Jennifer TsangMay 18
When I heard of how iota-carrageenan nasal sprays can shorten duration of colds, I had to check out the science behind it. The research is relatively new and I found just 31 papers on PubMed. Get the highlights on #TheMicrobialMenagerie: https://microbialmenagerie.com/iota-carrageenan-cuts-length-and-severity-of-upper-respiratory-infection-symptoms/
Shorter, milder colds? Iota-carrageenan cuts length and severity of upper respiratory infection symptoms

A few weeks ago, I ended up getting a cold that lasted forever. I’m talking about weeks of coughing, nasal congestion, and multiple boxes of tissues. At the same time, someone in my writers&#…

The Microbial Menagerie
Jennifer TsangMar 23

Seems like all I'm doing lately is reading microbiology books and writing about what I learned on my blog. I finished Everything is Tuberculosis and it was quite a fascinating read. https://microbialmenagerie.com/five-things-i-learned-from-reading-everything-is-tuberculosis/

#ScienceBooks #TheMicrobialMenagerie #SciComm

Five Things I Learned From Reading Everything is Tuberculosis

One of the things I love about reading science non-fiction books is that it’s never “just about the science.”  Rather, it’s about how science has shaped the world and h…

The Microbial Menagerie
Jennifer TsangJan 21

The first book I read this year was Blight: Fungi and the Coming Pandemic. I came across a concept that was new to me: the "thermal barrier" that have kept fungi from infecting humans. I was curious about this and dug up some details for my blog. Read below! #Fungi #Microbiology #TheMicrobialMenagerie

https://microbialmenagerie.com/climate-change-as-a-driver-for-fungal-infections/

Climate change as a driver of fungal infections

Every year, I set a small reading goal and track my progress in one of those reading apps. I started using Storygraph last year and set a goal of 12 books. Small for some, but I met last year&#8217…

The Microbial Menagerie
Jennifer TsangNov 3, 2025

Just read about a flu test using taste as a 24/7 infection detector. This test could enable rapid, low-cost detection even before symptoms appear. Read more on #TheMicrobialMenagerie: microbialmenagerie.com/taste-based-flu-detection

#FluSeason #Influenza #Microbiology

Jennifer TsangOct 17, 2025

Maybe I'm weird, but I try to time my flu shot so that I get it at the optimal time - late enough so that it still has an effect through spring, but before cases go up. I ended up getting it yesterday.

I wrote about this on my blog #TheMicrobialMenagerie last year, and just updated the post. Sharing incase it is helpful!

https://microbialmenagerie.com/when-should-i-get-my-flu-shot-heres-what-science-says/

When should I get my flu shot? Here’s what science says.

Originally published October 9, 2024. Updated October 17, 2025. Pharmacies and doctors start booking flu vaccine appointments in late August, long before the number of flu cases are on the rise. Th…

The Microbial Menagerie
Jennifer TsangOct 1, 2025

🍎 We just finished snacking on giant bag of apples from the apple orchard and every time I eat an apple, I'm reminded of this blog post I wrote a few years ago.

https://microbialmenagerie.com/apple-microbiome/

#TheMicrobialMenagerie #Microbiome #Microbiology

100 Million Bacteria And Other Apple Microbiome Tales

The best season is upon us. The time of vibrant foliage, pumpkins, apples… and all the microbes that come with that. When it comes to the intersection of food and microbiology, we typically t…

The Microbial Menagerie
Jennifer TsangAug 4, 2025

We often hear about overprescribing and misuse of antibiotics. But what about the antibiotics that make their way into other places of the body beyond infection sites?

In my new article for #TheMicrobialMenagerie, I dive into a recently published paper about how eliminating these "off target" antibiotics can help reduce #AntimicrobialResistance.

https://microbialmenagerie.com/curbing-antibiotic-resistance-through-off-target-antibiotic-removal/

Curbing Antibiotic Resistance Through Off-Target Antibiotic Removal

To address the growing antimicrobial resistance problem, scientists have been searching nature in attempts to find new classes of antibiotics, optimizing existing ones, or designing new antimicrobi…

The Microbial Menagerie
Jennifer TsangJul 15, 2024
Have you heard of anaplasmosis? I did not until my dog's routine tests at the vet came back positive for it and I had to read more about it. So we're here today with another Meet a Microbe blog post for #TheMicrobialMenagerie! #microbiology https://buff.ly/46783Sv
Meet a Microbe: Anaplasma phagocytophilum

We’re deep into tick season in the Eastern US. As dog parents, we give our pup monthly flea and tick medication and check her for ticks if she’s been in fields or wooded areas. We thought we were i…

The Microbial Menagerie
Jennifer TsangOct 26, 2023

🎃 Prepare yourself for a spooky microbial Halloween!

The microbial world is full of fascinating stories and in this blog post, we round up seven eerie microbiology stories, from vampire bacteria to zombie ants and more. 🧛 🧟

Check them out: https://microbialmenagerie.com/seven-spooky-microbiology-stories-for-halloween/

#TheMicrobialMenagerie #HalloweenScience #Microbiology #HappyHalloween

Seven Spooky Microbiology Stories for Halloween

Spooky season is here! While we associate Halloween with ghost stories, haunted houses, zombies, and trick-or-treating, the microbial world contains many eerie, microscopic (and macroscopic) tales.…

The Microbial Menagerie
Jennifer TsangMar 15, 2023
It's been a while since I've done a "Meet the Microbe" but today's post features Haloquadratum walsbyi - a square-shaped archaeon once thought to be a bacterium. #TheMicrobialMenagerie #SciComm #Microbiology https://microbialmenagerie.com/haloquadratum-walsbyi-the-square-shaped-archaeon
Meet Haloquadratum walsbyi, the Square-shaped Archaeon Once Thought to be a Bacterium - The Microbial Menagerie

Microbes come in many shapes and sizes, appearing as spheres, rods, and spirals under the microscope. Aside from these more commonly found microbial shapes, many microbes take on a more unique appearance. One of these microbes is the square-shaped Haloquadratum walsbyi, which was discovered in 1980 by A. E. Walsby. It became known as the...

The Microbial Menagerie