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 often polymicrobial infections.

Link to studies mentioned in the episode:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28669650/

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1742-481X.2011.00937.x

https://academic.oup.com/ofid/article/10/10/ofad495/7292955

Want to be added to Dr. Doern’s email list? Reach out to christopher.doern@vcuhealth.org

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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.

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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 diagnostics? They also discuss case reports from ASM that highlight the real-world impact of timely diagnostic tools on patient care. It’s where speed meets science—and the stories behind the data truly matter.

Questions? Feedback? Send those to letstalkmicro@outlook.com

Want to support the podcast? Here's how:

Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/letstalkmicro

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