It's the most abundant eukaryotic microbe in humans… But what role does it play in our bodies? For decades, Blastocystis has been thought of as a parasite just like other protists that lurk within humans, such as Plasmodium or Giardia. But research is increasingly finding the opposite to be true, and scientists across the world are fighting to change this perception.

This month on Microbe Talk, Lilly is joined by Dr Anastasios Tsaousis and Dr Varol Tunali to discuss their four-year COST Action project, which brought together experts from around the world to understand what the evidence is actually uncovering about the role of Blastocystis. Listen in to find out more!

This month, Lilly welcomes Dr Jason Brown from the University of Glasgow to discuss his latest research findings using cold atmospheric plasma (CAP), a form of ionised gas, against biofilms in wound infections. Listen in to hear their discussion of what CAP therapy is, how it works, and why this treatment could be a useful alternative to antibiotics.

Read Jason's latest research paper in the Journal of Medical Microbiology here, doi.org/10.1099/jmm.0.002193, or by visiting our website.

📣 Episode 185 is out now!

This month, Lilly welcomes Dr Hannah Trivett from the University of Birmingham to the podcast, to discuss her latest publication bringing patient and public involvement (PPI) and microbial genomics research together for the first time ever. Listen in to hear their discussion of what the public think about effective science communication and how researchers can benefit from incorporating this into their work.

Read Hannah's latest research paper here doi.org/10.1099/mgen.0.001691, or by visiting our website.