This Week in Virology

Vincent Racaniello

4.8 (2K)
SCIENCE
UPDATED WEEKLY

TWiV is a weekly netcast about viruses - the kind that make you sick. Professors Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Rich Condit, Kathy Spindler and science writer Alan Dove and guests deconstruct viruses, how they cause illness, and dissect the latest research.

10 HR. AGO

Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin continues his discussion of whether the mysterious respiratory illness in the Congo is malaria, and in conjunction with your host Vincent Racaniello discusses how routine childhood immunizations especially that against poliovirus are threatened by Robert F Kennedy Jr and Aaron Siri, the origin of the SAR-CoV-2 virus and retraction of Didier Raoult’s research, then returns to discussing the first case of severe disease following H5N1 infection in humans and the state of California’s “bird flu emergency”, the benefit of the measles vaccine, before reviewing the recent statistics on SARS-CoV-2 infection, the WasterwaterScan dashboard, how vaccination reduced hospitalization of children between 5-17 years, the ACIP recommendation for the immunocompromised, where to find PEMGARDA, information for Columbia Unversity Irving Medical Center’s long COVID treatment center, long COVID in cancer patients and the physical malaises of long COVID. Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Mystery disease in DRC kills mostly children (ALJAZEERA) Malaria—mysterious disease in DRC? (ALJAZEERA) Mysterious disease in DRC is severe malaria (ALJAZEERA) Confirmed first severe human H5N1 case (CIDRAP) California declares bird flu emergency (Reuters) RFK’s lawyer asks FDA to revoke approval of the polio vaccine (NY Times) NO WAY! Vaccination promotes survival and health? (LANCET) 10.6 million cases of measles this year alone! (WHO) 20% rise in measles…..(NY Times) No Sars-CoV-2 relatives in Shi Zhengli’s freezers (Nature) Controversial COVID study that promoted unproven treatment retracted after four-year saga (Nature) Influenza weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView) Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection) US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses) COVID-19 deaths (CDC) COVID-19 national and regional trends (CDC) Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) COVID-19 variant tracker (CDC) SARS-CoV-2 genomes galore (Nextstrain) BNT162b2 XBB Vaccine for COVID-19 Among Children 5-17 Years ofAge (JAMA Network) ACIP recommendations for those over 65 years and those under 6 months who are immunocompromised (CDC MMWR) Where to get pemgarda (Pemgarda) EUA for the pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 (INVIYD) Fusion center near you….if in NY (Prime Fusions) CDC Quarantine guidelines (CDC) NIH COVID-19 treatment guidelines (NIH) Infectious Disease Society guidelines for treatment and management (ID Society) Drug interaction checker (University of Liverpool) Molnupiravir safety and efficacy (JMV) Convalescent plasma recommendation for immunocompromised (ID Society) What to do when sick with a respiratory virus (CDC) When your healthcare provider is infected/exposed with SARS-CoV-2 (CDC) Managing healthcare staffing shortages (CDC) Steroids, dexamethasone at the right time (OFID) Anticoagulation guidelines (hematology.org) Daniel Griffin’s evidence based medical practices for long COVID (OFID) Long COVID hotline (Columbia : Columbia University Irving Medical Center) Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 in cancer patients: Two cohorts in UK and Hong Kong(Cancer Medicine) Skeletal muscle adaptations and post-exertional malaise in long COVID (Cell: Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism) Letters read on TWiV 1176 Dr. Griffin’s COVID treatment summary (pdf) Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv

48 min
6 DAYS AGO

A hitchiker's guide to virology

TWiV reviews the appearance of poliovirus in Europe, mystery disease in DRC, global burden of Chikungunya, viruses of parasitic nematodes that induce antibody responses in vertebrate hosts, and picobirnaviruses, do they infect eukaryotes or prokaryotes? Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Jolene Ramsey Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode ASV 2025 Write your senators about RFK Jr Support science education at MicrobeTV Poliovirus in Europe (WHO) DRC mystery disease (Reuters) Global burden of chikungunya (BMJ Global Health) RNA viruses of parasitic nematodes (Nat Micro) Picobirnaviruses encode bacterial lysins (PNAS) Prokaryotic ribosome binding site in picobirnavirus genome (Virology) Letters read on TWiV 1175 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Weekly Picks Alan – Sondehub and radiosonde hunting Jolene – Book “10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People” By David Yeager Vincent – Dr. Vinay Prasad “Sabotaging RFK Jr’s Confirmation Will Increase Vaccine Hesitancy” & “Doctors Criticizing RFK Jr. Paved the Way for His Ascendancy” Listener Picks Syl – Foldscope Jennifer – minutiae Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

2 hr
DEC 14

Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin deep dives into whether the mysterious respiratory illness in the Congo is malaria, and in conjunction with your host Vincent Racaniello discusses the failure of the poliovirus eradication campaign with virus circulation detected throughout Europe and how we should focus on disease control not virus circulation, then returns to discussing avian influenza in raw milk and the early stoppage of the mpox antiviral Tecovirimat before reviewing the recent statistics on SARS-CoV-2 infection, the WasterwaterScan dashboard, if there is a difference in protection against the development of severe disease between an mRNA or a protein based vaccine, where to find PEMGARDA, and information for Columbia Unversity Irving Medical Center’s long COVID treatment center. Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode IIs the mysterious disease in the Congo, malaria? (AP News) State of global health, year-end remarks by WHO director-general (WHO) Really, progress towards poliomyelitis eradication? (CDC MMWR) Increases in confirm cases ¹ control of poliomyelitis (WHO) Polio European Union and United Kingdom, is that 1 global entry? (Science) Is the WHO the global CDC? polio vaccination guidelines (WHO) Do you feed your cats raw milk? (Public Health LA county) Is there avian influenza in the zoo near you? (Maricopa) Don’t feed your cat raw milk (CIDRAP) Holy Cow! H5N1 in cows! (microbeTV) Tecovirimat no improvement in Mpox resolution or pain(NIAID NIH) Interim results from STOMP study of Tecovirimat (SIGA) Trial stops enrollment after Tpoxx fails (CIDRAP) Is Tecovirimat really first-in-class mpox therapy? (Viruses) Influenza weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView) US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses) Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection) COVID-19 deaths (CDC) COVID-19 national and regional trends (CDC) Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) COVID-19 variant tracker (CDC) SARS-CoV-2 genomes galore (Nextstrain) Relative effectiveness of homologous NVX-CoV2373 and BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccinations in South Korea (Vaccine) Phase III trial results! Comparative efficacy and safety of COVID-19 (BMC Infectious Diseases) Where to get pemgarda (Pemgarda) EUA for the pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 (INVIYD) Fusion center near you….if in NY (Prime Fusions) CDC Quarantine guidelines (CDC) NIH COVID-19 treatment guidelines (NIH) Infectious Disease Society guidelines for treatment and management (ID Society) Drug interaction checker (University of Liverpool) Molnupiravir safety and efficacy (JMV) Convalescent plasma recommendation for immunocompromised (ID Society) What to do when sick with a respiratory virus (CDC) When your healthcare provider is infected/exposed with SARS-CoV-2 (CDC) Managing healthcare staffing shortages (CDC) Stop playing favorites with COVID-19 in healthcare settings (Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology) Steroids, dexamethasone at the right time (OFID) Anticoagulation guidelines (hematology.org) Remdesivir Effectiveness in Reducing the Risk of 30-day Readmission in Vulnerable Patients Hospitalized for COVID-19 (CID) Daniel Griffin’s evidence based medical practices for long COVID (OFID) Long COVID hotline (Columbia : Columbia University Irving Medical Center) Letters read on TWiV 1174 Dr. Griffin’s COVID treatment summary (pdf) Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv

49 min
DEC 8

Holy Cow! Convergent evolution!

TWiV reviews nominees to head NIH, FDA, and CDC, cervical cancer decline following HPV vaccination, local dengue in Texas, human isolate of H5N1 virus is transmissible and virulent in animal models, and shared mechanisms of immune evasion among animal and bacterial viruses. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, Kathy Spindler, Brianne Barker, and Jolene Ramsey Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Bhattacharya nominated to head NIH (Science) Makary nominated to head FDA (Science) Weldon nominated to head CDC (Chief Healthcare Exec) Cervical cancer declining following vaccination (JAMA Net) Local dengue case in Texas (Texas HHS) H5N1 human isolate transmissible and virulent (Nature) H5 current situation (CDC) Global H5N1 cases (Our World in Data) Conserved immune evasion in animal and bacterial viruses (Cell) Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Weekly Picks Brianne – Pale Blue Pod Kathy – PhysicsGirl recent Instagram post, ScienceAdvisor signup free daily sci news distillation, Semi-conducting hydrogels, Bot that can pick up things with a soft touch, “Pigeonbot II”, a drone called LisRaptor, zapping forever chemicals like PFAS with light and here Rich – Vendee Globe Jolene – Center for the Improvement of Mentored Research Experiences Vincent – These two ancient human relatives crossed paths 1.5 million years ago Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

1h 60m
DEC 7

Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin summarizes influenza and RSV circulation in the US, the benefit of administering oseltamivir early and if influenza vaccination reduces secondary household infections, before reviewing the recent statistics on SARS-CoV-2 infection, the WasterwaterScan dashboard, how 1st or 2nd trimester SARS-CoV-2 infections may shorten newborn telomeres, what are B1 cells, if IgG4 responses are critical for protection elicited by mRNA vaccines, if there is a difference in protection against the development of severe disease between an mRNA or a protein based vaccine, where to find PEMGARDA, if remdesivir reduces readmission of vulnerable patients once hospitalized for COVID-19, information for Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s long COVID treatment center, if transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation ameliorates musculoskeletal pain and fatigue during long COVID, do antihistamines reduce post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection and how long can SARS-CoV-2 antigens be detected in blood. Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Influenza weekly surveillance report: cliff notes (CDC FluView) US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses) Influenza vaccines protect against secondary infections in households (JAMA Network) Benefit of early oseltamivir therapy for influenza A (CID) RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection) COVID-19 deaths (CDC) COVID-19 national and regional trends (CDC) Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) COVID-19 variant tracker (CDC) SARS-CoV-2 genomes galore (Nextstrain) Maternal infection of SARS-CoV-2 during 1st and 2nd trimesters newborn telomere shortening (Journal of Translational Medicine) What is a B1 cell? (Wikipedia) Pre-COVID and post-COVID vaccination on long COVID (Journal of Infection) Delayed Induction of Noninflammatory SARS-CoV-2 Spike-Specific IgG4 Antibodies after BNT162b2 Vaccination in Children (The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal) Relative effectiveness of homologous NVX-CoV2373 and BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccinations in South Korea (Vaccine) Phase III trial results! Comparative efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines (BMC Infectious Diseases) Where to get pemgarda (Pemgarda) EUA for the pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 (INVIYD) Fusion center near you….if in NY (Prime Fusions) CDC Quarantine guidelines (CDC) NIH COVID-19 treatment guidelines (NIH) Infectious Disease Society guidelines for treatment and management (ID Society) Drug interaction checker (University of Liverpool) Molnupiravir safety and efficacy (JMV) Convalescent plasma recommendation for immunocompromised (ID Society) What to do when sick with a respiratory virus (CDC) When your healthcare provider is infected/exposed with SARS-CoV-2 (CDC) Managing healthcare staffing shortages (CDC) Steroids, dexamethasone at the right time (OFID) Anticoagulation guidelines (hematology.org) Remdesivir Effectiveness in Reducing the Risk of 30-day Readmission in Vulnerable Patients Hospitalized for COVID-19 (CID) Daniel Griffin’s evidence based medical practices for long COVID (OFID) Long COVID hotline (Columbia : Columbia University Irving Medical Center) Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for fibromyalgia-like syndrome in patients with Long-COVID(Scientific Reports) Mitigating the risks of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) with intranasal chlorpheniramine (BMC Infectious Diseases) Measurement of circulating viral antigens post-SARS-CoV-2 infection (CID) Letters read on TWiV 1172 Dr. Griffin’s COVID treatment summary (pdf) Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv

38 min
DEC 1

The born immunity

TWiV reviews susceptibility to vaccine-preventable infections in asylum seekers, the economic power of vaccines, French university tries to bury its investigation of a faculty member’s ethical lapses, transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 in New Zealand before and after COVID-19, and a germ line encoded antibody that recognizes a broad array of enveloped viruses. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Why RFK Jr is not suitable for HHS (YouTube) Write your Senators to oppose RFK Jr Support MicrobeTV ASV 2025 Susceptibility to infections in asylum seekers (NEJM) RSV hospitalization in adults (JAMA Net Open) Ethics failings at French university (Science) RSV transmission in New Zealand (Nat Commun) Glycan reactive IgM binds multiple viruses (SciImmunol) Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Weekly Picks Brianne – Publication of Updated Human Cell Atlas Rich – Astroscale Alan – E3 ubiquitin ligase game, and an article about its origin Vincent – In the Quantum World, Even Points of View Are Uncertain Listener Pick Ryan – A Dangerous Moment Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

1h 41m
NOV 30

Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin dives into H5N1/influenza and RSV circulation in the US, whether or not H5N1 is “adapting” for human-human transmission, why drinking raw milk may NOT be the best idea despite RFK Jr endorsement, before reviewing the recent statistics on SARS-CoV-2 infection, the WasterwaterScan dashboard, how if I encounter no one I can infect no one, the efficacy of COVID-19 boosters, how vaccines are the ‘seat belt’ of public health, the results of two PLACEBO control studies assessing antiviral therapy for COVID-19, where to find PEMGARDA, susceptibility of neurological complications in young to middle-aged adults and how discussing the origins of the pandemic and rise of scientific harassment will allow you to avoid a political conversation around your Thanksgiving day table, the interplay between transmission and immunity for virus spread and who to call if you do get sick this holiday. Happy Thanksgiving! Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Influenza weekly surveillance report: cliff notes (CDC FluView) US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses) RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection) In case you missed, US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses) Adaptation of H5N1 to humans…..sequence analysis (Nature) Favoring human transmission for H5N1 ?(Youtube: medcram) From 2022: unprecedented bird flu outbreaks sweeping the world…..and we are still talking about it? (Nature) What children get flu: First child in US infected with H5N1 (CDC Newsroom) Bird flu detected in raw milk……but RFK at HHS says it is safe? (NBC News) COVID-19 deaths (CDC) COVID-19 national and regional trends (CDC) Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) COVID-19 variant tracker (CDC) SARS-CoV-2 genomes galore (Nextstrain) If I see no one in my house, household Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Transmission is reduced! (CID) Updated boosters conferred protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection and emergency visits/hospitalizations during a JN.1 variant wave(CID) Provisional COVID-19 mortality (CDC National Center for Health Statistics) Influenza, RSV and COVID-19 vaccine in nursing home residents (CDC MMWR) Vaccines are the seat belts of public health (TRID) Where to get pemgarda (Pemgarda) EUA for the pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 (INVIYD) Fusion center near you….if in NY (Prime Fusions) CDC Quarantine guidelines (CDC) NIH COVID-19 treatment guidelines (NIH) Infectious Disease Society guidelines for treatment and management (ID Society) Drug interaction checker (University of Liverpool) Molnupiravir safety and efficacy (JMV) Effectiveness of molnupiravir against 30-day mortality among 74 541 SARS-CoV-2 positive patients (OFID) Sustained Recovery Among Outpatients With COVID-19 Receiving Montelukast vs Placebo(JAMA Network Open) Convalescent plasma recommendation for immunocompromised (ID Society) What to do when sick with a respiratory virus (CDC) When your healthcare provider is infected/exposed with SARS-CoV-2 (CDC) Managing healthcare staffing shortages (CDC) Steroids, dexamethasone at the right time (OFID) Anticoagulation guidelines (hematology.org) Remdesivir for treatment of COVID-19 requiring oxygen support (CID) Daniel Griffin’s evidence based medical practices for long COVID (OFID) Neurologic manifestations of long COVID disproportionately affect young and middle-aged Adults (Annals on Neurology) To review, three score and two months ago, the WHO brought for on this planet, the declaration of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19…. How nature began a pandemic (microbeTV) Bullying within the origin scientific discourse……by those at Rutgers (Science) Scientific harassment on the rise (Science) Doxing :The de-identified of the de-identified (Wikipedia) Harassment survey (Science) The harm of factless hypotheses (mSphere) In summary, the era of harm: factless theories (microbeTV) Stay inside: risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in community indoor settings (JID) Lower levels of household transmission of SARS-CoV-2 VOC Omicron compared to Wild-type: an interplay between transmissibility and immune status (JID) Long COVID hotline (Columbia : Columbia University Irving Medical Center) Letters read on TWiV 1170 Dr. Griffin’s COVID treatment summary (pdf) Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv

54 min
NOV 24

Can anyone hook me up with a duck?

TWiV travels to Brisbane, Australia for the Options XII for the control of influenza conference, and meets up with Stephanie Gras and Jenna Guthmiller to talk about their careers and their research. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Kathy Spindler, and Steph Langel Guests: Stephanie Gras and Jenna Guthmiller Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Goldilocks zone of influenza immunity (J Inf Dis) Broadly neutralizing HA antibodies (Nature) T cell epitopes needed for influenza vaccines (Clin Transl Immunol) T cell epitopes conserved in emerging H5N1 viruses (Clin Transl Immunol) Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

54 min

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4.8

out of 5

1,997 Ratings

Spread of microbes by leaf blowers

Nov 17

podcast7

This week, not for the first, time I listened to your mini rants about the noise of leaf blowers, but have you considered the potential for these damnable devices to spread dangerous microbes in addition to the health harming noise and 2.5 particulate both from the inefficient engines and the material being blown? Consider the composition of the vast amounts of particulate and how much is from sources such as fecal mater. Studies show this stuff remains in the air up to 3 days. Speaking of transferring h1 n1 from birds to pigs you say “if it gets in their snout”, is this a way that can happen? I would like to hear your thoughts on the potential spread of disease by these machines. I live in a condo development surrounded by more of same and the lawn maintenance contractors employ them nearly all day everyday.
Thank you!

Aug 23

ALittleChaotic

The 16 August 2024 episode really helped us with a new case, in the family home, of COVID-19. The recent Long Covid episode was enlightening for a work situation. Just pressed pause and made another donation. TWIV is lifesaving.
Excellent episode on KATALYST for Ops Leaders

Jan 25

ShawnCycle

I really liked a recent episode that described Katie’s KATALYST framework for Transformational leadership. It describes 8 competencies that Operational Excellence and other Transformational leaders should aspire to get better at. Many of these I found myself agreeing with during the episode and realized that I have focused on them without crystallizing them as Katies has done. I can see using this frame work to improve myself and as a coaching mechanism for my team and leaders that I coach. Clearly I might be biased since Katie also referred to our upcoming episode together, but I really liked this episode with that reference not with standing. I’m looking forward to how Katie connects and explores this topic in future episodes. If you’re newly looking into this podcast, I would highly recommend it to anyone trying to get better as a leader.
New listener

Jul 19

rcamp0222

I’m a new listener. Was excited at first but realized it is mainly big government leftist talk masquerading as virus information. I’m out.