#MicrobiologyMonday
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#MicrobiologyMonday: How do "magic" mushrooms get magical? This #MMBRJournal review explores the metabolic processes leading to psilocybin in the fungal cell and presents the biosynthetic enzymes, their structures and the reactions catalyzed. asm.social/39w
(A) Fruiting bodies of Psilocybe cyanescens, a wood-colonizing representative of the “magic” mushrooms, growing in a wood chip-covered plant bed. (B) Psilocybe cubensis fruiting bodies that show strong bluing reactions (induced by briefly exposing the specimens to liquid nitrogen).
November 2, 2026 at 5:40 PM
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#MicrobiologyMonday: Pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus secrete proteases that remodel the host environment. Degradomics allows for broad mapping of protease activity across host tissues and cell proteomes. Learn more in #IAIJournal: asm.social/37N
The power of degradomics versus canonical approaches to protease substrate identification.
October 12, 2026 at 4:33 PM
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#MicrobiologyMonday: 150 years ago, Robert Koch identified Bacillus anthracis as the cause of anthrax. However, the first mention of the word "anthrax" to describe the disease appeared much earlier—around 400 BCE. Learn more in #MMBRJournal: asm.social/349
Observations of the B. anthracis capsule by John M’Fadyean. Figure from reference 127. Original legend: “Blood from the tail of a cow dead of anthrax. The greenish-blue bodies are the nuclei of leucocytes; the anthrax bacilli are stained dark blue, and between them is seen the reddish-purple or violet material.”
August 31, 2026 at 4:36 PM
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#MicrobiologyMonday: The fungus Arthrobotrys flagrans builds tiny sticky traps to capture nematodes, and researchers found that reactive oxygen species help coordinate both trap construction and prey capture. Learn more in #mBio: asm.social/31a
Only the NoxA-NoxR complex is required for hyphal fusion and trap formation.
July 20, 2026 at 3:54 PM
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#MicrobiologyMonday: Many bacterial species contain specialized subcellular compartments that help organize and protect essential cellular functions. These structures may contribute to pathogen survival and virulence during infection. #mBio: asm.social/2ZP
Fig 1 Subcellular compartments found in bacterial pathogens. Representative micrographs, a summary of form and function, and a non-exhaustive list of pathogens containing bacterial microcompartments, encapsulins, and ferrosomes. Black triangles denote bacterial microcompartments. White arrows denote encapsulins. Black arrows denote ferrosomes. Asterisks denote unknown storage granules. Red and white triangles denote inner and outer membranes, respectively. Micrograph of bacterial microcompartments in S. Typhimurium (top) is adapted from reference 17. Micrograph of encapsulins in Mycobacterium marinum (middle) is adapted from reference 18. Micrograph of ferrosomes in C. difficile (bottom) is adapted from reference 19. Micrographs were modified from the originals by cropping and replacement or addition of arrows, triangles, asterisks, and scale bars.
July 6, 2026 at 3:43 PM
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#MicrobiologyMonday: Why did small mammals ultimately win the evolutionary race over most small dinosaurs? In #mBio, researchers posit that the avian-like respiratory system of dinosaurs predisposed them to fungal disease, contributing to their decline. asm.social/2Zl
Graphical depiction of proposed factors affecting dinosaur extinction after the Cretaceous-Paleogene impact.
June 29, 2026 at 3:17 PM
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#MicrobiologyMonday: Phages help promote wound healing by reducing concentrations of pathogenic bacteria, disrupting biofilms in wounds and downregulating the production of inflammatory mediators. Get the full story in #ClinMicroRev: asm.social/2Yr
Multifactorial roles of natural and engineered bacteriophages in wound healing. Schematic representation of bacteriophage activities in infected skin wounds. Effects attributed to natural phages include selective bacterial targeting and lysis, biofilm dispersal, preservation of the commensal microbiome, and downregulation of pro-inflammatory mediators (e.g., IL-6, IL-8, NF-κB, ROS), collectively supporting immune modulation and restoration of a reparative wound microenvironment. Engineered phage-based approaches are represented by phage display-derived constructs for targeted infection prevention and phage-based scaffolds supporting tissue regeneration. Together, these mechanisms highlight the dual therapeutic potential of natural and engineered bacteriophages in infected wound management.
June 15, 2026 at 2:05 PM
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#MicrobiologyMonday: Jorge Lobo’s disease is a chronic fungal infection that preferentially affects cooler areas of the body. This thermal preference may help explain why lesions remain cutaneous and do not typically disseminate. #ClinMicroRev: asm.social/2WD
Light and electron microscopy of Paracoccidioides lobogeorgii. Pleomorphic clinical presentations of Jorge Lobo’s disease.
May 18, 2026 at 3:44 PM
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#MicrobiologyMonday: What's wrong with this picture? AI-generated images contain factual inaccuracies or errors. This #JMBE article suggests that the flaws that make AI biology diagrams “bad” can help foster critical thinking and deep conceptual understanding in biology learners. asm.social/2W6
An image generated by ChatGPT 5 using the prompt “Create a diagram of an animal cell.” Some of the errors in this AI-generated diagram include incorrect labels applied to conventional shapes for organelles (e.g., the conventional cell membrane is labeled as “Nuclear envelope”), different labels applied to the same shapes (e.g., the brown circles are labeled as both “Lysosome” and “Centrosome”), multiple labels applied to the same shape (e.g., the same structure is labeled as both “Mitochondrion” and “Centrosome”), unlabeled lines (e.g., the black lines extending from the nucleus without a text label), incorrect spelling (e.g., “Cell membram” [sic]), implausible numbers of organelles (e.g., a cell is not likely to function with a single mitochondrion), and ambiguous shapes not conventionally associated with organelles (e.g., the branched orange shape between the nucleus and mitochondrion).
May 11, 2026 at 2:48 PM
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#MicrobiologyMonday: Reusing treated wastewater for irrigation could ease water shortages—but spore‑forming pathogens like C. diff can survive treatment & persist in soils, raising concerns about crop contamination & antibiotic resistance. #AppEnvMicro: asm.social/2VC
Event diagram summarizing potential routes of transfer of Clostridioides difficile and Clostridium perfringens fromwastewater to consumers via foodstuffs
May 4, 2026 at 4:59 PM
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#MicrobiologyMonday: Gliding motility allows cells to move smoothly along surfaces without flagella. Although this strategy has evolved independently across many microbial lineages, common mechanical principles emerge. Learn more in #JBacteriology: asm.social/2SJ
The diverse molecular mechanisms of cellular motility. (A) The rotary T9SS and conveyor belt of Flavobacterium johnsoniae. (B) The focal adhesin complex of Myxococcus xanthus. (C) The leg-like attachment machinery of Mycoplasma mobile. Additional mechanistic models of motility for Mycoplasma genitalium (21) and Mycoplasma pneumoniae (22–26) are described in the text, with additional details available in the cited literature. (D) Multiple Type IV pili strategically arranged at both sides of the septal wall ensure smooth, coordinated gliding in filamentous cyanobacteria. The molecular organization depicted is based on well-characterized Type IV pilus systems of cyanobacteria. (E) The actin and myosin-based glidosome of the apicomplexan Toxoplasma gondii. (F) The proposed raphe and actinomyosin system of the diatom Craspedostauros australis. (OM, outer membrane; IM, inner membrane; PG, peptidoglycan; IMC, inner membrane complex; pPM, parasite plasma membrane; hPM, host plasma membrane).
April 6, 2026 at 3:13 PM
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#MicrobiologyMonday: By shaping immune responses and producing metabolites, the gut‑lung axis offers possibilities for microbiome‑based therapies for respiratory diseases—though more research is needed to turn promise into practice. #IAIJournal: asm.social/2RZ
Key limitations of GM modulation in influencing lung diseases.
March 30, 2026 at 2:25 PM
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#MicrobiologyMonday: Farming fish and shrimp produces large volumes of wastewater. How can we treat it sustainably? 🌊🦠Indigenous cyanobacteria–bacteria biofilms already adapted to mariculture effluent can help! #JournalSpectrum: asm.social/2Rn
Morphology and microscopic images of the CBC in PBRs treating MWW. (a) The combined form of bacteria and algae; (b) bacterial and algal polymers.
March 23, 2026 at 3:02 PM
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#MicrobiologyMonday: What does it mean to tolerate the microbiome?🦠 Researchers suggest that 3 different forms of tolerance can be recognized:

1️⃣Disease tolerance.
2️⃣Endotoxin tolerance.
3️⃣Immunological tolerance.

Learn more in #mBio: asm.social/2QW
Three distinct perspectives of tolerance.
March 16, 2026 at 2:21 PM
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#MicrobiologyMonday: Marine sediments store vast amounts of carbon. By infecting and lysing microbes, viruses shape biogeochemical cycling from coastal zones to the deep sea and influence long-term carbon storage. Get the story in #AppEnvMicro: asm.social/2Qv
Diagram representing the impacts of viruses on aqueous sediment geochemistry. Organic matter (OM) sinks to the sediments, which is cycled in the microbial community, as well as increasing abundance, diversity, activity, and degradation of OM. From this “microbial loop” recalcitrant dissolved organic matter (RDOM) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) are stored in sediments. Carbon is also released into the atmosphere from the sediment, and viral infection transfers genes between hosts or releases exogenous DNA to be used by bacteria, potentially aiding in metabolic activity. Created in BioRender. Williams, J. (2026) https://BioRender.com/b4wqimp.
March 9, 2026 at 5:54 PM
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#MicrobiologyMonday: Viral infections can hijack host proteases to reduce antibody effectiveness. These proteases lob off viral antigens expressed on host cell membranes, creating soluble decoys that bind antibodies & reduce neutralization. #JVirology: asm.social/2Pn
Summary of host protease subversion by viruses to escape the antiviral activities of antibodies. Yellow background shows the role of soluble decoys in luring neutralization, promoting immune dysfunction, or revealing epitopes, which generate non-neutralizing antibodies. Blue background illustrates how protease-induced conformational changes modify/hide neutralizing epitopes. Green background summarizes how viral subversion of host proteases lowers effector functions against viruses or infected cells.
February 23, 2026 at 6:16 PM
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#MicrobiologyMonday: A new study from China’s Turpan–Hami Basin shows how microbes shift across deserts, wastelands and hypersaline lakes. 🌵🦠 Deserts are shaped by strong filtering, while hypersaline sites are driven by drift. Read more in #AppEnvMicro: asm.social/2Ob
Huancai Lake in the Turpan–Hami Basin, China. Huancai Lake in the Turpan–Hami Basin, China.
February 9, 2026 at 5:34 PM
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#MicrobiologyMonday: Bacteria and fungi living on and inside Bombax ceiba (a tropical tree) shift dramatically with the seasons and habitat. The findings, published in #JournalSpectrum, have implications for sustainable agriculture and conservation. asm.social/2Nv
Relative abundance of the dominant bacterial phyla and fungal class averaged across endophytic and epiphytic niches of plant parts (nectar, leaf, branch, trunk, coarse root, root tip) and soil in different seasons (autumn and spring) in rice growing fields of B. ceiba.
February 2, 2026 at 6:41 PM
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#MicrobiologyMonday: Cells can die in a lot of ways. Bacteria modulate and are modulated by host cell death. Insights on the mechanisms underlying these interactions can offer potential routes to control microbiota-associated diseases. #IAIJournal: asm.social/2MJ
Prominent programmed cell death pathways include the major sources of extracellular metabolite release. Bacteria/metabolites that can exploit/modulate these pathways are given in red with arrows facing away, lines indicating inhibition and arrows pointing towards bacteria indicate utilization. Table 1 provides further details and references. DAMP; danger-associated molecular pattern. PAMP; pathogen-associated molecular pattern. MOMP; mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization. AMPs; antimicrobial peptides. GSH; glutathione. Panx1; Pannexin-1 membrane channel.
January 26, 2026 at 3:10 PM
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#MicrobiologyMonday: The spoilage fungus Aspergillus westerdijkiae inhibits beneficial cheese-rind bacteria via production of penicillic acid. Insights like this can help researchers assess the risks of fungal-driven spoilage in cheese. #mSystems: asm.social/2Ma
On the surface of aging washed-rind cheeses (photo on left), A. westerdijkiae causes the typical orange rind to be discolored and sometimes develop wrinkles. In simulated cheese rinds in the lab, the same wrinkle phenotype appears after 21 days of rind development (photos of plates on right).
January 20, 2026 at 2:55 PM
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#MicrobiologyMonday: Inquilinus limosus is a nonfermentative gram-negative rod & emerging pathogen, particularly in chronic respiratory disease. This #ClinMicroRev article summarizes what we know & still need to learn about this underestimated organism: asm.social/2Lm
Fig 1 Culture of an Inquilinus limosus strain isolated from the respiratory tract of cystic fibrosis patient. The strain was plated on five commercial agar media and incubated for 24 hours to 72 hours at 35°C.
January 12, 2026 at 4:44 PM
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#MicrobiologyMonday: In Korean culture, Sonmat means “hand flavor”—the idea that hands influence kimchi’s taste. 🥬🤲 A study found links between hand microbes and kimchi microbes, plus differences in group vs solo Kimjang prep. Learn more: asm.social/2Kj
Experimental overview of the Kimjang kimchi session during the Sonmat festival. Two sessions were organized. In the first session, participants made kimchi in a group (see the left-hand panel figure). During the second session, kimchi was prepared individually (the right-hand panel), and skin microbiota samples were taken from the hands before the start. Kimchi fermentations were followed up in the lab by observing gas production and measuring pH after 3days. Microbial community composition was determined through V4-16S rRNA sequencing of both hand and kimchi samples, and overlap in bacterial taxa (at the level of amplicon sequence variants [ASVs]) was determined. Photographer—Willem Devriendt, Photogenica Fotografie
December 22, 2025 at 3:06 PM
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#MicrobiologyMonday: Save the microbes! 🦠Most conservation frameworks focus on organisms we can see, not the ones we can't. The International Union for Conservation of Nature Microbial Conservation Specialist Group seeks to address this gap: #mSystems: asm.social/2IZ
There is no conservation without microbial conservation: anthropogenic stressors, and loss of microbial diversity drive ecosystem degradation and pathogen proliferation across connected biomes. In absence of diversity and beneficial microbiota, terrestrial, coastal, and marine habitats are increasingly linked by the spread of harmful microorganisms fueled by pollution, habitat destruction, and climate change. Deforestation, agricultural runoff, chemical contamination, and industrial waste disrupt microbial community balance, leading to the replacement of beneficial microbes by pathogenic taxa. These pathogens circulate among ecosystems and hosts, exacerbating biodiversity loss, impairing organism health, and threatening ecosystem services and, ultimately, human health. Some of the figure vectors were designed by macrovector/Freepik.
December 8, 2025 at 5:45 PM
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#MicrobiologyMonday: The bacterial flagellum is built through a hierarchical assembly process and powered by a dynamic motor capable of astonishing speeds. What's new in our understanding of these complex nanomachines? Find out in #MMBRJournal: asm.social/2HB
Structures of the bacterial flagellum of Salmonella enterica
November 24, 2025 at 4:31 PM
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#MicrobiologyMonday: Two volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from bat caves inhibit P. destructans, the cause of white-nose syndrome, by deforming fungal cells, triggering oxidative stress and disrupting energy metabolism. Learn more in #AppEnvMicro: asm.social/2GO
SEM and TEM images of P. destructans mycelia after treatment with compounds. (A, D, G) Untreated mycelia. (B, E, H) Mycelia treated with DMCH. (C, F, I) Mycelia treated with nonanal. Magnification 5,000× (A–C: bar 2 µm) and 10,000× (D–I: bar 500 nm). The arrows indicate damage to the hyphal cell wall and plasma membrane or leakage of cellular contents.
November 17, 2025 at 4:13 PM