TWiV 1121: SARS-CoV2 still didn’t come from a lab

TWiV rebuts a recent opinion piece which falsely claims that the COVID-19 pandemic began in a lab (it began in Nature), followed by a discussion of Paride bacteriophage, which has the unsual property of being able to kill dormant, antibiotic-tolerant cells by direct lytic replication.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, Brianne Barker, and Jolene Ramsey

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Weekly Picks 1:38:25

Brianne – How to build a nuclear warning for 10,000 years’ time
Rich – Doctor My Eyes | Jackson Browne
Alan – WHO Health for All Film Festival winners
Jolene – El enemigo de mi enemigo es mi amigo
Vincent – A Population Dotmap of New York City and Race and Ethnicity in New York City

Listener Picks

David – The greatest clock (and map) ever made
Peter – The Mouse as a Microscope

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 1120: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin reports the third case of influenza H5N1 infection in a human, this time with respiratory symptoms, an H5 avian influenza virus wastewater dashboard, FDA approves Moderna’s mRNA vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus, vaccine advisors to FDA recommend switching from the XBB.1.5 variant to JN.1 for fall COVID-19 vaccine formulations, weekly US COVID update, a controlled human exhaled breath aerosol experimental study on the relative efficacy of masks and respirators as source control for viral aerosol shedding from people infected with SARS-CoV-2, systematic review of early use of oral antiviral drugs and the risk of post COVID-19 syndrome, long-COVID autonomic syndrome in working age and work ability impairment, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 5.3% of Americans currently have long COVID, and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine presented a report with  a number of conclusions about long-COVID diagnosis, symptoms, and impact on daily function.

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Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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

TWiV 1119: Gene editing latent herpes

TWiV reviews viral shedding and antibody responses of men with acute monkeypox virus infection, and gene editing for latent herpes simplex virus infection reduces viral load and shedding.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, Kathy Spindler, and Angela Mingarelli

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Weekly Picks 1:29:10

Angela – Unconventional Sex Let Anglerfish Conquer the Deep Ocean
Kathy – Doonesbury from 5-26-24. And Publish or Perish game
Rich – Sky: Giant Sunspot Region 3664 and Resulting Auroras APOD video
Vincent – Mysterious sea urchin plague is spreading through the world’s oceans

Listener Pick

Abdulaziz – Biomedical Scientist Answers Pseudoscience Questions

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 1118: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin delves into highly pathogenic H5N1 infection of hunting dogs, dairy cattle, humans and alpacas before reviewing the recent statistics on SARS-CoV-2 infection, risks factors associated with the development of severe COVID-19 in pediatric patients, virus transmission on commercial airline flights, the guidelines for spring administration of COVID vaccines boosters, the emergency use application of a pre-exposure prophylactic, a drug interaction database, absence of durability of XBB.1.15 vaccine induced immunity and continues to dispel the myth of viral rebound, when to use steroids and the benefits of convalescent plasma, what do when healthcare workers succumb to SARS-CoV-2 infection, and discusses why development of long COVID should be included in the development of treatments for acute viral disease, if vaccination effects long COVID, structural impairment of brain during long COVID, how cognitive and respiratory function may be compromised in long COVID.  For more information about long COVID-19 listen to TWiV 1088 and for H5N1 in dairy cattle and unpasteurized milk TWiV 1117.

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Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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

TWiV 1117: Pol dances with the RNA that brought it

TWiV discusses presence of infectious avian H5N1 influenza virus in raw milk from infected dairy cows. dynamics of measles immunity from birth and following vaccination, and a mechanism for cis-preferential reverse transcription revealed by deep mutational scanning of hepatitis B virus.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, Kathy Spindler, and Brianne Barker

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Weekly Picks 1:29:01

Dickson – Oldest virus in Neanderthal bones
Brianne – Jeopardy! winner reveals entwined memory systems make a trivia champion
Kathy – Bright future of intelligent fabrics primary article and Self-dyeing textiles (primary article)
Rich – Farewell to HD Atlas; Boston Dynamics Retires HD Atlas Robot
Alan – Why vaccinating cattle against H5N1 is hard
Vincent – Singapore Airlines turbulence: why climate change is making flights rougher

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 1116: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin delves highly pathogenic H5N1 biology including its circulation in New York City, being able to infect cells within mammary glands and why testing is not supported before reviewing the recent statistics on SARS-CoV-2 infection, how vaccination reduced deaths and hospitalizations associated with COVID-19 and how to take off PPE to reduce virus transmission, discussing the guidelines for spring administration of COVID vaccines boosters, the emergency use application of a pre-exposure prophylactic, a drug interaction database and the global phase 3 trail of a novel antiviral, continues to dispel the myth of viral rebound, when to use steroids and the benefits of convalescent plasma, what do when healthcare workers succumb to SARS-CoV-2 infection, reminisces about when available monoclonal antibody therapies were effective, and discusses muscle training/exercise for treatment of PASC/long COVID and the use of RNase for its treatment. For more information about long COVID-19 listen to TWiV 1088.

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Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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

TWiV 1115: Calling the CoPs on flu

TWiV reviews results of a phase 3 trial of a self-amplifying mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, and the finding that baseline innate and T cell populations are correlates of protection against symptomatic influenza virus infection independent of serology.

Hosts: Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove and Brianne Barker

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Weekly Picks 1:24:34

Dickson – Nitrogen-fixing organelle in a marine alga
Brianne – Mapping a lost branch of the Nile
Alan – Interactive version of the updated USDA gardening zone map on NPR.

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 1114: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin delves into discussing drinking “raw” milk possessing H5N1 influenza virus, if the virus can reproduce in the human gut, and the meaning of finding viral RNA in wastewater samples before reviewing the recent statistics on SARS-CoV-2 infection, the guidelines for spring administration of COVID vaccines boosters, withdrawal of AstraZeneca’s SARS-CoV-2 vaccine from the European market, discusses the emergency use application of a pre-exposure prophylactic, continues to dispel the myth of viral rebound, when to use steroids and the benefits of convalescent plasma, what do when healthcare workers succumb to SARS-CoV-2 infection, if administration of colchicine for the management of COVID-19, compares and provides information for the enrollment into the NIH clinical trials of long COVID and its effects on sleep, exercise intolerance and the cognitive profile in multiple sclerosis and post-COVID, exercise intolerance and post-exertional malaise. For more information about cow and milk infection by H5N1 listen to the discussion with Richard Webby on TWiV 1113 and for long COVID-19 listen to TWiV 1088. Dr. Griffin also provides a list of apps for monitoring one’s health including brain health.

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Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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

TWiV 1113: Influenza virus H5N1 in cows’ milk with Richard Webby

Richard Webby joins TWiV to review the history of avian H5N1 influenza virus, the recent change in epidemiological patterns, infection of dairy cattle in the US, and the risk of an outbreak in humans.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Brianne Barker

Guest: Richard Webby

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Weekly Picks 1:10:56

Brianne – The Little Researcher (from Bioss)
Alan – Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s OPV switch was “unqualified failure.”
Vincent – Errant Science

Listener Picks

Moragh – Paper Cuts Podcast

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 1112: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin deep dives into infections of dairy cattle with high pathogenic influenza H5N1, how long virus has been circulating and if known anti-influenza antivirals can reduce secondary attack rates, before reviewing the recent statistics on SARS-CoV-2 infection, the guidelines for spring administration of COVID vaccines boosters, whether COVID booster takes associates with long COVID prevalence, discusses the emergency use application of a pre-exposure prophylactic, if administration of oral antiviral therapies can prevent the onset of post-acute sequelae following SARS-CoV-2 infection, continues to dispel the myth of viral rebound, when to use steroids and the benefits of convalescent plasma, what do when healthcare workers succumb to SARS-CoV-2 infection, compares and contrasts the cognitive profile in multiple sclerosis and post-COVID, exercise intolerance following SARS-CoV-2 infection and the epidemiology of the pandemic in a Kenyan refugee camp. For more information about this body of work, listen to TWiV 1088.

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Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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

The Hosts of TWiV

Vincent Racaniello, Ph.D.


Brianne Barker, Ph.D.


Rich Condit, Ph.D.


Alan Dove, Ph.D.


Daniel Griffin, M.D.,
Ph.D., CTropMed CTH


Angela Mingarelli, DVM


Jolene Ramsey, Ph.D.


Kathy Spindler, Ph.D.


CLICK FOR MORE INFO

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