Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab

m.youtube.comMatters Microbial #31: Spirochetes do things...differentlyToday, Dr. Brian Stevenson of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss a twisty twirling form of life, spirochetes,...

14 Mar 2024

Recently interviewed by Mark Martin for his “Matters Microbial” podcast! m.youtube.com/watch?si=O6w...

nature.comIdentification and genetic characterization of megabase-scale plasmids of Enterobacteriaceae - Nature CommunicationsHere, the authors report the identification and characterization of large, up to 1.58 million base-pair-long plasmids in gut microbiomes worldwide, showing that while most genes remain uncharacterized...

A plasmid that’s 1.58 million base pairs long, about 30X the size of a typical E. coli plasmid. Its relatives were found in hundreds of microbiomes worldwide. #MicroSky

Allison G@assemblerag.bsky.social

Out now in @natcomms.nature.com: We found a plasmid in a preterm infant’s gut microbiome that’s 1.58 million base pairs long, about 30X the size of a typical E. coli plasmid. Then we found its relatives in hundreds of microbiomes worldwide. Read on to learn more about the elusive pMEGAs! 🧵

The Family Borreliaceae in Australia: Diversity, Tick Vectors, Wildlife Hosts and the Lyme Disease Controversy "Australian Borreliaceae fauna is dominated by indigenous relapsing fever and reptile-associated lineages rather than Lyme borreliosis agents." www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/14... #MicroSky

link.springer.comLyme Disease and Other Tick-Borne Infections - Current Neurology and Neuroscience ReportsPurpose of Review The neurologic manifestations of selected tick-transmitted infections in North America and Eurasia were reviewed. Recent Findings Both Powassan virus in North America, and Tick-Borne...

"Lyme Disease and Other Tick-Borne Infections" a useful review link.springer.com/article/10.1... #MicroSky

news.utoledo.eduAfter 25 Years Studying Lyme Disease, UToledo Researcher Gets His Biggest Shot at a Developing a Vaccine | UToledo NewsA $3.7 million NIH grant will fund the next phase of Dr. Mark Wooten's work on an unconventional vaccine approach that turns the bacteria's own biology against it.

Moving forward on developing an effective vaccine against Lyme disease. news.utoledo.edu/index.php/10... #MicroSky

academic.oup.com/jimmunol/art...

academic.oup.comLoss of chemotaxis gene ΔcheY3 in Borrelia burgdorferileads to early immune clearance but does elicits a strong antibody response (MPF6P.647)Abstract. Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) is a spirochetal bacterium that displays unique endoflagellar motility to efficiently disseminate through dense host ti

Words of affirmation

Shocked and stunned to receive an email from a prospective student that WAS NOT written by AI ! Wonderful to hear from someone who took the time to learn about me and our research, and then wrote an email USING THEIR OWN BRAIN ! I responded immediately

Capture sequencing enables enhanced genome recovery of Borrelia burgdorferi in mice snappy new report from the Tokarz lab journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/... #MicroSky

journals.asm.orgA journal that grows older and stays young | Journal of BacteriologyFew journals in microbiology carry the history, continuity, and influence of the Journal of Bacteriology (JB). Since its founding in 1916, JB has published for more than a century and has served as a ...

I still remember my first publication in Journal of Bacteriology. It wasn't my first scientific paper, but being in J Bact meant that I was real goddam Microbiologist! #MicroSky

Mark Mandel@markjmandel.bsky.social

"A journal that grows older and stays young" - Wonderful look at Journal of Bacteriology from Editor Tao Dong, through the lens of different career stages and with a global eye. journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

aldoleopold.orgUpcoming Programs and Events | Aldo Leopold FoundationStay updated on upcoming programs and events at the Aldo Leopold Foundation. Browse our calendar, learn more, and register for events to secure your spot.

The Insect Epiphany: How Our Six-Legged Allies Shape Human Culture Free zoom presentation October 8, 7:00PM Central time Information and registration: www.aldoleopold.org/news-and-eve...

MinD-like ATPase FlhG synchronizes flagellation and cell division in spirochetes Brilliant new paper from C. Li, J. Liu, and colleagues mBio: journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/... #MicroSky

Many hosts, many solutions: How reservoirs shape Borrelia protein diversity by S. Ciglbauerová, M. Strnad, and R.O. M. Rego PLoS Pathogens journals.plos.org/plospathogen... #MicroSky

journals.asm.orgYersinopine is a primary zinc acquisition system for Yersinia pseudotuberculosis | mBioZinc sequestration by the host is a major component of nutritional immunity that restricts bacterial growth during infection. Here, we identify the opine metallophore yersinopine as a primary zinc acq...

20 Sept

#MicroSky

Matthew Lawrenz@lawrenzlab.bsky.social

Check out our latest study into nutritional immunity by Yersinia led by postdoc Mahendar Kadari. Our investigations into the metallophore yersinopine revealed some surprising differences in zinc acquisition between Y. pestis and Y. pseudotuberculosis.

20 Sept

Bacterial growth rate in populations and single cells Petra Anne Levin & Jue D. Wang #MicroSky

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16 Sept

“Anything can happen, and anything does” Annie Dillard, April 30, 1945 – September 15, 2026

14 Sept

Our boy in his Southern California surfer/skater phase, 2009 @jutraslab.bsky.social #BeforeHeKnewItAll

biorxiv.orgH-NS silences antiviral immunity through 3D chromatin compactionBacterial antiviral immunity systems can be toxic to their hosts and must be tightly regulated. Immunity genes are often encoded by AT-rich mobile genetic elements subjected to silencing by nucleoid b...

11 Sept

#MicroSky

artemisaev.bsky.social@artemisaev.bsky.social

Chromatin structure controls defense island expression! Why do some systems defend on plasmids but fail natively? H-NS is key. Removing it boosts defense and overcomes anti-defense proteins but raises toxicity. Common lab strains still hide novel immunity modules! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

8 Sept

Spirochetes do it differently! Evolutionary characterization and structure-guided discovery of the β-barrel assembly machinery in Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum reveals a putative BamD-like protein www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #MicroSky

6 Sept

Returning home after Brandon’s @jutraslab.bsky.social memorial / celebration of life. Part of the outline of my eulogy is attached. Life is a mystery We don’t know how many years, or hours, we have left to live Don’t put things off to the future Hug your friends Tell them that you love them

uknow.uky.edu‘Tick magnets’ guide UK ecology research, tool testing and student learningUniversity of Kentucky research uses student-supported tick surveillance to better understand how ticks, wildlife, livestock, humans and disease interact across Kentucky landscapes.

4 Sept

Tick ecology research at the University of Kentucky uknow.uky.edu/research/tic...

4 Sept

This weekend, we celebrate the life and honor the memory of Brandon Jutras. From one of Brandon’s PhD research notebooks. He wrote of creating a name for the previously-undescribed protein that he functionally defined. This weekend, we let his definition stand: BpuR = Brandon’s PUR protein

mmpc2026.umn.eduMidwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference | Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference 2026

4 Sept

@jutraslab.bsky.social

Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab reposted

Frances Yap

@ribo1214.bsky.social

3 Sept

#MicroSky act fast! Sept 4th is the registration deadline for Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference (MMPC) that will be held in Minneapolis from Sept 25-27 #mmpc2026

Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference@mmpconference.bsky.social

MMPC registration & hotel block closes this week! Your to-do list before *September 4*: 1) Register for the meeting! ✅ 2) Reserve your hotel room! ✅ 3) Get your official MMPC t-shirt! ✅ Check off all these tasks here ➡️ mmpc2026.umn.edu See you in Minneapolis! #mmpc2026

udel.eduThe mystery of a well-traveled kissing bug | UDailyUniversity of Delaware study details the finding of the first known live kissing bug in Europe

1 Sept

Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab reposted

Gwen Pearson

@bug-gwen.bsky.social

29 Aug

I love that this medical entomology professor turned a "we found a weird bug" moment into a teaching exercise and a paper for her class. (1/2) www.udel.edu/udaily/2026/...

Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab reposted

Anahid (Ana)

@anahidam.bsky.social

1 May

Looking for a #postdoc outside the US, focusing on gut microbiome, AMR dynamics & phage-bacteria interactions. Bridging wet lab and computational approaches🦠👩‍💻. Hartmann Lab, Northwestern University, defending late 2026. Boosts appreciated 🙏🧫🧪 #microbiome #metagenomics #MicroSky

science.orgDeadly tick-borne virus gains ground in Europe as climate warmsKosovo shows how surveillance can uncover hidden circulation—and help countries prepare before human cases appear

24 Aug

Deadly tick-borne virus gains ground in Europe as climate warms | Science | AAAS Hyalomma marginatum ticks, the main vector for Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, have been spotted in 40 European countries. www.science.org/content/arti... #MicroSky

wuky.orgTwo grant-funded research projects could help foster new preventive treatments for Lyme diseaseThere’s a virus within a bacterium within a parasite, and University of Kentucky researchers are figuring out how to make them kill each other. Dr. Greg talks with a UK researcher who has been studyin...

20 Aug

Recent radio interview www.wuky.org/podcast/dr-g... #MicroSky

mmpc2026.umn.eduMidwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference | Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference 2026

19 Aug

Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference Sepember 25-27, 2026 Minneapolis, MN #MicroSky 🦠🧫🧪🧬

Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference@mmpconference.bsky.social

Your #mmpc2026 to-do list before *September 4*! 1) Register for the meeting! ✅ 2) Reserve your hotel room! ✅ 3) Get your official MMPC t-shirt! ✅ Check off all these tasks here ➡️ mmpc2026.umn.edu See you in Minneapolis!

18 Aug

The ecology of Lyme disease: Long-term data, surprises, and a synthesis "Infection prevalence with zoonotic pathogens ... appeared to arise from the distribution of larval ticks across the entire community of larval hosts." www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... #MicroSky

Curiouser and curiouser: understanding the intersection of inter- and intra-specific diversity during the Borrelia burgdorferi enzootic cycle and Lyme disease journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/... #MicroSky

ospC diversity in Borrelia burgdorferi: different hosts are different niches A report from 2004 that also found that OspC type U preferentially infected chipmunks academic.oup.com/genetics/art... #MicroSky

Video of a recent presentation by Scarlet Shifflett, on "ospC: An essential protein in Lyme disease* transmission." From this group, from the April 2026 meeting of the American Entomological Society www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk2Z... #MicroSky

youtube.comyoutube.com

Merging a hobby with my day job. I collect antique microscopes and microscope slides. The mid-to-late-1800s were a golden age of amateur microscopy. Numerous professionals prepared high-quality slides for that large market of hobbyists. "Ixodes from tortoise", prepared ca. 1890.

My collection of antique tick slides, from a page of my web site: microscopist.net/Ticks.html

microscopist.netTicks

Diversity and host specificity of Borrelia burgdorferi’s outer surface protein C (ospC) alleles in synanthropic mammals, with a notable ospC allele U absence from mixed infections Does OspC type U preferentially infect chipmunks? And exclude other types? journals.asm.org/doi/epub/10.... #MicroSky

7 Aug

A direct, urine-based test to diagnose acute Lyme disease using actively secreted peptidoglycan as a biomarker Exciting new results from @jutraslab.bsky.social www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6... #TheShowMustGoOn #MicroSky

galaxydx.comGalaxy Dx: Brandon L Jutras Partnership Drives 2026 BreakthroughsBrandon L Jutras partnership advances diagnostic research and innovation through cutting-edge scientific collaboration.

7 Aug

www.galaxydx.com/galaxy-diagn... #MicroSKy #LymeSky

nhscotthanekamp.comObituary information for Dr. Brandon Lyon JutrasView Dr. Brandon Lyon Jutras's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

4 Aug

Remembering the life of Brandon Jutras gone far too soon www.nhscotthanekamp.com/obituaries/D...

mmpc2026.umn.eduRegistration | Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference 2026

4 Aug

Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference (MMPC) September 25-27, 2026 University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN Register now! #MicroSky

Julia Willett@jlewillett.bsky.social

I'm excited to be co-organizing the 2026 Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference, which will take place Sept 25-27 on the UMN campus in Minneapolis! Poster abstracts due Aug 7! Submit yours & register here ➡️ mmpc2026.umn.edu

mmpc2026.umn.edu2026 MMPC T-shirts | Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference 2026

4 Aug

Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference (MMPC) September 25-27, 2026 University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN Register now! #MicroSky

Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference@mmpconference.bsky.social

New for #mmpc2026 this year: T-SHIRTS!! Designed by @ruthlessruth15.bsky.social & featuring your favorite microbes! Shirts must be ordered by Sept 4 & can be picked up at the conference. Get your official 2026 Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference swag here: mmpc2026.umn.edu/more/2026-mm...

3 Aug

In the Land of Cheese and Phages! #phages2026

31 July

NIAID R21 proposal was scored 18. When paylines existed, that score was definitely going to be funded. Now, I’m merely “cautiously optimistic”. Haven’t purchased the champagne.

30 July

Had a few drinks with my ghosts last night

Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab reposted

Scicommpoetmom

@krosejutras.bsky.social

30 July

Kristin Rose Jutras 38m Devastated to share that my husband, @jutraslab.bsky.social, passed away. People are writing fake obituaries online/sharing on social media that Brandon died of Lyme disease. This is not true and is an affront to everything Brandon stood for as a scientist: the truth.

29 July

Devastated to report that Brandon Jutras passed away a day or two ago. Brandon earned his PhD with me. He went on to be an Associate Professor at Northwestern University School of Medicine and a super star in Lyme research. A loving husband and father, a sincere friend, and a brilliant scientist 💔

28 July

Relapsing fever in Texas, USA Human Exposure to Spirochete-Infected Ornithodoros turicata in a Residential Setting in the Austin, Texas Metropolitan Area pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42517151/ #MicroSky

kffhealthnews.orgAmerican Scientists See Prosecutions as Part of Federal Campaign Against Them - KFF Health NewsFederal officials charged two virologists they stopped en route from an African disease outbreak with violating import rules. But scientists tell KFF Health News the inactivated samples they carried p...

22 July

Philip Stewart, a recently retired Rocky Mountain Labs researcher (who) focused on tick-borne diseases, “There is an anti-science movement … We are targets” Phil was also a postdoc with Patti Rosa at RML, about 3 years after I left the lab.

KFF Health News@kffhealthnews.org

“There is an anti-science movement,” said Philip Stewart, a retired NIH scientist. “We are targets, and if it hadn’t been Vincent, it would have been someone else.” @k-hought.bsky.social & @arthurallen202.bsky.social report ⤵️