It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Richard Bartha, a remarkable figure in environmental microbiology. As a past president of Theobald Smith Society, his contributions to the field of bioremediation have been immense. His legacy will continue to inspire. wix.to/hukzB8y

Tiny but mighty: Rutgers study shows the 34-aa protein YoaI links phosphate, Mg²⁺, and osmotic stress pathways in E. coli. Small proteins = key cross-talk mediators in bacterial stress signaling. go.njmicrobe.org/1HDIM2 #Microbiology #SmallProteins #StressSignaling #Rutgers

Rutgers Pharmacy Wang Lab advances enterovirus antivirals: New assay enables high-throughput screening of 2C inhibitors. Lead compound Jun6504 blocks EV-D68 paralysis in mice & protects motor neurons. go.njmicrobe.org/zWS04P #Enteroviruses #AntiviralDiscovery #DrugDiscovery

New mouse study of Babesia microti + Borrelia burgdorferi co-infection: Both persist 16 weeks Borrelia tempers Babesia, while Babesia boosts Borrelia early Babesia disrupts the BBB → possible CNS impact go.njmicrobe.org/f3L6bI #LymeDisease #Babesiosis #Coinfection

Wang (Columbia) & Parker (Rutgers): New humanized mouse with autologous lung implants captures S. aureus infection dynamics: loss of human immune cells & cytokine surge. Bacterial stress-response essential for persistence go.njmicrobe.org/4NgYMT #Staph #Aureus #HostPathogen #MedicalMicrobiology

Why don’t students learn what we think we teach? 🤔 Robert Duke, Ph.D. explores how learning reshapes the brain at the 2025 #ASMCUE plenary. 📅 Nov. 21–23 | San Antonio 👉 Register by Sept. 16 for early-bird savings!

New research by Alvarez and Perlin @CDI show Omicron isn’t done evolving: New subvariants evade antibodies & damage lung epithelium. Co-infections with RSV or flu worsen pathology. go.njmicrobe.org/YMVi36 #SARSCoV2 #Virology #Coinfection #Omicron

Rutgers and Stanford researchers studied 139 children and found that antibody profiles against SARS-CoV-2 and autoantigens varied with disease severity. Autoantibodies were common and may signal risk for long COVID and immune dysfunction. www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...

Rutgers, "The COVID pandemic began with a myth - that children are spared its effects" So why is the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health perpetuating this myth? open.substack.com/pub/counterd...

It's nearing the end of the summer and our undergrads have been presenting on their research at their respective summer research symposia. Terrific work by Jonah Simone at the Rutgers Health BMIHAI Symposium and Gianna Elie at the NJMS URSE Symposium!

New study from Boyd et al. @Rutgers w/ colleagues @NYU-SOM: triclosan—common in soaps & toothpaste—activates the SaeRS system in S. aureus, boosting virulence factor expression at levels found in humans. go.njmicrobe.org/0OhAOW #Microbiology #Virulence #Triclosan #PublicHealth

Princeton, Rutgers PHRI, et al. introduce SHINE-TB: a CRISPR-based TB test that works in one pot, needs minimal equipment, and shows 100% sensitivity & specificity in early clinical samples. Portable, accurate, field-ready. go.njmicrobe.org/lkxwJo #Tuberculosis #Diagnostics #CRISPRDx #GlobalHealth

Candida glabrata acquires echinocandin resistance mostly in FKS2, not FKS1 (cell wall synthesis). Shor Lab @hackensackmeridian.bsky.social shows FKS2 dominates in host/stress conditions. Prime drug resistance target go.njmicrobe.org/ikZOlD #MedicalMycology #AntifungalResistance #CandidaGlabrata

This chart shows how long it's taken to develop vaccines for several diseases. For many, we are still waiting. (Malaria: 145 years and counting. Yikes.) But see that tiny slice for Covid? That's thanks to mRNA!

RNA-binding motif protein 10 (RBM10) is a novel regulator of HIV-1 viral replication. The protein directly interacts with viral RNA and regulates both viral transcripts and host antiviral genes. Learn more in #mSystems: asm.social/2y8

Dr. Humphries is currently Director of the Division of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Director of the Microbiology Laboratory at Vanderbilt University. She is an absolute powerhouse in the AST world, and as of this month, is the new Editor in Chief of JCM! www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkyU...

Princeton's Ploss Lab leads effort to show how key mutations in the Yellow Fever E and NS2A proteins drive attenuation—altering viral spread & boosting interferon responses. A roadmap for future live-attenuated vaccines. go.njmicrobe.org/ppRtE2 #Virology #Vaccinology #LiveAttenuatedVaccines

🚨 Early-career virologists! 🚨Apply to be featured in #JVirology’s 2026 New Voices in Virology Minireview collection. 🧪✅ Open to: assistant professors, pre-tenured faculty, postdocs, equivalent stage. 📅 Apply for consideration by Sept. 5: asm.org/JVI-minireview

Missing Elio Schaechter already. A long and eventful life, loving friends and family, and remembered more important microbiology in his 90s than I will ever know. Such a #MicrobialHero, but more to the point, a fine and kind human being. May his memory be a blessing to all.

It’s World Honey Bee Day! 🐝 From antimicrobial properties in honey to bee glue, bees have long been a focal point of antimicrobial studies. 🍯

Saddened to learn of the passing of Moselio "Elio" Schaechter—Distinguished Professor at Tufts, SDSU and UCSD—humanist and visionary leader in the fields of microbiology and scientific communication—mentor, friend, and inspiration to me and so many others Small Things Considered Big Things Achieved

New report from AAMC about clinical trials, other grants, and training www.aamc.org/about-us/mis...

Elio Schaechter, eminent microbiologist and great human, leaves us his memoirs that tell the story of an extraordinary life: www.eliosmemoirs.org. What a fantastic and impactful journey!

Zylstra Lab @Rutgers show R. wittichii RW1’s benzoate dioxygenase has the same electron transfer proteins as its dibenzo-p-dioxin/dibenzofuran dioxygenase. Shared redox machinery = potential pathway competition in pollutant environments. go.njmicrobe.org/5dL1Bm #MicrobialCatabolism #Bioremediation

The Woychik Lab at Rutgers RWJMS uncover MazF-mt11, a TB toxin that halts protein synthesis by snipping the ribosome’s anti-Shine–Dalgarno sequence—helping M. tuberculosis persist for years. go.njmicrobe.org/TuimNi #Tuberculosis #BacterialPersistence #AntimicrobialTargets

ASM, ASBMB, ASCB & FASEB urge SCOTUS to block NIH from withholding canceled grants, warning of lasting harm to early-career scientists & U.S. science leadership. asm.org/press-releas.... #ResearchFunding #NIH #SciencePolicy

How does S. aureus turn a toxic metabolite into a survival tool? Rutgers-led research shows its enzyme FumC converts fumarate into fuel for growth, biofilm, & virulence—opening doors for new anti-pneumonia drugs. go.njmicrobe.org/8MQv9B #Microbiology #Pathogenesis #StaphAureus #AntimicrobialTargets

Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacter spp. are on the rise worldwide. Barry Kreiswirth (CDI) led the CRACKLE-2 study, revealing key species, resistance genes, and global clones driving this AMR threat go.njmicrobe.org/YEOm35 #Enterobacter #AMR #Microbiology #InfectiousDiseases #PublicHealth #CDI

Decades of research went into mRNA vaccines and technology. The Ebola vaccine was actually developed by the Government of Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory in the city I live in. publichealth.jhu.edu/2021/the-lon...

Lyme disease + babesiosis = a potent tick-borne combo. The Parveen Lab (NJMS) mapped mouse proteome changes over time, revealing the complex molecular tug-of-war during coinfection. go.njmicrobe.org/jhykAJ #TickBorneDiseases #LymeDisease #Babesiosis #Microbiology #InfectiousDiseases #PublicHealth

New tool in the coronavirus arsenal. The A549-ADT cell model developed at CDI supports high-throughput pan-CoV antiviral screening in a human lung cell line. Outperforms VeroE6 and flags halofantrine as a surprise SARS-CoV-2 inhibitor. go.njmicrobe.org/C0J5TL #Coronavirus #DrugDiscovery #Antiviral

HOWEVER you have to prove this in advance, and doing so after the bill is charged causes different steps to kick in. It's difficult, though not impossible, to reverse the charges (based on what I'm reading). You have to fill out different forms.

It looks like as a signatory to the UN Florence Agreement, if you 1) buy an item as a nonprofit or educational institution, 2) from a signatory country, 3) can demonstrate it is for research purposes, and/or 4) the item is not made in the US in significant quantities, you can import duty-free!

Here is the application to for duty-free entry of scientific equipment www.trade.gov/sites/defaul... If you are buying something this summer or fall, this is a good document to look at regardless, so you know what kind of due diligence is required to request the tariff waiver.

The use of "tariff surcharge" line items is absolutely critical to highlight the cost inflation born by American consumers. I strongly prefer them to quiet price hikes that don't call out the reason for the change. Medical research just got a lot more expensive.

Gaming Peer Review? The journal Nature has revealed that some researchers are embedding invisible text in their manuscripts — secret prompts aimed at manipulating AI-based peer reviewers into delivering only positive feedback. go.njmicrobe.org/hCxtvL #AcademicIntegrity #AI #ResearchEthics

Congratulations to Jeff Boyd on his promotion to Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology at Rutgers University! Jeff has been a cornerstone of our branch, serving as President (2018–2020) and ASM Branch Counselor since 2020. go.njmicrobe.org/VQqJ6m #Microbiology #Rutgers #ASM

Scaling laws of plasmids? Rutgers Prof. Maddamsetti, et al. analyzed 12K+ plasmids and found universal relationships between size, copy number, and gene content. Rethinking the plasmid–chromosome divide. go.njmicrobe.org/1KLI1i #Genomics #Plasmids #Microbiology #SyntheticBiology

Princeton researchers uncover 30 inhibitors of the quorum-sensing receptor PqsR in P. aeruginosa. These compounds block virulence—without affecting growth—by silencing PqsE-RhlR pathways. go.njmicrobe.org/4vrZIT #QuorumSensing #Pseudomonas #Antivirulence #BasslerLab

New Rutgers study: Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG heals the gut by reshaping host arginine metabolism. It upregulates argininosuccinate lyase, lowers argininosuccinate, restores tight junctions—offering a new probiotic strategy for IBD. go.njmicrobe.org/g7JSv0 #GutHealth #IBD #Microbiome #Rutgers

Can DNA vaccines overcome the cold-chain and reactogenicity problems of mRNA? Imunon’s PlaCCine platform just might. Strong T-cell immunity, easy delivery, and protection against Omicron in animal models. go.njmicrobe.org/EXvoFy #DNAVaccine #Imunon #COVID19 #GlobalHealth #NJBiotech

Wu Lab at Rowan University unveils a better method for studying adaptation: the c/µ test. It works on UTRs, accounts for synonymous mutations, and avoids false positives. Implications for viral evolution studies. go.njmicrobe.org/Up7l2R #Genomics #ViralEvolution #MolecularBiology

A remarkable bypass for frataxin deficiency: Rutgers scientists show that overexpressing Rsm22 in yeast restores mitochondrial Fe-S cluster biogenesis and rescues key phenotypes. Points to a new therapeutic path for Friedreich ataxia. go.njmicrobe.org/hp2rhL #FriedreichAtaxia #Mitochondria #Rutgers

A weekly HIV prevention pill? In macaques, 2 doses of Merck's islatravir fully protected against SIV—even one dose helped. Given its long half-life in humans, a single oral dose may be enough for post-exposure protection. go.njmicrobe.org/Y2LKTj #HIV #Merck #Islatravir #PublicHealth

JSF-3285: a new TB drug candidate targets the essential enzyme KasA and restores potency against resistant strains. A huge leap forward in anti-TB therapy from researchers at Rutgers and collaborators. go.njmicrobe.org/5uCXdB #TB #DrugDiscovery #Rutgers #Antibiotics

Just how many copies of a viroid-like RNA can a bacterium carry? Try over 1,000. A new study by Rohan Maddamsetti @Rutgers shows how Obelisk-S.s, found in Streptococcus sanguinis, may persist simply through sheer abundance. go.njmicrobe.org/ciQ22a #MicrobialMysteries #ViroidLikeRNAs #Obelisk

COVID-19's not done evolving. New research from Wang Lab @Rutgers identifies resistance mutations in SARS-CoV-2’s papain-like protease—E167, Y268, Q269—that weaken PLpro inhibitors like Jun12682 & PF-07957472. go.njmicrobe.org/i8Ff4M #COVID19 #AntiviralResistance #PLpro #Rutgers #SARSCoV2

New surfactant peptides called clavusporins, discovered by Princeton's Seyedsayamdost Lab, reveal how filamentous bacteria grow upward and not "bald". go.njmicrobe.org/bHo8aE #Microbiology #NaturalProducts #Streptomyces #rSAM #Peptides #BacterialDevelopment #Surfactants #Actinomycetes

HSV-1 isn’t just crashing the party—it steals the protein-making equipment. Princeton's Cristea Lab used N/C-TPCA to show how the virus corrals ribosome factors into nuclear traps, halting host translation while keeping viral protein production humming. go.njmicrobe.org/exNHa8 #PPI #HSV-1 #Virology

Are you wondering if it’s time to leave the U.S.? Have the relentless funding cuts and the anti-science political climate made you question your future here? You’re not alone. Many scientists are seriously weighing their options abroad. Read the Nature article: www.nature.com/articles/d41...