PEA agar is often treated as "the gram-positive plate," but that shortcut can lead to real bench-level mistakes.

In this MicroMinutes episode, we break down what phenylethyl alcohol agar actually does, why growth on PEA does not automatically mean an organism is gram-positive, and how selective media can change colony appearance and behavior.

You'll hear about:

• What PEA inhibits — and what it doesn't

• Why Pseudomonas aeruginosa can grow quite well on PEA

• How colony morphology and hemolysis may differ from blood agar

• Why Lancefield grouping should never be performed directly from PEA
  
  

PEA is a powerful recovery tool — but only when you understand its limitations.
Short, focused, and straight from the bench, this is your Micro minutes.

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In this special episode, I'm joined by three leaders who helped shape the conversation at the 2025 Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Summit in Detroit: Dr. Lauren Hunt, Dr. Linoj Samuel, and Dr. Robert Tibbetts. Together, we explore how this intimate, multidisciplinary summit brought together clinical microbiology, infectious diseases, stewardship, public health, policy, and veterinary medicine to tackle the growing challenges of antimicrobial resistance.

We break down the key themes that emerged throughout the meeting—shared accountability, One Health collaboration, diagnostic innovation, payer perspectives, and the urgent need for equitable access to testing. You'll hear about surprising insights, personal stories that brought AMR's impact into sharp focus, and the collaborative projects already taking root as a result of this year's summit.

Whether you're on the bench, managing stewardship programs, shaping policy, or simply passionate about the future of diagnostics, this episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at the conversations and partnerships driving AMR action forward.

Thank you to Lauren, Linoj, and Robert for joining me—and to everyone committed to advancing the fight against AMR. One Health, one fight.

If you'd like to explore more background from last year's summit, here are two excellent resources:

• 2024 AMR Summit Article
  Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology (ASHE)
  DOI:10.1017/ash.2025.10039
  
  

• ASHE Podcast Episode Recapping the 2024 Summit
  🎧 https://open.spotify.com/episode/0YBcDwgfYIy75pTVjCZZ5Y?si=jb8N_3AIQdOmcC2YaOvOag
  
  

If you're interested in contributing ideas, collaborating on AMR initiatives, or learning more about future AMR Summits, you can reach out directly to:

Dr. Lauren Hunt

📧 lauren.hunt@biomerieux.com

Stay connected with Let's Talk Micro:

• Website: letstalkmicro.com

• Questions or feedback? Email me at letstalkmicro@outlook.com

• Interested in being a guest on Let's Talk Micro? Fill out the form here: https://forms.gle/V2fT3asjfyusmqyi

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What does antimicrobial resistance look like when your patients range from dogs and cats to cattle, wildlife, and everything in between? And how do we make sense of AST, breakpoints, contamination, and genotypic tools across such a diverse microbiological world?

In this episode, Luis is joined by Dr. Kelli Maddock, DrPH (North Dakota State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory) and Dr. Stephen Cole (University of Pennsylvania), two leaders shaping the future of veterinary microbiology, antimicrobial stewardship, and CLSI veterinary standards.

Together, they explore AMR and AST through a true One Health lens, showing how animal, human, and environmental health are interconnected in everyday diagnostic work.

Drawing from their recent American Journal of Veterinary Research article on AMR challenges in veterinary medicine, the discussion highlights:

• The biggest challenges in veterinary AST, from species diversity to contamination

• Phenotypic vs genotypic testing and concerns around WGS-based "treatment predictions"

• How selective reporting ("nudging") strengthens antimicrobial stewardship

• Why every animal result matters in a One Health framework

Whether you come from human or veterinary microbiology, this episode reveals the shared challenges across sectors — and the diagnostic, collaborative, and educational steps needed to strengthen AMR response in a One Health world.

• TBT: Veterinary Microbiology https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/35868175

• Episode 166: Pasteurella multocida — capsular groups and more
  https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/35868155

Stay connected with Let's Talk Micro:

• Website: letstalkmicro.com

• Questions or feedback? Email me at letstalkmicro@outlook.com

• Interested in being a guest on Let's Talk Micro? Fill out the form here: https://forms.gle/V2fT3asjfyusmqyi8

Support the podcast:

• Venmo

• Buy me a Ko-fi