Skip to content
The Microbial Menagerie
Menu
  • Home
  • About
    • Blog News and Updates
    • About Jennifer
    • My Other Writing
    • Contact Me
    • Privacy Policy and Disclosures
  • Microbes and Microbiologists
    • Meet a Microbiologist
    • Meet a Microbe
    • Microbiology Poems
  • Microbiome
    • Human Microbiome
    • Built Environments
  • Fermented Foods
    • Bread
    • Cheese
    • Kefir
    • All Fermented Foods
  • Diseases and Immunity
    • COVID-19
    • Antimicrobial Resistance
    • Vaccines
    • Infectious Diseases
  • Other
    • Agar Plates
    • Applied Microbiology
    • Fungi
    • Microbes in the Environment
    • Microbial Physiology
    • Microbiology Research Updates
    • Science Communication
    • Microbiology History
    • Microbiology Books
Menu

Category: Infectious Diseases

influenza b microscopy image

When should I get my flu shot? Here’s what science says.

Posted on October 15, 2026October 15, 2026 by Jennifer Tsang

Originally published October 9, 2024. Updated October 15, 2026. Pharmacies and doctors start booking flu vaccine appointments in late August, long before the number of flu cases are on the rise. The CDC recommends getting vaccinated in September or October. But most years, flu cases don’t peak for a couple months. So what’s the data…

Read more
Meet a Microbe Helicobacter pylori

Meet Helicobacter pylori, the stomach bacteria that’s also considered a carcinogen

Posted on September 8, 2026September 18, 2026 by Jennifer Tsang

I’m so excited to introduce you to my favorite bacteria – and the subject from my PhD research – Helicobacter pylori. After spending the early 2010s growing this somewhat finicky bacterium and studying how it builds the flagellum (a tail-like structure it uses to move around). In fact, the picture above is a transmission electron…

Read more
Red seaweed, Eucheuma denticulatum, floats on the water surface

Shorter, milder colds? Iota-carrageenan cuts length and severity of upper respiratory infection symptoms

Posted on May 18, 2026May 18, 2026 by Jennifer Tsang

A few weeks ago, I ended up getting a cold that lasted forever. I’m talking about weeks of coughing, nasal congestion, and multiple boxes of tissues. At the same time, someone in my writers’ group shared that an iota carrageenan nasal spray helped her get over her cold quickly. She pointed me to a paper…

Read more
painting, The Sick Child by Edvard Munch

Five Things I Learned From Reading Everything is Tuberculosis

Posted on March 23, 2026May 11, 2026 by Jennifer Tsang

One of the things I love about reading science non-fiction books is that it’s never “just about the science.”  Rather, it’s about how science has shaped the world and how what was happening in the world shaped research, treatments, and the way we as a society think about disease and health.

Read more
a variety of fungi growing in a Petri dish

Climate change as a driver of fungal infections

Posted on January 21, 2026January 21, 2026 by Jennifer Tsang

Every year, I set a small reading goal and track my progress in one of those reading apps. I started using Storygraph last year and set a goal of 12 books. Small for some, but I met last year’s goal with no problem. 🙂

Read more
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • Next

Support the blog!

If you've enjoyed reading the blog, please support me on Ko-fi

Stay in Touch

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join us on social

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Categories

Agar Plates Animal Microbiome Antimicrobial Resistance Applied Microbiology Blog News and Updates Built Environments COVID-19 Fermented Foods Fungi Human Microbiome Infectious Diseases Meet a Microbe Meet a Microbiologist Microbes in the Environment Microbial Physiology Microbiology Books Microbiology History Microbiology Poems Microbiology Research Updates Science Communication Vaccines

Top Posts

  • Knitting and Crocheting Microbes
  • Seven Spooky Microbiology Stories for Halloween
  • Introduction to Blood Agar: Blood Agar Reveals How Microbes “Consume” Blood
  • The Beginner’s Guide to Cheese Microbiology
  • Meet Haloquadratum walsbyi, the Square-shaped Archaeon Once Thought to be a Bacterium

Recent Posts

  • When should I get my flu shot? Here’s what science says.
  • A closer look at Bald’s eyesalve, an ancient remedy with antimicrobial properties
  • Microbiology events calendar: Historical events and awareness days
  • Meet Helicobacter pylori, the stomach bacteria that’s also considered a carcinogen
  • Why do I get so many mosquito bites? The answer may lie in the skin microbiome

Archives

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

© 2026 The Microbial Menagerie | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme