Microbiology / Infectious Disease

Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a lasting impact on the lives of millions of people around the world, including the many brave health care workers who risked their own health to provide lifesaving care to those infected by the virus. That care was made possible, in part, by the lasting impact that the pandemic has also had on laboratory testing.

By Cory Pedersen • March 22, 2023

Host Bobbi Pritt, M.D., is joined by Robin Patel, M.D., co-director of the Clinical Bacteriology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic and director of the Mayo Clinic Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory, for a discussion on the rising cases and reports of group A streptococcus and antibiotic resistant gonorrhea across the United States.

By Suzanne Ferguson • February 23, 2023

In this episode of “Answers From the Lab,” host and William Morice II, M.D., Ph.D., discuss what’s causing recent outbreaks of norovirus and how to keep yourself protected from this leading cause of foodborne illness in the United States.

By Suzanne Ferguson • February 16, 2023

William Morice II, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of Mayo Clinic Laboratories, joins “Answers From the Lab” for his weekly leadership update with host Bobbi Pritt, M.D., chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic. In this episode, Dr. Morice shares his biggest takeaways from this year’s J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, California, and gives an update on the COVID-19 public health emergency.  

By Suzanne Ferguson • January 19, 2023

Matthew Binnicker, Ph.D., director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic, joins host Bobbi Pritt, M.D., on this week’s episode of the "Answers From the Lab" podcast. In this episode, they discuss the ongoing respiratory virus season, a new test for measles available at Mayo Clinic Laboratories, and some tips to stay healthy.

By Suzanne Ferguson • December 29, 2022

New research by Robin Patel, M.D. and others at Mayo Clinic has found that the use of a “transcriptomic-based cellular deconvolution tool” called CIBERSORTx could help improve the detection of infectious and non-infectious causes of failed joint replacement surgeries.

By Cory Pedersen • December 13, 2022

PACE / State of FL
In this month’s “Virtual Lecture” Bobbi Pritt, M.D., shares a series of spooky tales to scare and amaze related to the discovery, characterization, and clinical presentation of notable viruses.

By MCL Education • October 26, 2022

William Morice II, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic and president of Mayo Clinic Laboratories, joins "Answers From the Lab" for his weekly leadership update with host Bobbi Pritt, M.D. In this episode, Dr. Pritt and Dr. Morice discuss the latest monkeypox developments, potential scenarios for monkeypox moving forward, and where the VALID Act stands.

By Suzanne Ferguson • August 25, 2022

In this month's "Hot Topic," Robin Patel, M.D., discusses how the use of multiplex tests may reduce the turnaround time for identifying the cause of bloodstream infections, and how this might impact antibiotic stewardship and patient outcomes.

By MCL Education • July 11, 2022

In this month's "Hot Topic," Matthew Binnicker, Ph.D., discusses the use of multiplex panels for the diagnosis of respiratory infections and focuses on the clinical utility of these tests in the setting of upper respiratory tract infections.

By MCL Education • June 6, 2022

William Morice II, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic and president of Mayo Clinic Laboratories, joins the "Answers From the Lab" podcast for his weekly leadership update with Bobbi Pritt, M.D. In this episode, Dr. Morice and Dr. Pritt discuss the range of emerging viruses and their variants that are currently in the news.

By Suzanne Ferguson • June 2, 2022

Matthew Binnicker, Ph.D., director of Mayo Clinic’s Clinical Virology Laboratory, joins the "Answers From the Lab" podcast for a discussion with Bobbi Pritt, M.D. about recent outbreaks of viral infections. In this episode, Dr. Binnicker and Dr. Pritt look at the hepatitis cases in children possibly linked to adenovirus as well as the spread of Monkeypox.

By Suzanne Ferguson • May 31, 2022

Elitza Theel, Ph.D., director of the Infectious Diseases Serology Lab at Mayo Clinic, joins the "Answers From the Lab" podcast for a discussion with Bobbi Pritt, M.D. about tick-borne disease testing. In this episode, Dr. Theel and Dr. Pritt look at emerging tick-borne illnesses, the tests available to detect these infections, and how to prevent them.

By Samantha Rossi • May 24, 2022