, cookbook author, activist, and media personality Mary Sue Milliken. She's best known for her modern Mexican concept, Border Grill restaurants, trucks, and catering, which she runs with her business partner Susan Feniger. Mary Sue Milliken was one of the first chefs to join the Supermoms Against Superbugs movement, an adv...

This month’s episode focuses on a recent AMR study published in the Lancet: Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance in 2019: a systematic analysis. Our guest this month is co-author Dr. Kevin Ikuta, Infectious Disease Physician, Assistant Professor at UCLA in the Division of Infectious Diseases, and Hospital Epidemiologist at the Greater Los Angeles VA.

We dive into the details and methods of the report, which ...

Dr. Jesper Larsen and Anders R. Larsen, Ph.D. join us to discuss their exciting new report “Emergence of methicillin resistance predates the clinical use of antibiotics”. This study reveals that some strains of MRSA were around far before the era of human antibiotic use.  It was discovered in the most unlikely of places – on the backs of hedgehogs. Co-hosts Matt and Lance unpack this discovery and discuss how it relates to the impo...