Sep 22, 2022
One of the consequences of the “Antibiotic Era” has been the
increased occurrence of infections caused by Clostridioides
difficile, also known as “Cdiff”, which in some cases can be
life-threatening. Antibiotics alter the microbes that live in
the gastrointestinal tract (the “microbiome”) allowing Cdiff to
thrive and cause disease. Dr. Vincent Young is professor in the
departments of Internal Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology at
the University of Michigan Medical School. Dr. Young is an
expert on Cdiff and its interactions with the microbiome.
Dr. Young discusses how Cdiff infections have increased over the
past several decades, how fecal transplants have been wildly
successful at treating recurrent Cdiff infections, how banking
fecal samples can be beneficial, how the gastrointestinal
microbiome can influence Cdiff infection, and how playing keyboard
in a band has been an important side job. The MicroCase for
listeners to solve is about Speedy Marathon, a cross-country runner
who gets more than just a shrimp on the barbie when he runs Down
Under.
Participants:
- Karl Klose, Ph.D. (UTSA)
- Vincent Young, M.D., Ph.D. (Univ. of Michigan)
- Janakiram Seshu, Ph.D. (UTSA)
- Mylea Echazarreta (UTSA)