In 1933, Ruth Ella Moore (1903-1994) became the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. in the natural sciences. The Columbus, Ohio native received her Ph.D. in bacteriology from Ohio State University, where she also finished her B.S. and M.A. Her dissertation was published in two parts: Studies on Dissociation of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, and A…
Convalescent plasma. It’s an old term that’s recently resurfaced as we face a virus with no vaccine. Just this week, a study of 20,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients who received convalescent plasma was published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. While convalescent plasma therapy might be promising for treating COVID-19 patients, it actually has a long history of…
Microbes and insects often interact in a delicate symbiosis. The microbes provide nutrients that the insects need and the insects provide a home for the microbes. In the case of the cicada-microbe interactions, the bacteria Hodgkinia provides the essential amino acids histidine and methionine. Over time, the endosymbionts, the microbes living within the host cells, become…
As COVID-19 spreads around the world, more and more things such as conferences, schools, and large events such as SXSW are being canceled – an effort to halt the spread of the virus and reduce the strain on our healthcare system. Meanwhile, dangerous notions circulate: the idea that nearly everyone will get COVID-19 so distancing…
In this edition of This Month in Microbiology, we feature the Contamination World Cup, huge phages, coronavirus resources, and bacterial warfare.