Blog listing

In this month's Microbe Talk, Lilly chats with microbiologist Prof Wilhelmina Huston about what science knows so far about the relationship between the vaginal microbiome - the composition of microbes that live on and within the vagina - and sexual health, including her recent research investigating how the microbial composition of the vagina can impact susceptibility to painful conditions, like pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). We also cover current treatments and where the future of treatment of STIs and other sexual health disorders is headed.

For over a century, the cornerstone of modern medicine has been a simple yet profound truth: cleanliness saves lives. Infection control is not merely a hospital policy; it is the fundamental shield that allows complex surgeries and life-saving treatments to occur safely. However, as we move further into the 21st century, we are discovering that this shield is being challenged by the very nature of the microbial world we inhabit. 

One month into 2026 and there’s no shortage of exciting new species to start our year off the right way!

Dr Valérie Bouchez and Prof Sylvain Brisse at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, France, take us behind the scenes of their latest publication 'No innocent bystanders: pertussis vaccination and evolutionary parallelisms between Bordetella parapertussis and Bordetella pertussis', published in Microbial Genomics.

Peter Katsande at the Central Veterinary Laboratories in Harare, Zimbabwe, take us behind the scenes of their latest publication 'Genetic diversity and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Salmonella enterica in the broiler supply chain in Harare, Zimbabwe: tracking transmission from farm to table', published in Microbial Genomics.

Sergio Morgado and Ana Carolina Vicente at the Oswaldo Cruz Institute in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, take us behind the scenes of their latest publication 'Tracking a misclassified pathogen: genomic and epidemiological features of Vibrio paracholerae', published in Microbial Genomics.

In this episode of Microbe Talk, we meet some members of staff at the Microbiology Society to reflect on 2025 and look at ways to get involved in 2026. 

In this month's Microbe Talk, we chat to expert Kinga Kowalewska-Grochowska at the University of Alberta, Canada, following her latest review 'Parasitology of the twenty-first century: are we moving in the right direction?', published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology.