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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 22h

Seemed like the main purpose of fax machines was to send jokes and cartoons

Cartoon of laughing people, captioned, "You want it when?"

Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

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

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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

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

Fig 9 Model for FlhGBb-mediated coordination of flagellation and cell division in B. burgdorferi. In nascent cells, the ATPase FlhGBb localizes predominantly at the cell poles, where it recruits and spatially organizes FlhF and the MS-ring protein FliF to establish sites of basal body assembly. These events initiate the formation of polar PFs that assemble into ribbon-like bundles along the cell cylinder. As the cell cycle progresses, FlhGBb redistributes toward the midcell division zone, where it likely contributes to proper septum placement and coordination of cytokinesis with ongoing flagellar morphogenesis. In the absence of FlhGBb, FlhF and FliF become delocalized, basal bodies assemble at aberrant positions, and organized PF ribbon formation is disrupted, leading to defects in motility, cell morphology, and division. Through this ATPase-dependent spatial regulation, FlhGBb synchronizes flagellar assembly with cell division to maintain the distinctive architecture and motility of spirochetes.

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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Thanks for organizing MMPC 2026, it was a terrific meeting!

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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

You didn’t want that job. They made it obvious to you. Bullet dodged!

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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

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

Fig 1. Reservoir host communities drive the diversification of plasmid-encoded surface proteins in the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex.

(Left) Ixodes ticks cycle spirochetes through vertebrate reservoir communities, with distinct genospecies associating preferentially with different host groups: birds (B. garinii, B. valaisiana), lizards (B. lusitaniae), mice and shrews (B. afzelii, B. spielmanii, B. burgdorferi sensu stricto), and hedgehogs (B. afzelii, B. bavariensis). Double-headed arrows denote tick-mediated acquisition and transmission; several genospecies (e.g., B. afzelii) are shared across mammal groups rather than restricted to one host. (Center) Each genospecies carries a linear chromosome together with numerous linear and circular plasmids. Genes encoding host-interaction surface proteins (adhesins and immune-evasion factors, boxed area) are enriched on the plasmids, where they are subject to host-driven diversifying selection; conserved host-interaction genes such as p66 remain chromosomal. (Right) The encoded proteins are grouped by function: adhesion and dissemination (DbpA, DbpB, BBK32), complement evasion (CspZ, BBK32), antibody evasion and persistence (VlsE, OspC), and cellular immune evasion (P66). Filled in cicles represent proven host-linked variation, empty cirlces represent proposed host-linked variation and partially filled circles represent no current evidence for host-linked variation. The P66-CD47/SIRPa interaction is currently supported only by preprint data and should be regarded as preliminary.

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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

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

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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

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

Image of the cover of a paperback edition of "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek", by Annie Dillard

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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Does this help explain why Ixodid (hard) ticks have 6 legs when a larva, and 8 legs in the nymph and adult stages? Alternative model: larvae are so teeny-tiny that they only have room for 6 legs 😜

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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

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

Figure 1. Workflow for the identification of components in the T. pallidum BAM system. This schematic illustrates the overall strategy used to identify and validate candidate components of the BAM system in T. pallidum. First, phylogenetic analysis of Omp85 family proteins and comparative analysis of bamA gene neighborhoods were performed to investigate the evolutionary features and genomic organization of BAM-associated components in Treponema and Borrelia. Subsequently, candidate BAM proteins were identified through two complementary approaches: (i) a structure-guided computational strategy based on structural similarity searches; and (ii) an experimental proteomic strategy using IP-MS analysis. Candidate proteins identified from both approaches were further evaluated by in vitro protein-protein interaction assays. Proteins exhibiting specific interaction with Tp0326 were subsequently subjected to domain identification, structural modeling and interface analysis.

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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

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

Part of the outline of my eulogy.

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

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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Born in England. Lived in Alabama from 7-13, then Utah until age 24. Followed by several years each on Long Island, Connecticut, and Montana. Now 28 years in Kentucky. “He ain’t from here!”

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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

“Without You”, by Harry Nilsson “I can't live, if living is without you”

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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

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

Excerpt from Brandon Jutras’ dissertation notebook. He gave an alternative interpretation of the name of the BpuR protein that he functionally defined: Brandon’s PUR

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Reposted by Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab

Frances Yap @ribo1214.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

#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

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Reposted by Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab

Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

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/...

udel.edu

The mystery of a well-traveled kissing bug | UDaily

University of Delaware study details the finding of the first known live kissing bug in Europe

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Reposted by Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab

Anahid (Ana) @anahidam.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

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

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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

I got two of my favorite heirloom 🍅 varieties at a similar event. Simple to save a few seeds from the yummy ones!

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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

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

science.org

Deadly tick-borne virus gains ground in Europe as climate warms

Kosovo shows how surveillance can uncover hidden circulation—and help countries prepare before human cases appear

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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

These are probably supposed to be Helicobacter & Vibrio, but I am pretending that spirochetes were not overlooked

zoomed screenshot of MMPC T-shirt, showing curved "bacteria"

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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

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

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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

They most resemble Helicobacter, but we will pretend that one of these squiggles is a spirochete.

Section of MMPC design, showing some curved bacteria

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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

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

Life cycle of the black-legged tick (I. scapularis), illustrating interactions among ticks, hosts, acorns, and abiotic factors. Tick larvae hatch uninfected with the Lyme bacterium, but can become infected from their hosts during the larval meal (gray shading of larval hosts). Infected nymphs can infect uninfected hosts during the nymphal meal (gray shading of nymphal hosts). Dashed gray lines below the x-axis indicate periods when ticks are alive but not actively questing for hosts. Circled letters correspond to “surprises,” as identified in the text, that have arisen from more than 30 y of study. These surprises conflict with common paradigms which need to be rethought so that we can develop a synthetic understanding of the ecology of tick-borne disease risk.

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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

I recently received a slew of requests to review manuscripts that were way outside my field, all from the same editor. I contacted the journal’s editor in chief. I wasn’t the only one to complain. The editor was indiscriminately spamming potential reviewers. The editor was canned.

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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

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.com

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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

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

microscopist.net

Ticks

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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

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.

ca. 1890 microscope slide of a tick taken from a tortoise, and mounted by Ernest Hinton. Next to a magnified image of the tick (3.5x objective, C-mounted digital SLR camera, and transmitted light.

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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

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

Table from the paper.
The outer surface protein C (ospC) locus of the Lyme disease bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, is at least
an order of magnitude more variable than other genes in the species. This variation is classified into 22
ospC major groups, 15 of which are found in the northeastern United States. The frequency distributions
of ospC within populations suggest that this locus is under balancing selection. In multiple-niche polymor-
phism, a type of balancing selection, diversity within a population can be maintained when the environment
is heterogeneous and no one genotype has the highest fitness in all environments. Genetically different
individuals within vertebrate species and different vertebrate species constitute diverse environments for
B. burgdorferi. We examined four important host species of B. burgdorferi and found that the strains that
infected each species had different sets of ospC major groups. We found no variation among conspecific
hosts in the ospC major groups of their infecting strains. These results suggest multiple niches create
balancing selection at the ospC locus.

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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

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

Figure 2
Heatmap showing ospC allele frequencies across host species (T. striatus, eastern chipmunk; S. carolinensis, eastern gray squirrel; Peromyscus, white-footed/deer mice; M. pennsylvanicus, eastern meadow vole; M. musculus, house mouse; M. mephitis, stripped skunk). Higher allele frequencies are redder and lower frequencies are bluer. Human infectious alleles (A, B, I, and K) are italicized and in bold font.

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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

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

Fig 1 B. burgdorferi enzootic cycle and reservoir competence. (A) The B. burgdorferi enzootic cycle. Larval ticks (Ixodes) acquire B. burgdorferi during feeding on infected vertebrate hosts. These ticks molt to nymphs before feeding on uninfected hosts and transmitting the bacteria. During feeding, adult female ticks can also transmit the bacteria to reservoirs before completing the tick reproductive cycle and producing new, uninfected larval ticks. Reservoir hosts infected during nymphal and adult tick feeding can harbor the bacteria and, in turn, spread B. burgdorferi back into the tick population. (B) Reservoir competence depends on a variety of factors, including abundance of the host, host-tick interactions, and host-B. burgdorferi interactions (7). Additional complexity is added to the system as different hosts may be more or less competent for specific strains of B. burgdorferi (13, 14). Figure illustrated by Patrick Lane—ScEYEnce Studios.

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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

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

Figure 1.
Monoclonal antibody cocktail specifically detect released Borreliae PG
(A) Each monoclonal antibody (mAb) were incubated with purified, enzyme-digested B. burgdorferi PG (dPG). Immunoprecipitation, coupled with quantitative LCMS, identified high-affinity interactions for four different mAb. Heat map indicates the percent of each muropeptide bound, relative to input control. (B) Cartoon schematic of the muropeptide structure bound by the mAbs in ‘A’. The numbers associated with each muropeptide species indicate enantomers or isobarics present in B. burgdorferi PG. (C) A cocktail of capture and detection mAb pairs is a sensitive approach to detect purified, dPG produced by B. burgdorferi. Values were background subtracted using the absorbance values of a PBS control. (D) The same cocktail of capture and detection mAb pairs provide high affinity binding to released B. burgdorferi PG in spent culture medium. B. burgdorferi were cultured to late-log, cells harvested, spent cultured media filtered (0.2 μm), and titrations were assayed by ELISA. Control reactions included sterile culture media, processed similarly, or the same sterile media spiked with dPG. (E) Lyme Borrelia spp. release PG. Each species was pulse labeled with 5uCi of 3H L-Orn for 2-3 generations, washed, and back-diluted into fresh media. Pre- and post-culture expansion, PG was purified and quantified by liquid scintillation. (F) The mAb cocktail cross-reacts with digested PG from different Lyme-disease causing Borrelia spp. Purified, dPG, attained from different Borrelia spp. was titrated into human urine (diluted 1:2 with PBS) and detected by ELISA. Values were background subtracted using the absorbance of a neat human urine diluted with PBS (1:2) that was not spiked with PG. Data points with absorbance of 4 were beyond the detection limit of the spectrophotometer.

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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

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

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Brian Stevenson Ph.D. spirochete lab @bstevensonlab.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

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

MMPC Tshirt design. Shows the shape of Minnesota, composed of bacteria and viruses

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