Let's Talk Micro

In this episode of Let's Talk Micro, we close out our gram-negative cocci series by talking about the "background singers" of the group—the organisms that quietly show up on respiratory cultures and oral flora plates every day.

We explore the world of non-pathogenic Neisseria species, along with rod-shaped and coccobacillary Neisseria and Moraxella that break the classic gram-negative diplococci rule. From...

This week, Let's Talk Micro is pausing the Gram-negative cocci series to talk about one of the biggest microbiology meetings of the year: ASM Microbe 2026. Luis is joined by Dr. Bobbi Pritt and Dr. Robert Tibbetts to discuss what attendees can expect from this year's meeting in Washington, DC.

The conversation covers the new meeting structure, important trends in clinical microbiology, sessions and worksho...

In this episode of Let's Talk Micro, we continue our gram-negative cocci series with a closer look at Moraxella catarrhalis—better known at the bench as the hockey puck bug.

We break down what makes this organism unique, from its classic sliding colony morphology to how it behaves in different patient populations. Is it a colonizer or a pathogen? The answer depends on the clinical context. We walk through ...

In this week's episode, we continue our series on gram-negative cocci and take a closer look at two of the most important organisms: Neisseria meningitidis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

On the Gram stain, they may look the same—but clinically, they represent very different scenarios.

We walk through colonization, transmission, and key virulence factors, and connect them to the infections they cau...

In this episode we continue our gram-negative cocci series by moving beyond the plate and into modern identification methods.

From traditional systems like VITEK and RapID NH to MALDI-TOF and molecular testing, we explore how these organisms are identified in today's clinical microbiology lab. We also break down the role of NAATs and syndromic panels in detecting organisms like Neisseria meningitidis and N...

In this episode of Let's Talk Micro, we continue our gram-negative cocci series by focusing on what to do after the Gram stain. You've identified gram-negative cocci—now what?

We take a practical, bench-focused approach to working these organisms up, covering key culture media like blood agar, chocolate agar, and selective media such as Modified Thayer-Martin and Martin-Lewis. We also review collection and...

In this episode of Let's Talk Micro, we kick off a new series on gram-negative cocci by starting where it all begins—the Gram stain.

Seeing gram-negative diplococci on a smear can feel intimidating, especially when you're on the bench and need to make the right call. In this episode, we focus on how to approach that moment with confidence. We walk through the key organisms you'll encounter, including Neiss...

The CLSI M100 gets updated every year—but what do those changes actually mean for the microbiology lab?

In this episode of Let's Talk Micro, Luis is joined by Dr. April Bobenchik to break down the latest updates in the CLSI M100 2026 (36th edition) and how they translate into real-world lab practice.

They walk through important breakpoint changes, including aztreonam–avibactam and updates for ...

Luis here with a quick update! We're taking a short break and will return the week of March 23rd. During this time, it's a great opportunity to explore the archive—Let's Talk Micro has over 200 episodes covering many topics in clinical microbiology. New episodes will be back soon. Thanks for listening and for being part of the Let's Talk Micro com...

Wound cultures are some of the most complex specimens encountered in the clinical microbiology laboratory. Unlike more straightforward cultures, wound specimens often contain multiple organisms, making it challenging to determine which microbes are clinically significant and which represent colonization.

In this episode of Let's Talk Micro, Luis is joined by Dr. Christopher Doern and Dr. Alexandra Bryson t...

The Gram stain is one of the most trusted tools in clinical microbiology—but it doesn't always tell the full story.

In this Micro Minutes episode, we break down why Gram stains can sometimes be misleading and how factors like culture age, antibiotic exposure, decolorization, morphology, and arrangement can change what you see under the microscope. We also touch on classic troublemakers like Acinetobacter a...

In this episode of Let's Talk Micro, we step beyond the microbiology bench to talk laboratory medicine, advocacy, and storytelling with fellow medical laboratory scientists and podcasters Stephanie Whitehead and Aaron Odegard.

We explore how their work on the SuperStat Podcast is helping amplify the voice of the laboratory through conversations on leadership, access, and visibility. The discussion also hig...

In this episode of Let's Talk Micro, Luis is joined by Dr. Joel Mortensen to discuss a study examining intestinal parasites in pediatric patients in Guinea, West Africa.

They dive into the real-world challenges of diagnosing parasitic infections in resource-limited settings, including reliance on stool microscopy, the use of rapid antigen tests, and how seasonal changes influence infection rates. Dr. Morte...

Genomic epidemiology is reshaping how we detect, investigate, and control infectious disease outbreaks—but what does that actually look like from the bench to public health? In this episode of Let's Talk Micro, Luis is joined by genomic epidemiologist Krisandra Allen for a practical, case-based conversation on how pathogen sequencing data is generated, analyzed, and paired with epidemiologic information to answer quest...

In this episode of Let's Talk Micro, Luis is joined by faculty and collaborators from the University of Florida to discuss their new Clinical Laboratory Microbiologist (CLM) program — the first NAACLS-approved, microbiology-only certification pathway in the United States.

They share how the program was created to address the growing shortage of clinical microbiologists and provide a direct pathway for micr...

Tick-borne diseases continue to expand across North America, but diagnosing them in the clinical laboratory remains complex—especially when timing between symptom onset and testing isn't considered.

In this episode of Let's Talk Micro, Luis is joined by Kyle Rodino, Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Assistant Director of Microbiology, for a lab-f...

In this episode of Let's Talk Micro, we break down metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) and how it's changing the way we diagnose complex infectious diseases.

I'm joined by Steve Miller, MD, PhD—Chief Medical Officer at Delve Bio—to discuss how unbiased metagenomics moved from research labs into real-world clinical practice.

We cover what metagenomics is, how it differs from targeted ...

PEA agar is often treated as "the gram-positive plate," but that shortcut can lead to real bench-level mistakes.

In this MicroMinutes episode, we break down what phenylethyl alcohol agar actually does, why growth on PEA does not automatically mean an organism is gram-positive, and how selective media can change colony appearance and behavior.

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