This Week in Virology

TWiV 1219: Koalas sweep horse shift

May 18, 2025

TWiV reviews pause in the use of Chikungunya vaccine, HHS to stop recommending COVID shots for pregnant women and children, molecular basis for shifted receptor recognition by an encephalitic alphavirus, and evolution of koala retrovirus transcriptional silencing in wild koalas.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, and Rich Condit

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Links for this episode

Support science education at MicrobeTV 2:27
Pause in use of Ixchiq (FDA) 3:58
Change in COVID vaccine recommendations (STAT) 9:53
Basis for receptor shift in encephalitic alphavirus (Cell) 12:51
Transcriptional silencing of koala retrovirus (Cell) 50:43
Letters read on TWiV 1219 1:21:01
Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!

Weekly Picks 1:47:35

Rich – What’s that stuff in your bellybutton? Science has the answer.
Vincent – New study reveals our skin’s own bacteria can help protect us from the bad effects of sunlight

Listener Pick

Rona – My Italian secret: the forgotten heroes and Italy and the Holocaust Foundation, Inc.

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

TWiV 1218: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

May 17, 2025

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin with Vincent Racaniello wail about the attack on science within the US, cancellation of CDC’s committee on infectious diseases, mpox in Sierra Leone, “bird flu” in cats, the ongoing measles outbreak globally, before Dr. Griffin reviews recent statistics on RSV, benefits of vaccination for infants, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections the WasterwaterScan dashboard, the high number of childhood deaths during this “flu” season, the May 22 VRBPAC COVID-19 vaccine meeting, where to find PEMGARDA, benefit of remedesivir, provides information for Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s long COVID treatment center, where to go for answers to your long COVID questions, weight and distinct symptoms of long COVID and contacting your federal government representative to stop the assault on science and biomedical research.

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Links for this episode

Shut down federal advisory committee on infection prevention…..Make America Healthy Again! (CIDRAP) 2:57
Mpox in Sierra Leone (CIDRAP) 5:40
H5 Bird Flu: Current Situation (CDC: Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) )
Spike in avian flu cases in cats : spillover into humans? (CIDRAP) 7:31
Measles cases and outbreaks (CDC Rubeola) 10:33
Measles 800 in Texas…. (Texas Health and Human Services) 10:45
Measles outbreak in North Dakota prompts local health officials to quarantine unvaccinated schoolchildren (CNN) 11:00
2025 Measles outbreak guidance (New Mexico Health)
Measles and rubella weekly monitoring report: (Government of Canada) 13:19
The Mennonites in a Texas community where measles is spreading (AP News) 13:50
Trust the government? Seriously! West Texans, Mennonites at center of measles outbreak choose medical freedom over vaccine mandates (AP News) 13:50
Measles vaccine recommendations from NYP (jpg)
Deporting Measles! (AP News)
Get the FACTS about measles (NY State Department of Health)
Measles (CDC Measles (Rubeola))
Measles vaccine (CDC Measles (Rubeola))
Presumptive evidence of measles immunity (CDC)
Contraindications and precautions to measles vaccination (CDC)
Measles (CDC Measles (Rubeola))
Measles (CDC: Measles Rubeola)
Adverse events associated with childhood vaccines: evidence bearing on causality (NLM)
Measles Vaccination: Know the Facts (ISDA: Infectious Diseases Society of America)
Deaths following vaccination: what does the evidence show (Vaccine)
Influenza: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView)
Respiratory virus activity levels (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
CDC reports 216 child deaths this flu season (AP News) 17:30
Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView)
New York sees highest flu-related pediatric deaths ever recorded in a season (Times Union)
Phase 3 Safety and Efficacy Study of Baloxavir Marboxil in Children Less Than 1 Year Old With Suspected or Confirmed Influenza (The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal) 19:03
FDA-CDC-DOD: 2025-2046 influenza vaccine composition (FDA)
RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses) 21:43
RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection) 21:43
Interim Evaluation of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Hospitalization Rates Among Infants and Young Children After Introduction of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prevention Products (CDC: MMWR) 21:51
US infant mortality dropped in 2024: RSV vaccine? (AP News) 24:55
Infant Mortality Dashboard (CDC: National Center for Health Statistics)
Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) 25:26
COVID-19 deaths (CDC) 25:26
COVID-19 national and regional trends (CDC) 25:26
Wastewater Measures of SARS-CoV-2 Accurately Predict Frequency of Symptomatic Infections in the Community (JID) 26:03
Origin of SARS-CoV-2 26:47
The recency and geographical origins of the bat viruses ancestral to SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 (Cell) 26:47
COVID-19 variant tracker (CDC)
SARS-CoV-2 genomes galore (Nextstrain)
COVID-19 infection history as a risk factor for early pregnancy loss (BMC Medicine) 33:19
New recommendations seek treatments for post-Lyme disease condition (CIDRAP)
Immunogenicity and Safety of Influenza and COVID-19 Multicomponent Vaccine in Adults ≥50 YearsA Randomized Clinical Trial (JAMA) 34:44
Combo flu-COVID vaccine shows good immune response, safety in older adults (CIDRAP)
US FDA advisers to discuss COVID-19 vaccine recommendations on May 22 (Reuters)
Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines in the United States (CDC: COVID-19)
COVID-19 vaccine VRBPAC May 22 (FDA)
Where to get pemgarda (Pemgarda)
EUA for the pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 (INVIYD)
Infusion center (Prime Fusions)
CDC Quarantine guidelines (CDC)
NIH COVID-19 treatment guidelines (NIH)
Drug interaction checker (University of Liverpool)
Infectious Disease Society guidelines for treatment and management (ID Society)
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 associated with reduced mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients (BMC Infectious Diseases) 40:16
Real-world evidence shows remdesivir tied to less death in hospitalized COVID patients (CIDRAP)
Daniel Griffin’s evidence based medical practices for long COVID (OFID)
Long COVID hotline (Columbia : Columbia University Irving Medical Center)
The answers: Long COVID
Excess weight is associated with neurological and neuropsychiatric symptoms in post-COVID-19 condition (PLoS One) 45:56
Identification of soluble biomarkers that associate with distinct manifestations of long COVID (Nature Immunology) 46:52
Reaching out to US house representative
Letters read on TWiV 1218 49:18
Dr. Griffin’s COVID treatment summary (pdf)
Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to [email protected]

Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

TWiV 1217: Alternative vax and pandemic origins

May 11, 2025

TWiV reviews new CBER chief at FDA, ending of Gates Foundation in 2045, gain of function executive order, origins of bat viruses ancestral to SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, and single dose Sudan virus replicon vaccine protects guinea pigs from disease.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Rich Condit

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Download TWiV 1217 (68 MB .mp3, 113 min)
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Links for this episode

Support science education at MicrobeTV 4:57
Prasad replaces Marks at FDA (US News) 6:27
Gates Foundation ends 2025 (Gates Foundation) 11:57
Gain of function Executive Order (White House) 16:20
DURC policy (HHS) 16:20
Origins of bat viruses ancestral to SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 (Cell) 25:02
Sudan virus replicon vaccine (Nat Comm) 54:16
Letters read on TWiV 1217 1:15:18
Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!

Weekly Picks 1:36:36

Rich – Andor Season 2
Alan – Sequencing Mendel’s pea plant traits, and a good Science news article on the work
Vincent – 2023 summer warmth unparalleled over the past 2,000 years

Listener Pick

Brian – Virology Capabilities Test (VCT): A Multimodal Virology Q&A Benchmark

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

TWiV 1216: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

May 10, 2025

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin with Vincent Racaniello bemoan the attack on science within the US, salt water controls for vaccines, return to 1938 technology for flu vaccines, mRNA vaccines as “bioweapons”, rise in pertussis, benefits of the shingles vaccine and reduced dementia occurrence, and growing measles outbreak globally before Dr. Griffin reviews recent statistics on RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the WasterwaterScan dashboard, the May 22 VRBPAC COVID-19 vaccine, meeting, where to find PEMGARDA, return to antibiotic treatment for respiratory viral diseases, provides information for Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s long COVID treatment center, where to go for answers to your long COVID questions and contacting your federal government representative to stop the assault on science and biomedical research.

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Download TWiV 1216 (30 MB .mp3, 50 min)
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Links for this episode

Saline placebo control testing for new vaccines….not good chemistry! (Washington Post) 3:37
1940s innovation: HHS, NIH Launch Next-Generation Universal Vaccine Platform for Pandemic-Prone Viruses (US Department of Health and Human Services) 10:57
WHAT! Minnesota Bill Against Vaccines Promotes Disinformation (Medscape Medical News) 15:41
Guns= fine….mRNA =mRNA Bioweapons Prohibition Act; mRNA injections and products designated as weapons of mass destruction, and mRNA injections and products prohibited. (Minnesota Legislature) 15:41
Bioweapons of massive destruction mNRA not bombs or drones….but mRNA! (Minnesota Legislature) 15:41
2024 Provisional pertussis surveillance report (CDC) 19:26
Pertussis cases by year 1922-2023 (CDC: Whooping cough (pertussis)) 19:26
Deaths by pertussis: 6 children under a year old (CDC) 19:26
Pertussis (WHO) 20:05
Symptoms of pertussis (CDC Whooping Cough (Pertussis) 20:16
With whooping cough cases on the rise, a doctor explains how to protect yourself and others (CNN)
Live zoster vaccination and cardiovascular outcomes (European Heath Journal) 21:12
Shingles vaccine recipients see lower cardiac event risk (CIDRAP) 21:12
H5 Bird Flu: Current Situation (CDC: Avian Influenza Bird flu) 22:05
Measles cases and outbreaks (CDC Rubeola) 22:18
Measles 800 in Texas…. (Texas Health and Human Services)
2025 Measles outbreak guidance (New Mexico Health)
Measles and rubella weekly monitoring report: (Government of Canada) 22:50
Measles vaccine recommendations from NYP (jpg)
Get the FACTS about measles (NY State Department of Health)
Measles (CDC Measles (Rubeola))
Measles vaccine (CDC Measles (Rubeola))
Presumptive evidence of measles immunity (CDC)
Contraindications and precautions to measles vaccination (CDC)
Measles (CDC Measles (Rubeola))
Measles (CDC: Measles Rubeola)
Adverse events associated with childhood vaccines: evidence bearing on causality (NLM)
Measles Vaccination: Know the Facts (ISDA: Infectious Diseases Society of America)
Deaths following vaccination: what does the evidence show (Vaccine)
Influenza: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) 23:15
US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses) 23:15
Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView)
Respiratory virus activity levels (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
CDC reports 216 child deaths this flu season (AP News) 23:28
Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView)
FDA-CDC-DOD: 2025-2046 influenza vaccine composition (FDA)
RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) 25:50
US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses) 25:50
RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection) 25:50
Impact of Nirsevimab on RSV and Non-RSV Severe Respiratory Infections in Hospitalized Infants (Influenza and other respiratory viruses) 26:00
Hospital admissions of respiratory infections in infants plunge with nirsevimab RSV antibody (CIDRAP) 26:00
Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) 27:30
COVID-19 deaths (CDC) 27:30
COVID-19 national and regional trends (CDC) 27:30
COVID-19 variant tracker (CDC)
SARS-CoV-2 genomes galore (Nextstrain)
Early effectiveness of the BNT162b2 KP.2 vaccine against COVID-19 in the US Veterans Affairs Healthcare System (Nature Communications) 28:58
Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines in the United States (CDC: COVID-19)
COVID-19 vaccine VRBPAC May 22 (FDA)
Where to get pemgarda (Pemgarda)
EUA for the pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 (INVIYD)
Infusion center (Prime Fusions)
CDC Quarantine guidelines (CDC)
NIH COVID-19 treatment guidelines (NIH)
Drug interaction checker (University of Liverpool)
Infectious Disease Society guidelines for treatment and management (ID Society)
Time to antiviral treatment in mild–moderate COVID-19 in the emergency department (Internal and Emergency Medicine) 32:25
Delays in COVID antiviral receipt raised risk of poor outcomes after ED visits by 18%, data suggest (CIDRAP) 32:25
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)
Virus = Bacteria ? National Trends in Antibiotic Prescribing for Adults Hospitalized With Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Other Viral Respiratory Infections (OFID) 35:51
Steroids, dexamethasone at the right time (OFD)
Anticoagulation guidelines (hematology.org)
Daniel Griffin’s evidence based medical practices for long COVID (OFID)
Long COVID hotline (Columbia : Columbia University Irving Medical Center)
The answers: Long COVID
Short and long-term trajectories of the post COVID-19 condition (BMJ Infectious Diseases) 38:00
Prevalence of Persistent Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Abnormalities on PET/MRI and DECT Imaging in Long COVID Patients (Journal of Nuclear Medicine) 39:37
Long-COVID patients show signs of inflammation on PET/ MRI scans (CIDRAP) 39:37
Reaching out to US house representative 41:25
Letters read on TWiV 1216 42:03
Dr. Griffin’s COVID treatment summary (pdf)
Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to [email protected]

Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

TWiV Special: A shot of HepB with Thomas Tu

May 6, 2025

From the 2024 International Hepatitis B virus meeting in Chicago IL, Rich Condit speaks with Thomas Tu about his experiences as a both a HepB scientist and patient.

Host: Rich Condit

Guest: Thomas Tu

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Download TWiV Special (36 MB .mp3, 25 min)
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Links for this episode

Support science education at MicrobeTV
Hepatitis B Foundation
Tu Laboratory 18:34
Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

TWiV 1215: What’s the worst that could happen?

May 4, 2025

TWiV reviews universal vaccine initiative at NIAID, shut down of the Integrated Research Facility at Ft. Detrick, modeling the reemergence of infectious diseases as vaccination rates drop, and bacterial outer membrane vesicles bound to bacteriophages modulate neutrophil responses to bacterial infection.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Jolene Ramsey

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Download TWiV 1215 (73 MB .mp3, 122 min)
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Links for this episode

Support science education at MicrobeTV 2:00
ASV 2025 5:33
Paul has Measles (YouTube, virology blog) 6:55
Universal vaccine project (NIAID, CIDRAP) 8:52
Measles update (US, Texas) 16:28
Integrated Research Lab closed (Telegraph) 19:54
Modeling reemergence of infectious diseases (JAMA) 26:26
Outer membrane vesicles attached to phage (Front Cell Inf Micro) 55:20
Pf phage review (Front Immunol) 56:42
Letters read on TWiV 1215 1:34:05
Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!

Weekly Picks 1:49:41

Alan – A Paradise Built in Hell, by Rebecca Solnit (and here’s my review of it)
Jolene – Virology course student communication projects, Spring 2025
Vincent – Vaccine Education Center

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

TWiV 1214: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

May 3, 2025

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin with Vincent Racaniello bewail the attack on science within the US and withdrawal from the global health communities, association between the shingles vaccine and reduced dementia occurrence, ending of Uganda’s ebola outbreak, undermining effective responses to human bird flu infections, growing measles outbreak in the US and dire predictions of the return of vaccine preventable diseases including polio if vaccination rates continue to decline, before Dr. Griffin reviews recent statistics on RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections the WasterwaterScan dashboard, how HHS is undermining the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine, if Paxlovid reduces stroke, where to find PEMGARDA, provides information for Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s long COVID treatment center, where to go for answers to your long COVID questions and contacting your federal government representative to stop the assault on science and biomedical research.

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Download TWiV 1214 (29 MB .mp3, 49 min)
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Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

Lab animal RIFFing (NY Times) 1:55
Herpes zoster vaccination and dementia occurrence (JAMA) 5:33
The recombinant shingles vaccine is associated with lower risk of dementia (Nature Medicine) 8:19
Uganda declares end to latest ebola outbreak (Reuters) 9:33
Enhancing the response to avian influenza in the US and globally (LANCET: Regional Health-Americas) 10:07
H5 Bird Flu: Current Situation (CDC: Avian Influenza Bird flu) 11:08
Measles Update — United States, January 1–April 17, 2025 (CDC: MMWR) 13:16
Measles in Europe……..but greater in the US (CIDRAP) 14:58
Measles – Annual Epidemiological Report for 2024 (ECDC: European Center for Disease Prevention and Control) 14:58
Measles (ECDC: European Center for Disease Prevention and Control) 14:58
Measles cases and outbreaks (CDC Rubeola) 16:38
Measles 800 in Texas…. (Texas Health and Human Services) 16:58
2025 Measles outbreak guidance (New Mexico Health)
On the precipice of disaster’: Measles may be endemic in 25 years if vaccine uptake stays low, model predicts (CIDRAP) 17:20
Modeling Reemergence of Vaccine-Eliminated Infectious Diseases Under Declining Vaccination in the US (JAMA) 17:33
Measles vaccine recommendations from NYP (jpg)
Get the FACTS about measles (NY State Department of Health)
Measles (CDC Measles (Rubeola))
Measles vaccine (CDC Measles (Rubeola))
Presumptive evidence of measles immunity (CDC)
Contraindications and precautions to measles vaccination (CDC)
Measles (CDC Measles (Rubeola))
Measles (CDC: Measles Rubeola)
Adverse events associated with childhood vaccines: evidence bearing on causality (NLM)
Measles Vaccination: Know the Facts(ISDA: Infectious Diseases Society of America)
Deaths following vaccination: what does the evidence show (Vaccine)
Influenza: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) 23:23
US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses) 23:23
Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView)
Respiratory virus activity levels (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
200 children die from flu (CIDRAP) 23:55
Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView)
FDA-CDC-DOD: 2025-2046 influenza vaccine composition (FDA)
RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) 24:39
US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses) 24:39
RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection) 24:39
Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) 24:55
COVID-19 deaths (CDC) 24:55
COVID-19 national and regional trends (CDC) 24:55
COVID-19 variant tracker (CDC)
SARS-CoV-2 genomes galore (Nextstrain)
Health secretary RFK Jr. declares certain vaccines have ‘never worked,’ flummoxing scientists…..what certain vaccines? (STAT News) 26:38
More FDA uncertainty roils full approval for Novavax COVID vaccine (CIDRAP) 25:38
FDA Punts on Major Covid-19 Vaccine Decision After Ouster of Top Official (WSJ) 25:55
U.S. health officials inject new uncertainty into approval process for Covid boosters (STAT News) 27:58
Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines in the United States (CDC: COVID-19)
Where to get pemgarda (Pemgarda)
EUA for the pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 (INVIYD)
Infusion center (Prime Fusions)
CDC Quarantine guidelines (CDC)
NIH COVID-19 treatment guidelines (NIH)
Drug interaction checker (University of Liverpool)
Infectious Disease Society guidelines for treatment and management (ID Society)
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)
Into the Unknown: Practical Remdesivir Restriction in the Era of Widespread SARS-CoV-2 Seropositivity (CID) 31:11
Tocilizumab and IVIG experience during the service follow-up in patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia(Rev Insti MedTrop Sao Paulo) 35:07
Daniel Griffin’s evidence based medical practices for long COVID (OFID)
Long COVID hotline (Columbia : Columbia University Irving Medical Center)
The answers: Long COVID
Risk of New-Onset Type 2 Diabetes Among Vaccinated Adults After Omicron or Delta Variant SARS-CoV-2 Infection (JAMA) 36:29
Reaching out to US house representative 39:18
Letters read on TWiV 1214 40:28
Dr. Griffin’s COVID treatment summary (pdf)
Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to [email protected]

Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

TWiV Special: A shot of HepB with Chari Cohen

April 29, 2025

From the 2024 International Hepatitis B virus meeting in Chicago IL, Rich Condit speaks with Chari Cohen about her work as President of the Hepatitis B Foundation.

Host: Rich Condit

Guest: Chari Cohen

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Download TWiV Special (34 MB .mp3, 23 min)
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Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

Support science education at MicrobeTV
Hepatitis B Foundation
Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

TWiV 1213: Secrets of HepB cccDNA

April 27, 2025

TWiV reviews new committee of experts to counter vaccine misinformation, resignation of NSF Director, dependence of immune response to rabies virus on the gut microbiome, and a nucleosome switch primes hepatitis B virus infection.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, and Angela Mingarelli

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Links for this episode

Support science education at MicrobeTV 2:40
ASV 2025 2:51
Committee of experts to counter vaccine misinformation (Science) 3:51
NSF Director resigns (Science) 8:50
Dependence of vaccine immune response on gut microbiome (Cell Host Microbe) 12:23
Nucleosome switch primes HepB replication (Cell) 48:38
Letters read on TWiV 1212 1:21:10
Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!

Weekly Picks 1:47:56

Angela – Wild chimpanzees filmed by scientists bonding over alcoholic fruit
Rich – Malcolm Gladwell Revisionist History “The Joe Rogan Intervention”
Vincent – Measles Misinformation Is on the Rise — and Americans Are Hearing It, Survey Finds

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

TWiV 1212: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

April 26, 2025

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin with Vincent Racaniello deplore the US’s withdrawal from the global health community for pandemic preparedness i.e. the universal avian flu vaccine, and undermining the use of routine childhood vaccinations for pertussis and measles, RFK’s autism registry, yellow fever outbreak in Colombia and world immunization week after discussing the squirrel as the reservoir host for mpox, before Dr. Griffin reviews recent statistics on RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections the WasterwaterScan dashboard, how immunity elicited by the RSV vaccine wanes in 3 years, if Paxlovid reduces stroke, where to find PEMGARDA, provides information for Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s long COVID treatment center, where to go for answers to your long COVID questions, if vaccination impacts long COVID and if long COVID were to become epidemic.

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Download TWiV 1212 (29 MB .mp3, 48 min)
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Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

The American Public’s Disengagement With Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI): Considerations for Vaccination and Dietary Changes (American Public Health Association) 5:40
New agreement geared toward universal avian flu vaccine (CIDRAP) 7:50
Cambridge’s DIOSynVax and Singapore’s ACM Biolabs to advance pandemic-ready universal bird flu vaccine with international support (GlobeNewswire) 7:50
Bird flu continues to spread among live poultry markets after shut down order (CRAIN’S New York Business) 9:06
Fire-footed rope squirrels (Funisciurus pyrropus) are a reservoir host of monkeypox virus (Orthopoxvirus monkeypox)(Research Square) 9:47
It is a squirrel! An animal source of mpox emerges (Nature) 9:47
Whooping cough spikes, especially among unvaccinated teens (NBC News) 12:47
A February flu surge has arrived (NCB News)
Pertussis Cases by Year (1922-2022)(CDC: Whooping cough (pertussis)) 12:47
‘Fighting to breathe’: Whooping cough surges as vaccination rate falters (NBC News) 12:47
CDC cancels measles help for Texas schools amid staff layoffs (HealthDay) 15:03
Measles cases and outbreaks (CDC Rubeola) 15:54
Measles in Texas…. (Texas Health and Human Services) 17:07
Measles vaccine recommendations from NYP (jpg)
2025 Measles outbreak guidance (New Mexico Health)
Get the FACTS about measles (NY State Department of Health)
Measles (CDC Measles (Rubeola))
Measles vaccine (CDC Measles (Rubeola))
Presumptive evidence of measles immunity (CDC)
Contraindications and precautions to measles vaccination (CDC)
Measles (CDC Measles (Rubeola))
Measles (CDC: Measles Rubeola)
Adverse events associated with childhood vaccines: evidence bearing on causality (NLM)
Measles Vaccination: Know the Facts (IDSA: Infectious Diseases Society of America)
Deaths following vaccination: what does the evidence show (Vaccine)
RFK Jr.’s autism registry plan (Axios)
RFK Jr’s autism study collecting Americans’ private medical records (Guardian)
The public’s views on measles outbreaks and misinformation (KFF)
Colombia National Emergency: yellow fever cases (Gov.Co)
World Immunization Week: polio eradiation?(GPEI)
Influenza: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) 18:03
US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses) 18:03
Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView)
Respiratory virus activity levels (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
200 children die from flu (CIDRAP)
Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView)
FDA-CDC-DOD: 2025-2046 influenza vaccine composition (FDA)
RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) 19:49
US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection)
Trial shows waning efficacy of RSV vaccine across 3 seasons in older adults (CIDRAP) 19:56
Efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of the AS01_E-adjuvanted respiratory syncytial virus prefusion F protein vaccine (RSVPreF3 OA) (LANCET: Respiratory Medicine) 20:28
Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) 24:33
COVID-19 deaths (CDC) 24:33
COVID-19 national and regional trends (CDC) 24:33
COVID-19 variant tracker (CDC)
SARS-CoV-2 genomes galore (Nextstrain)
Where to get pemgarda (Pemgarda)
EUA for the pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 (INVIYD)
Infusion center (Prime Fusions)
CDC Quarantine guidelines (CDC)
NIH COVID-19 treatment guidelines (NIH)
Drug interaction checker (University of Liverpool)
Long-term stroke and mortality risk reduction associated with acute-phase paxlovid use in mild-to-moderate COVID-19(Journal of Medical Virology) 27:55
Infectious Disease Society guidelines for treatment and management (ID Society)
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)
The answers: Long COVID
The effect of COVID-19 vaccination on the risk of persistent post–COVID-19 condition (JID) 30:49
ORCHESTRA Delphi consensus: diagnostic and therapeutic management of Post-COVID-19 condition in vulnerable populations (CMI Clinical Microbiology and Infection) 33:30
Political ideology and trust in scientists in the USA(Nature Human Behavior) 35:02
Leading long COVID researcher fears it could become a national epidemic (Spectrum News NY1) 34:26
Center for post COVID care (Mt. Sinai) 35:34
Reaching out to US house representative 36:23
Letters read on TWiV 1212 37:07
Dr. Griffin’s COVID treatment summary (pdf)
Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!