The past year in Clinical Microbiology, as seen through the lens of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology. Four JCM editors have each selected a paper they consider to be among the “best” we published in 2024. Of course there are no objective criteria for what makes a paper the “best.” So, by “best,” we mean “a paper that I find exciting.”

View this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK9ZqZUrDiY

• Patricia Simner, Ph.D., D(ABMM), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
• Romney Humphries, Ph.D., D(ABMM), M(ASCP), Vanderbilt University Medical Center

• Wood RC, Luabeya AK, Dragovich RB, Olson AM, Lochner KA, Weigel KM, Codsi R, Mulenga H, de Vos M, Kohli M, Penn-Nicholson A, Hatherill M, Cangelosi GA. 2024. Diagnostic accuracy of tongue swab testing on two automated tuberculosis diagnostic platforms, Cepheid Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra and Molbio Truenat MTB Ultima. J Clin Microbiol 62:e00019-24.
• Rodino KG, Luethy PM, Abbott AN, Bender JM, Eberly AR, Gitman M, Leber A, Dien Bard J, . 2024. Defining the value of medical microbiology consultation. J Clin Microbiol 62:e00359-24.
• Giske CG, Bressan M, Fiechter F, Hinic V, Mancini S, Nolte O, Egli A. 2024. GPT-4-based AI agents—the new expert system for detection of antimicrobial resistance mechanisms?. J Clin Microbiol 62:e00689-24.
• Bloomfield M, van der Werff K, Todd S, Bocacao M, Reed H, Balm M, Blackmore T. 2024. An exception-reporting approach for wound swab culture: effect on post-report antibiotic initiation. J Clin Microbiol 62:e00342-24.
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This episode of Editors in Conversation is brought to you by the Journal of Clinical Microbiology and hosted by JCM Editor in Chief, Alex McAdam and Dr. Elli Theel. JCM is available at https://jcm.asm.org and on https://twitter.com/JClinMicro.

Visit journals.asm.org/journal/jcm to read articles and/or submit a manuscript.

Follow JCM on Twitter/𝕏 via @JClinMicro

2024 was a very active year on research in antimicrobial resistance, highlighted by an impactful and high level political declaration to combat antimicrobial resistance by the United Nations. In this episode, trainees from NIH-funded training program (T32) on antimicrobial resistance will help me discuss the most relevant research on the field in the year 2024. Welcome to editors in conversation!

• The best papers of 2024 in gram-positive, gram-negative, mycobacterial and parasite resistance

• Nathalie Chen: University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
• Alex Kang: Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX
• Nathan Rabbe: University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
• Taylor Blackburn: Emory University, Atlanta, GA
• Jacon McPherson: University of Houston, Houston, TX.
• Harrison Lee, MD: Associate Chief of Epidemiology and Microbial Genomics, Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology, Director, Center for Genomic Epidemiology, Director, T32 AMR, U of Pittsburgh
• William Shafer, PhD: Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Co-Director, Emory Antibiotic Resistance Center. Director T32 AMR, Emory University

This episode is brought to you by the Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy Journal.

Visit asm.org/aac to browse issues and/or submit a manuscript. If you plan to publish in AAC, ASM Members get up to 50% off publishing fees. Visit asm.org/joinasm to sign up.

Looking for a dynamic and rewarding career? Learn what it means to be a Clinical Microbiology Laboratory Director and the necessary steps to get there. It’s a diverse job encompassing infectious diseases diagnostic testing, patient care, teaching, and research. This episode is geared for those who are interested in pursuing (or already have) a Ph.D. or M.D.

• Alexandra Bryson, Ph.D.
• Andrea Prinzi, Ph.D

• Join ASM for up to 50% off the publication fees when you publish in JCM or any of the ASM journals.

This episode of Editors in Conversation is brought to you by the Journal of Clinical Microbiology and hosted by JCM Editor in Chief, Alex McAdam and Dr. Elli Theel. JCM is available at https://jcm.asm.org and on https://twitter.com/JClinMicro.

Visit journals.asm.org/journal/jcm to read articles and/or submit a manuscript.

Follow JCM on Twitter/𝕏 via @JClinMicro

Lack of access to antibiotics including those with enhanced activity against multidrug-resistant organisms is a major barrier to combat antimicrobial resistance, particularly in the developing world. Furthermore, discovering and making available new antimicrobial agents against the most pressing antibiotic-resitant organisms is a challenge due to multiple barriers.

The Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership (GARDP) accelerates the development and access of treatments for drug-resistant bacterial infections. Together with public, private and non-profit partners, GARDP works to preserve the power of antibiotics for generations to come. We discuss the important role that GARDP is playing in the worldwide fight against antimicrobial resistance.

• GARDP function and role in the AMR field
• The strategies that GARDP is implementing to make new antibiotics available to all
• The future of antimicrobial research and development and the role of GARDP in this process.

• Jennifer Cohn MD MPH, Director, Global Access Global Antibiotic R&D Partnership (GARDP)
• Susana Ribeiro, MPH, Regional Head Latin America Global Antibiotic R&D Partnership (GARDP)

This episode is brought to you by the Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy Journal.

Visit asm.org/aac to browse issues and/or submit a manuscript. If you plan to publish in AAC, ASM Members get up to 50% off publishing fees. Visit asm.org/joinasm to sign up.

The second High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) took place in New York on 26 September 2024 as the principal official, health-focused event during the UN General Assembly high-level week. The intergovernmental negotiations for the declaration were co-facilitated by Malta and Barbados. A political declaration for the meeting was produced highlighting the fact that AMR will cause even more global suffering, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. In this episode we will debrief and analyze the possible impact of these meetings and consequences for the future of AMR research and antimicrobial development.

• The political implications of the UN declaration on AMR.
• Comment of the scientific and public health impact of the declaration
• Elaborate on future antimicrobial research and development

• John Rex, MD. Chief Medical Officer, F2G Ltd; Operating Partner, Advent Life Sciences
• Prabha Fernandes, PhD. Board Member of GARDP (Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership).

• HLM on AMR at UNGA: The end of the beginning
• 29 April 2024: “R&D Implications: Global Burden of Disease is 28% Infectious!”
• 27 Sep 2024: “Without action, AMR costs go from $66b to $159b/yr by 2050”

This episode is brought to you by the Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy journal.

Visit asm.org/aac to browse issues and/or submit a manuscript. If you plan to publish in AAC, ASM Members get up to 50% off publishing fees. Visit asm.org/joinasm to sign up.

The American Society for Microbiology is launching a new journal, ASM Case Reports. The journal is already accepting submissions and will begin publishing in January of 2025. We discuss ASM Case Reports and what you can expect from this new journal.

Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/zHdZL0PYTuE

Some of the questions we will discuss include:

• What is the scope of ASM Case Reports?
• What makes a case report or case series interesting and important?
• Why should people publish in ASM Case Reports?

• Dr. Carey-Ann Burnham (twitter/𝕏)

journals.asm.org/journal/asmcr

• Join ASM for up to 50% off the publication fees when you publish in JCM or any of the ASM journals.

This episode of Editors in Conversation is brought to you by the Journal of Clinical Microbiology and hosted by JCM Editor in Chief, Alex McAdam and Dr. Elli Theel. JCM is available at https://jcm.asm.org and on https://twitter.com/JClinMicro.

Visit journals.asm.org/journal/jcm to read articles and/or submit a manuscript.

Follow JCM on Twitter/𝕏 via @JClinMicro

Heteroresistance is a phenomenon that has been well characterized for many years. However, we are only now starting to understand its mechanistic basis. Indeed, the manner how bacteria respond to antibiotics is complex and phenomena such as persistance, tolerance may be overlapping with heteroresistance. Furthermore, heteroresistance seems to be common in real clinical scenarios and understanding its basis is likely to open new avenues on how we deploy antibacterials in clinical practice., Today, we have experts in the field to discuss this important topic.

Watch this episode at https://youtu.be/qcIcyn1bIHU.

• The differences between heteroresistance, persistence and tolerance
• The mechanistic basis both in Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria
• The clinical implication and diagnosis of heteroresistance

• David Weiss, Ph.D. Professor of Medicine and Director Center for Antimicrobial Resistance, Emory University School Of Medicine, Atlanta. GA.
• William Miller, MD. Assistant Professor of Medicine, Houston Methodist, Houston, TX and Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY.

• Cefiderocol heteroresistance associated with mutations in TonB-dependent receptor genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa of clinical origin

This episode is brought to you by the Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy journal.

Visit asm.org/aac to browse issues and/or submit a manuscript. If you plan to publish in AAC, ASM Members get up to 50% off publishing fees. Visit asm.org/joinasm to sign up.

Follow Cesar on twitter at https://twitter.com/SuperBugDoc for AAC updates.

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