Meaghan Castledine
@mcastd.bsky.social
Post-doc with Buckling lab 🦠 all things evolution, phage therapy and immune system interactions 🧫🔬 I also have a dog and enjoy nerdy things 🧝🏻♀️
Pinned
Meaghan Castledine
@mcastd.bsky.social
· Nov 15
Critically evaluating the relative importance of phage in shaping microbial community composition
The ubiquity of bacteriophages (phages) and the major evolutionary and ecological
impacts they can have on their microbial hosts has resulted in phages often cited
as key drivers shaping microbial com...
www.cell.com
Hello new phage phollowers!
I am shamelessly self-promoting mine and Angus Buckling's relatively new review "Critically evaluating the relative importance of phage in shaping microbial community composition"
www.cell.com/trends/micro...
I am shamelessly self-promoting mine and Angus Buckling's relatively new review "Critically evaluating the relative importance of phage in shaping microbial community composition"
www.cell.com/trends/micro...
Thank you everyone who has donated so far! This will be closing at the end of the month so still time to enter for a chance to name a phage!
This is open worldwide with all currency conversions accounted for. For GBP it is £2 an entry and all funds go directly to The Cystic Fibrosis Trust 💚
This is open worldwide with all currency conversions accounted for. For GBP it is £2 an entry and all funds go directly to The Cystic Fibrosis Trust 💚
Want to name a real virus? I have recently discovered 9 new phages which now need names! To enter, you simply need to donate to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust on my JustGiving page (£2 = 1 entry) and share your email with me on donation (see link info). Please share 💚 www.justgiving.com/page/meaghan-c-1
November 12, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Thank you everyone who has donated so far! This will be closing at the end of the month so still time to enter for a chance to name a phage!
This is open worldwide with all currency conversions accounted for. For GBP it is £2 an entry and all funds go directly to The Cystic Fibrosis Trust 💚
This is open worldwide with all currency conversions accounted for. For GBP it is £2 an entry and all funds go directly to The Cystic Fibrosis Trust 💚
Reposted by Meaghan Castledine
So much of this article is full of hope then,
"About 43% of respondents had experienced some form of discrimination or harassment.. in around four out of ten bullying cases, a student reported bullying by their supervisor."
We need safeguards in place to stop this from happening.
"About 43% of respondents had experienced some form of discrimination or harassment.. in around four out of ten bullying cases, a student reported bullying by their supervisor."
We need safeguards in place to stop this from happening.
What makes PhD students happy? Good supervision
Supervisors who invest in positive mentoring relationships with their PhD candidates also reap the benefits for their own research.
www.nature.com
October 27, 2025 at 12:22 PM
So much of this article is full of hope then,
"About 43% of respondents had experienced some form of discrimination or harassment.. in around four out of ten bullying cases, a student reported bullying by their supervisor."
We need safeguards in place to stop this from happening.
"About 43% of respondents had experienced some form of discrimination or harassment.. in around four out of ten bullying cases, a student reported bullying by their supervisor."
We need safeguards in place to stop this from happening.
Reposted by Meaghan Castledine
Filamentous cheater phages drive bacterial and phage populations to lower fitness
Pseudomonas aeruginosa VS Pf phage
@currentbiology.bsky.social by @nanamikubota.bsky.social, @shellyscrib.bsky.social and @vscooper.micropopbio.org
www.cell.com/current-biol...
#PhageSky
Pseudomonas aeruginosa VS Pf phage
@currentbiology.bsky.social by @nanamikubota.bsky.social, @shellyscrib.bsky.social and @vscooper.micropopbio.org
www.cell.com/current-biol...
#PhageSky
Filamentous cheater phages drive bacterial and phage populations to lower fitness
Kubota et al. show that bacteria can use their filamentous phage to outcompete other
bacteria, but increased phage production enables the evolution of cheater miniphages
with truncated genomes. Miniph...
www.cell.com
October 3, 2025 at 7:13 AM
Filamentous cheater phages drive bacterial and phage populations to lower fitness
Pseudomonas aeruginosa VS Pf phage
@currentbiology.bsky.social by @nanamikubota.bsky.social, @shellyscrib.bsky.social and @vscooper.micropopbio.org
www.cell.com/current-biol...
#PhageSky
Pseudomonas aeruginosa VS Pf phage
@currentbiology.bsky.social by @nanamikubota.bsky.social, @shellyscrib.bsky.social and @vscooper.micropopbio.org
www.cell.com/current-biol...
#PhageSky
Reposted by Meaghan Castledine
I have an MRC-funded PhD project available (www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin...) on how warming will change the problem of AMR. Join a small and friendly group (padpadpadpad.netlify.app/about) in (sometimes) sunny Cornwall. 🧪🦠 #microsky
Please share the ad below with anyone who may be interested.
Please share the ad below with anyone who may be interested.
September 16, 2025 at 8:08 AM
I have an MRC-funded PhD project available (www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin...) on how warming will change the problem of AMR. Join a small and friendly group (padpadpadpad.netlify.app/about) in (sometimes) sunny Cornwall. 🧪🦠 #microsky
Please share the ad below with anyone who may be interested.
Please share the ad below with anyone who may be interested.
Reposted by Meaghan Castledine
PhD fellowship in biofilm-phage interactions - with Mette Burmølle at University of Copenhagen 🇩🇰
deadline 1 October 2025
employment.ku.dk/faculty?show...
#phagesky #microsky
deadline 1 October 2025
employment.ku.dk/faculty?show...
#phagesky #microsky
PhD fellowship in biofilm-phage interactions
employment.ku.dk
September 28, 2025 at 2:26 PM
PhD fellowship in biofilm-phage interactions - with Mette Burmølle at University of Copenhagen 🇩🇰
deadline 1 October 2025
employment.ku.dk/faculty?show...
#phagesky #microsky
deadline 1 October 2025
employment.ku.dk/faculty?show...
#phagesky #microsky
Reposted by Meaghan Castledine
Now peer-reviewed, improved and published in @microbiologysociety.org Microbiology - thanks to editor and reviewers!
www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour...
www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour...
September 26, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Now peer-reviewed, improved and published in @microbiologysociety.org Microbiology - thanks to editor and reviewers!
www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour...
www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour...
Reposted by Meaghan Castledine
In case you are wondering how you can enrich your science classes by using our educational resources - for primary and secondary schools alike.
In English, Welsh, Irish and Gaelic.
#ScienceIsFun
🦠🧫🔬🧑🏼🔬
In English, Welsh, Irish and Gaelic.
#ScienceIsFun
🦠🧫🔬🧑🏼🔬
Teacher's Corner — Superbugs - The microbial world in, on and around us
www.superbugs.online
September 11, 2025 at 6:07 PM
In case you are wondering how you can enrich your science classes by using our educational resources - for primary and secondary schools alike.
In English, Welsh, Irish and Gaelic.
#ScienceIsFun
🦠🧫🔬🧑🏼🔬
In English, Welsh, Irish and Gaelic.
#ScienceIsFun
🦠🧫🔬🧑🏼🔬
Reposted by Meaghan Castledine
Don’t miss the inaugural Conference on Bacteriophages: Biology, Dynamics, and Therapeutics, October 12–14, 2025, in Washington, DC. A 2.5-day program of invited talks, symposia, workshops, and abstracts will highlight the latest advances. For more info: bit.ly/3JUKLYL
September 10, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Don’t miss the inaugural Conference on Bacteriophages: Biology, Dynamics, and Therapeutics, October 12–14, 2025, in Washington, DC. A 2.5-day program of invited talks, symposia, workshops, and abstracts will highlight the latest advances. For more info: bit.ly/3JUKLYL
Reposted by Meaghan Castledine
PhD opportunity, please share:
We are looking for a prospective PhD student to start in October 2026 who is excited about bacteria (Klebsiella pneumoniae), how they interact, and how they exchange DNA.
All details can be found on the funder website 👉 gw4biomed.ac.uk/developing-c...
We are looking for a prospective PhD student to start in October 2026 who is excited about bacteria (Klebsiella pneumoniae), how they interact, and how they exchange DNA.
All details can be found on the funder website 👉 gw4biomed.ac.uk/developing-c...
Developing CRISPR-Cas antimicrobials to tackle antibiotic resistance spread in Klebsiella pneumoniae - GW4 BioMed MRC DTP
Project Code MRCIIAR26Ex van Houte Project Type Wet lab Research Theme Infection, Immunity, Antimicrobial Resistance and Repair Project Summary Download Summary Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a ...
gw4biomed.ac.uk
September 2, 2025 at 9:48 AM
PhD opportunity, please share:
We are looking for a prospective PhD student to start in October 2026 who is excited about bacteria (Klebsiella pneumoniae), how they interact, and how they exchange DNA.
All details can be found on the funder website 👉 gw4biomed.ac.uk/developing-c...
We are looking for a prospective PhD student to start in October 2026 who is excited about bacteria (Klebsiella pneumoniae), how they interact, and how they exchange DNA.
All details can be found on the funder website 👉 gw4biomed.ac.uk/developing-c...
Reposted by Meaghan Castledine
New preprint reveals bacteria can't just collect all resistance genes like Pokemon cards.
We found mutually exclusive evolutionary pathways to multidrug resistance in E. coli & P. aeruginosa - some resistance mechanisms actively prevent others from coexisting www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We found mutually exclusive evolutionary pathways to multidrug resistance in E. coli & P. aeruginosa - some resistance mechanisms actively prevent others from coexisting www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Genomic constraints shape the evolution of alternative routes to drug resistance in prokaryotes
Background Variation within the prokaryotic pangenome is not random, and natural selection that favours particular combinations of genes appears to dominate over random drift. What is less clear is wh...
www.biorxiv.org
August 29, 2025 at 2:05 PM
New preprint reveals bacteria can't just collect all resistance genes like Pokemon cards.
We found mutually exclusive evolutionary pathways to multidrug resistance in E. coli & P. aeruginosa - some resistance mechanisms actively prevent others from coexisting www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We found mutually exclusive evolutionary pathways to multidrug resistance in E. coli & P. aeruginosa - some resistance mechanisms actively prevent others from coexisting www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Meaghan Castledine
A new 4 year PostDoc position in our lab! Modeling + experiments to explore dynamics of carbon fixing hot-spring microbiomes. Part of an exciting multidisciplinary team with Sophie Nixon, @brockhurstlab.bsky.social & others
Please share & get in touch if interested!
tinyurl.com/e7j7bha3
Please share & get in touch if interested!
tinyurl.com/e7j7bha3
Research Associate in Microbiome Ecology:Oxford Road
www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk
August 12, 2025 at 2:59 PM
A new 4 year PostDoc position in our lab! Modeling + experiments to explore dynamics of carbon fixing hot-spring microbiomes. Part of an exciting multidisciplinary team with Sophie Nixon, @brockhurstlab.bsky.social & others
Please share & get in touch if interested!
tinyurl.com/e7j7bha3
Please share & get in touch if interested!
tinyurl.com/e7j7bha3
Apply if you want to work with the nicest phage person ever!
Feels surreal to say but: I'm hiring! If you are or know anyone interested in looking at the evolution of phage resistance using A. baumannii and natural transformation, then this might be for you
www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...
www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...
Research position in Microbial Pharmacology and Population Biology (282139) | UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Job title: Research position in Microbial Pharmacology and Population Biology (282139), Employer: UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Deadline: Wednesday, August 27, 2025
www.jobbnorge.no
August 8, 2025 at 9:32 AM
Apply if you want to work with the nicest phage person ever!
Reposted by Meaghan Castledine
📝New preprint!
We investigated how spatial structure affects cooperation between phages, combining mathematical modelling and experiments.
A short thread 🧶
We investigated how spatial structure affects cooperation between phages, combining mathematical modelling and experiments.
A short thread 🧶
The ambivalent effect of spatial structure on the spread of cooperative anti-CRISPR phages https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.06.668856v1
August 7, 2025 at 12:19 PM
📝New preprint!
We investigated how spatial structure affects cooperation between phages, combining mathematical modelling and experiments.
A short thread 🧶
We investigated how spatial structure affects cooperation between phages, combining mathematical modelling and experiments.
A short thread 🧶
Want to name a real virus? I have recently discovered 9 new phages which now need names! To enter, you simply need to donate to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust on my JustGiving page (£2 = 1 entry) and share your email with me on donation (see link info). Please share 💚 www.justgiving.com/page/meaghan-c-1
August 5, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Want to name a real virus? I have recently discovered 9 new phages which now need names! To enter, you simply need to donate to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust on my JustGiving page (£2 = 1 entry) and share your email with me on donation (see link info). Please share 💚 www.justgiving.com/page/meaghan-c-1
Reposted by Meaghan Castledine
✍️ We had a great time writing this Spotlight article on one of our favorite topics: how phages interact with each other! 🦠
From cooperation to competition, phage-phage interactions reveal a fascinating layer of microbial life that’s often overlooked.
A piece crafted by the talented Josie Elliott!
From cooperation to competition, phage-phage interactions reveal a fascinating layer of microbial life that’s often overlooked.
A piece crafted by the talented Josie Elliott!
Honored to have our paper featured in the Spotlight of @cp-trendsmicrobiol.bsky.social
by authors @josie-e.bsky.social & @annechevallereau.bsky.social
Thank you for making our work more accessible and highlighting its relevance!
www.cell.com/trends/microbiology/fulltext/S0966-842X%2825%2900158-1
by authors @josie-e.bsky.social & @annechevallereau.bsky.social
Thank you for making our work more accessible and highlighting its relevance!
www.cell.com/trends/microbiology/fulltext/S0966-842X%2825%2900158-1
Fast phages outcompete by depleting host resources
In nature, phages frequently coinfect bacteria, leading to inter-species competition.
Furthermore, phage therapy often involves using a cocktail of different species to
circumvent bacterial resistance...
www.cell.com
June 4, 2025 at 9:15 AM
✍️ We had a great time writing this Spotlight article on one of our favorite topics: how phages interact with each other! 🦠
From cooperation to competition, phage-phage interactions reveal a fascinating layer of microbial life that’s often overlooked.
A piece crafted by the talented Josie Elliott!
From cooperation to competition, phage-phage interactions reveal a fascinating layer of microbial life that’s often overlooked.
A piece crafted by the talented Josie Elliott!
It’s really important for EDI that ECRs and PIs can have open, empathetic discussions about feedback and behaviour, without intimidation.
Respect from lab members comes from being able to challenge negative behaviour, and being listened to without discussions becoming a competition.
Respect from lab members comes from being able to challenge negative behaviour, and being listened to without discussions becoming a competition.
From bench to big boss: mitigating the widening gap between PI and lab
Laboratory dynamics can change as the age and experience of the principal investigator increase. But there are ways to combat this.
Read our piece in Nature, with @sprekeler.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Laboratory dynamics can change as the age and experience of the principal investigator increase. But there are ways to combat this.
Read our piece in Nature, with @sprekeler.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
August 3, 2025 at 10:29 AM
It’s really important for EDI that ECRs and PIs can have open, empathetic discussions about feedback and behaviour, without intimidation.
Respect from lab members comes from being able to challenge negative behaviour, and being listened to without discussions becoming a competition.
Respect from lab members comes from being able to challenge negative behaviour, and being listened to without discussions becoming a competition.
Reposted by Meaghan Castledine
From bench to big boss: mitigating the widening gap between PI and lab
Laboratory dynamics can change as the age and experience of the principal investigator increase. But there are ways to combat this.
Read our piece in Nature, with @sprekeler.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Laboratory dynamics can change as the age and experience of the principal investigator increase. But there are ways to combat this.
Read our piece in Nature, with @sprekeler.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
August 3, 2025 at 8:12 AM
From bench to big boss: mitigating the widening gap between PI and lab
Laboratory dynamics can change as the age and experience of the principal investigator increase. But there are ways to combat this.
Read our piece in Nature, with @sprekeler.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Laboratory dynamics can change as the age and experience of the principal investigator increase. But there are ways to combat this.
Read our piece in Nature, with @sprekeler.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Meaghan Castledine
Our new paper on experimental evolution in wild tree-holes -Eco-evolutionary robustness of wild bacterial communities to experimental perturbation
#ISMEJournal
@duhitasant.bsky.social Tom Smith Edgar Wong Juli Cohen
@kayla-king.bsky.social
Tom Bell
academic.oup.com/ismej/advanc...
#ISMEJournal
@duhitasant.bsky.social Tom Smith Edgar Wong Juli Cohen
@kayla-king.bsky.social
Tom Bell
academic.oup.com/ismej/advanc...
Eco-evolutionary robustness of wild bacterial communities to experimental perturbation
Abstract. Most knowledge about bacterial evolution and ecological interactions comes from laboratory studies. One difference between the wild and most labo
academic.oup.com
August 1, 2025 at 8:44 AM
Our new paper on experimental evolution in wild tree-holes -Eco-evolutionary robustness of wild bacterial communities to experimental perturbation
#ISMEJournal
@duhitasant.bsky.social Tom Smith Edgar Wong Juli Cohen
@kayla-king.bsky.social
Tom Bell
academic.oup.com/ismej/advanc...
#ISMEJournal
@duhitasant.bsky.social Tom Smith Edgar Wong Juli Cohen
@kayla-king.bsky.social
Tom Bell
academic.oup.com/ismej/advanc...
Reposted by Meaghan Castledine
Please share! 🦠
Workshop on Phage Therapy in Liverpool on 25th November organised by Stineke van Houte, @jojofoth.bsky.social, @brockhurstlab.bsky.social, & Edze Westra.
Limited FREE tickets & more info here: sites.exeter.ac.uk/vanhoutelab/...
#MicroSky
Workshop on Phage Therapy in Liverpool on 25th November organised by Stineke van Houte, @jojofoth.bsky.social, @brockhurstlab.bsky.social, & Edze Westra.
Limited FREE tickets & more info here: sites.exeter.ac.uk/vanhoutelab/...
#MicroSky
July 22, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Please share! 🦠
Workshop on Phage Therapy in Liverpool on 25th November organised by Stineke van Houte, @jojofoth.bsky.social, @brockhurstlab.bsky.social, & Edze Westra.
Limited FREE tickets & more info here: sites.exeter.ac.uk/vanhoutelab/...
#MicroSky
Workshop on Phage Therapy in Liverpool on 25th November organised by Stineke van Houte, @jojofoth.bsky.social, @brockhurstlab.bsky.social, & Edze Westra.
Limited FREE tickets & more info here: sites.exeter.ac.uk/vanhoutelab/...
#MicroSky
Reposted by Meaghan Castledine
Experimental evolution in an era of molecular manipulation
#ExperimentalEvolution #evolution #evoSky
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#ExperimentalEvolution #evolution #evoSky
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Experimental evolution in an era of molecular manipulation - Nature Reviews Genetics
In this Review, Ascensao and Desai discuss how methodological advances in genotype and phenotype manipulation are transforming experimental evolution approaches and providing new insights into the und...
www.nature.com
July 21, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Experimental evolution in an era of molecular manipulation
#ExperimentalEvolution #evolution #evoSky
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#ExperimentalEvolution #evolution #evoSky
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
How do macrophages influence the evolution of phage resistance?
We show that macrophages reduce the efficacy of a bacteriophage cocktail 🦠, resulting in greater bacteria population densities which, in-turn, facilitate greater rates of phage resistance.
Pre-print 👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We show that macrophages reduce the efficacy of a bacteriophage cocktail 🦠, resulting in greater bacteria population densities which, in-turn, facilitate greater rates of phage resistance.
Pre-print 👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Antagonism between bacteriophages and macrophages decreases efficacy of a bacteriophage cocktail and increases bacteriophage resistance
Phage therapy, the use of viruses that infect bacteria (bacteriophages), is a promising complement to antibiotics during the antimicrobial resistance crisis, but treatment success is very variable. Ev...
www.biorxiv.org
July 10, 2025 at 9:39 AM
How do macrophages influence the evolution of phage resistance?
We show that macrophages reduce the efficacy of a bacteriophage cocktail 🦠, resulting in greater bacteria population densities which, in-turn, facilitate greater rates of phage resistance.
Pre-print 👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We show that macrophages reduce the efficacy of a bacteriophage cocktail 🦠, resulting in greater bacteria population densities which, in-turn, facilitate greater rates of phage resistance.
Pre-print 👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Meaghan Castledine
Fresh from peer review a new and improved version of @taoranfu.bsky.social’s paper out today in @asm.org mSystems
journals.asm.org/eprint/8NWNW...
journals.asm.org/eprint/8NWNW...
July 7, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Fresh from peer review a new and improved version of @taoranfu.bsky.social’s paper out today in @asm.org mSystems
journals.asm.org/eprint/8NWNW...
journals.asm.org/eprint/8NWNW...
Really exciting work! And comforting it supports our recent in vitro work that macrophages are “bad” for phage therapy ❤️
🚨NEW PAPER ALERT!!!🚨 The BBH lab is proud to present the latest www.nature.com/articles/s41... from our collaboration with @joshuasweitz.bsky.social (now at UMaryland), evaluating the importance of alveolar macrophages (AM) for the efficacy of phage therapy against P. aeruginosa
Let's dig in (1/6)
Let's dig in (1/6)
Macrophage-induced reduction of bacteriophage density limits the efficacy of in vivo pulmonary phage therapy - Nature Communications
In vivo experiments and mathematical modelling in this work, show that alveolar macrophages lower phage densities and phage-bacteria contact rates, limiting the effectiveness of synergistic treatment ...
www.nature.com
July 2, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Really exciting work! And comforting it supports our recent in vitro work that macrophages are “bad” for phage therapy ❤️
Reposted by Meaghan Castledine
Beautiful new review paper in preprint bridging microbial ecology and classic ecology led by Maggie Vogel, @olimeacock.bsky.social and @annasophieweiss.bsky.social, also by @juliensluneau.bsky.social and @lambdapp.bsky.social from our lab (not me :)) ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...
Bridging the scales: what can microbial ecologists learn from classic ecology?
ecoevorxiv.org
July 1, 2025 at 8:25 AM
Beautiful new review paper in preprint bridging microbial ecology and classic ecology led by Maggie Vogel, @olimeacock.bsky.social and @annasophieweiss.bsky.social, also by @juliensluneau.bsky.social and @lambdapp.bsky.social from our lab (not me :)) ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...
Reposted by Meaghan Castledine
I'm super happy to share this preprint on ‘Distribution of capsule and O types in #Klebsiella pneumoniae causing neonatal sepsis in Africa and South Asia: meta-analysis of genome-predicted serotype prevalence and potential vaccine coverage’
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Distribution of capsule and O types in Klebsiella pneumoniae causing neonatal sepsis in Africa and South Asia: meta-analysis of genome-predicted serotype prevalence and potential vaccine coverage
Background: Klebsiella pneumoniae causes ~20% of sepsis in neonates, with ~40% crude mortality. A vaccine administered to pregnant women, protecting against 70% of K. pneumoniae infections, could aver...
doi.org
July 1, 2025 at 9:45 AM
I'm super happy to share this preprint on ‘Distribution of capsule and O types in #Klebsiella pneumoniae causing neonatal sepsis in Africa and South Asia: meta-analysis of genome-predicted serotype prevalence and potential vaccine coverage’
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
doi.org/10.1101/2025...