Contamination Club
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contamclub.bsky.social
Contamination Club
@contamclub.bsky.social
One of the greatest discoveries in microbiology came from contamination. Join the club and share yours here 🦠🧫 Merch ➡️ https://www.contam.club
‼️🚨🗓️ CONTAMCALENDAR 2026 🗓️🚨‼️

Excited to say the ContamCalendar is back for its fifth edition! We’ve created a fresh new design, folding out for an A3 monthly spread. It’s our best yet, we hope you’ll love it 🗓️🦠🧫🍄

Get yours here ➡️ www.contam.club ⬅️
November 21, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Look out for an exciting announcement later…. 👀 #ContamCalendar
November 21, 2025 at 10:26 AM
Happy Noodlococcus day to all those who celebrate! 🍜🧫🦠

We’re in 3 different continents now but all celebrating the 6th anniversary of the discovery of our noodle-y friend by eating some delicious noodles @prob91.bsky.social @biostan.bsky.social @gemccallum.bsky.social
August 9, 2025 at 2:44 PM
13/15 The oldest strain in the K. pseudorhizophila strain was first isolated by William A. Randall in a 1949 publication, so we suggest that an appropriate species name for the K. pseudorhizophila clade would be Kocuria randallii
June 2, 2025 at 8:00 AM
12/15 The lack of indication that these strains are genetically distinct from the reference genome for K. rhizophila may lead to conflicting results and inaccurate conclusions

For example, this product is derived from a strain present in the K. pseudorhizophila clade ⤵️
June 2, 2025 at 8:00 AM
10/15 Pan-fried noodles: pangenomic analysis of K. rhizophila showed clear clade-specific distinctions, adding weight to the argument that they should be separate species 🍳
June 2, 2025 at 8:00 AM
9/15 All other Kocuria species had inter-species ANI values inline with the typical threshold of >95%. Splitting the two clades into separate species would maintain taxonomic consistency within the genus
June 2, 2025 at 8:00 AM
7/15 When comparing all K. rhizophila genomes, we found that they clustered into two distinct clades 🤔

This was also indicated when calculating average nucleotide identities (ANIs), a common way of comparing genetic similarity (see heatmap)
June 2, 2025 at 8:00 AM
4/15 From the Noodlococcus genome, we identified regions involved in replication 🔂, carotenoid synthesis 🟡 (the set of genes producing the distinctive yellow pigment!), and genome defence 🛡️ (CRISPR-Cas), and discovered four novel mobile elements (ISKrh4-7) 🧬
June 2, 2025 at 8:00 AM
2/15 On August 9th 2019, we found a contaminant resembling a pile of noodles on an old BHI plate

After microscopy revealed it was a Gram-positive coccus, we named it Noodlococcus 🦠🍜
June 2, 2025 at 8:00 AM
🚨 Very excited to finally say… 🚨

The story of Noodlococcus - the contaminant that started ContamClub - is available to read 📖🍜🦠

Check it out ➡️ doi.org/10.1101/2025...

1/15 🧵
June 2, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Excited to share something with you all later this week… 🧫🦠🍜👀
May 27, 2025 at 5:10 PM
😱 have mites been crawling all over my plate? 😭
May 19, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Any idea what this cool little contaminant is from @aislingbrady.bsky.social’s LB +gentamicin plate?

Looks like a flower 🌷
February 13, 2025 at 11:06 AM
Very few sets of ContamSocks left! And ContamCalendars running low! If you still want some then get them soon! 📆🦠🧫🧦

Available at ➡️ www.contam.club
January 9, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Happy new year!

Hope you’ve got your ContamCalendars up 🗓️🦠🍄
January 1, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Looking forward to starting 2025 with a new ContamCalendar! 📆🦠

Still some left at ➡️ www.contam.club
December 29, 2024 at 9:33 PM
🧦‼️🚨 Only the last few sets of ContamSocks remaining! 🚨‼️🧦

And not many ContamCalendars left 📆🦠

Don’t miss out ➡️ www.contam.club
December 20, 2024 at 2:09 PM
The ContamCalendar 2025 and ContamSocks have reached the Antarctic peninsula! 🥶❄️🦠🧦📆🧊
December 20, 2024 at 7:41 AM
The ContamCalendar 2025 is filled with the most beautiful contaminants, spreading the joy of microbiology throughout your year 😍📆🧫🦠

Get yours at www.contam.club
December 14, 2024 at 8:31 PM
ContamClub has officially reached every continent on Earth! 🌎🌍🌏

This set of ContamMerch are with Bodil and Livvie who work at the South Georgia Heritage Trust in Antarctica - @southgeorgiaht.bsky.social

Antarctica marks 7/7 continents that ContamCalendars have been delivered to since we began 🗺️📆🦠
December 12, 2024 at 5:58 PM
Imagine your feet looking this good in 2025 🥶🧦

Get yourself some ContamSocks at ➡️ www.contam.club ⬅️
December 5, 2024 at 7:35 PM
Great to see the first shipments of ContamCalendars arriving! Hope you like them 🗓️🧫🍄
December 2, 2024 at 7:37 PM
ContamCalendars and ContamSocks are selling fast! 🗓️🧦🦠🧫🍄 #MicroSky

Fill your year with Contam love, get yours at ➡️ www.contam.club ⬅️
November 29, 2024 at 6:12 PM
I’m blown away by these 😍 shoutout to Keir for finding these for me
November 28, 2024 at 7:38 PM