This Week in Virology

TWiV 953: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

November 12, 2022

In his weekly clinical update Dr. Griffin discusses high demand for Amoxicillin causing shortages amid child RSV surge, epidemiologic and clinical features of children and adolescents aged <18 years with monkeypox, low risk of SARS-Cov-2 transmission by fomites, nucleocapsid antigenemia is a marker of acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, impact of community masking on COVID-19, protection against Omicron from vaccination and previous infection in a prison system, Nirmatrelvir and the risk of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19, Bebtelovimab for high-risk outpatients with early COVID-19 in a large US health system, imprinted SARS-CoV-2 humoral immunity induces convergent Omicron RBD evolution, can SARS-CoV-2 trigger new onset of autoimmune disease in adults? A case-based review, and retrospectively modeling the effects of increased global vaccine sharing on the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Links for this episode

High demand for Amoxicillin causing shortages amid RSV surge (Washington Post) 3:39
Epidemiologic and clinical features of children & adolescents with monkeypox (CDC) 6:18
Low risk of SARS-Cov2 transmission by fomites (IDSA) 12:44
Nucleocapsid Antigenemia Is a marker of acute SARS-CoV-2 Infection (JID) 15:45
Impact of community masking on COVID-19 (Science) 17:00
Remdesivir fact sheet for providers (Veklury)
Protection against Omicron from vaccination & previous infection in prison system (NEJM) 18:39
Nirmatrelvir and the risk of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (medRxiv) 23:36
Bebtelovimab for high-risk outpatients with COVID-19 (OFID) 32:05
Imprinted SARS-CoV-2 immunity induces convergent Omicron evolution (bioRxiv) 33:53
PAXLOVID patient eligibility screening checklist (FDA)
Can SARS-CoV-2 trigger new onset of autoimmune disease in adults? (Cell) 40:46
Bebtelovimab fact sheet for providers (FDA)
Modeling the effects of global vaccine sharing on the COVID-19 pandemic (Nature) 42:14
Contribute to our MicrobeTV fundraiser at PWB 45:08
Dr. Griffin’s treatment guide (pdf)
Letters read on TWiV 953 45:56
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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

TWiV 952: Jake Scott put the ID in COVID-19

November 6, 2022

Infectious Disease physician Jake Scott joins TWiV to provide a west coast clinical perspective on the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic with respect to the impact of vaccines, antivirals, variants of concern and mortality.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler

Guest: Jake Scott

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Links for this episode

Support MicrobeTV with a Spike t-shirt (Vaccinated.us) with promo code MicrobeTV
Omicron variant reproduction ex vivo (Nature) 16:21
Clinical outcomes with Omicron (Nat Med) 23:02
Low neutralizing antibodies induced by bivalent booster (NEJM) 30:38
Antibody responses to bivalent booster (bioRxiV)
Spike T cell responses not enhanced by bivalent booster (Sci Immunol)
Pandemic end will not be televised (BMJ) 28:06
Conflation of infection and disease (Twitter) 53:16
Letters read on TWiV 952 1:09:24
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks 1:30:22

Kathy – 10 moments for Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra Residency (Item 7) and Alan’s pick from TWiV 931 The Kissing Bug by Daisy Hernandez
Rich – Wilderness Safaris Photographic Competition 2022
Alan – Massachusetts Science Education Leadership Association, and the talk I gave to them last week
Vincent – Andrea Camillieri and his protagonist Inspector Montalbano

Listener Pick

Frank – Economics for the Future: Beyond the Superorganism
Debby – As routine vaccination rates fall, polio survivor hopes her story reverses urgent trend

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 951: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

November 5, 2022

In his weekly clinical update Dr. Griffin discusses Influenza incidence and vaccine effectiveness during the southern hemisphere influenza season in Chile, Nirsevimab for prevention of RSV infection in healthy late-preterm and term infants, severe Monkeypox in hospitalized patients, reinfections with different SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants, impact of community masking on COVID-19 in Bangladesh, unadjuvanted intranasal spike vaccine elicits protective mucosal immunity against sarbecoviruses, antibody responses to Omicron BA.4/BA.5 bivalent mRNA vaccine booster shot, immunogenicity of bivalent mRNA vaccine boosters, long-term gastrointestinal sequelae following COVID-19, evaluation of an automated text message–based program to reduce use of acute health care resources after hospital discharge, and how in adults with COVID-19, melatonin was assessed for effects on inflammatory markers, clinical signs and symptoms, and mortality.

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Links for this episode

Influenza incidence and vaccine effectiveness (CDC) 4:54
Nirsevimab for prevention of RSV (NEJM) 7:05
Severe Monkeypox in hospitalized patients (CDC) 11:08
Reinfections with different SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants (CDC) 14:35
Impact of community masking on COVID-19 (Science) 18:30
Vaccine elicits protective immunity against sarbecoviruses (Science) 21:35
Antibody responses to bivalent mRNA vaccine booster shot (Biorxiv) 24:15
Immunogenicity of bivalent mRNA vaccine boosters (Biorxiv) 25:41
Long-term gastrointestinal sequelae following COVID-19 (CGH) 37:58
Remdesivir fact sheet for providers (Veklury)
Bebtelovimab fact sheet for providers (FDA)
Evaluation of an automated text message–based program (JAMA) 40:23
Melatonin assessed for effects on inflammatory markers in COVID patients (Heliyon) 41:14
PAXLOVID patient eligibility screening checklist (FDA)
Contribute to our MicrobeTV fundraiser at PWB 43:38
Dr. Griffin’s treatment guide (pdf)
Letters read on TWiV 951 44:39
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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

TWiV 950: Prion diseases with Richard Knight

October 29, 2022

From the European Society for Clinical Virology 2022 Conference in Manchester UK, Vincent speaks with Richard Knight about prion diseases and the outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalitis that led to cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans.

Host: Vincent Racaniello

Guest: Richard Knight

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Download TWiV 950 (68 MB .mp3, 114 min)
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Links for this episode

National CJD Research and Surveillance Unit
Clinical diagnosis of human prion disease (Prog Mol Biol Trans Sci)
Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (Handbook Clin Viral)
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (Adv Exp Med Biol)
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 949: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

October 29, 2022

In his weekly clinical update Dr. Griffin discusses progress toward poliomyelitis eradication in Pakistan, polio by the numbers , influenza and COVID-19 vaccination coverage among health care personnel, phase 1/2a safety and immunogenicity of an adenovirus 26 vector RSV vaccine encoding prefusion F in adults 18–50 years and RSV seropositive children 12–24 months, receipt of first and second doses of JYNNEOS vaccine for prevention of Monkeypox, distinguishing SARS-CoV-2 persistence and reinfection, Novavax NVX-COV2373 triggers potent neutralization of Omicron sub-lineages, association between regular physical activity and the protective effect of vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in a South African case, COVID-19 outcomes in solid organ transplant recipients who received Tixagevimab-cilgavimab Prophylaxis and/or Bebtelovimab treatment, Omicron sublineage BA.2.75.2 exhibits extensive escape from neutralizing antibodies, and Tocilizumab versus Baricitinib in hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19.

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Download TWiV 949 (27 MB .mp3, 45 min)
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Links for this episode

Progress toward Poliomyelitis eradication (CDC) 4:26
Polio by the numbers (JID) 5:51
Influenza & COVID-19 vaccination coverage among health care personnel (CDC) 8:05
Phase 1/2a Safety & Immunogenicity of an adenovirus RSV Vaccine (JID) 9:54
Receipt of first & second doses of JYNNEOS vaccine (CDC) 13:40
Distinguishing SARS-CoV-2 persistence and reinfection (CID) 14:39
Remdesivir fact sheet for providers (Veklury)
Bebtelovimab fact sheet for providers (FDA)
Novavax triggers potent neutralization of Omicron sub-lineages (bioRxiV) 23:13
Association between physical activity & vaccination protective effect (BMJ) 24:50
PAXLOVID patient eligibility screening checklist (FDA)
COVID-19 outcomes in solid organ transplant recipients who received monoclonal antibodies (Transplantation) 27:49
Omicron BA.2.75.2 exhibits escape from neutralizing antibodies (bioRxiV) 29:19
Tocilizumab vs. Baricitinib in hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19 (CMI) 36:06
Dr. Griffin’s treatment guide (pdf)
Contribute to Floating Doctors fundraiser at PWB 37:40
Letters read on TWiV 949 38:00
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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

TWiV 948: Breathless with David Quammen

October 23, 2022

David Quammen returns to TWiV to discuss how he wrote his new book ‘Breathless’, a story about the science and the scientists behind the race to understand the pandemic coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, Kathy Spindler, and Brianne Barker

Guest: David Quammen

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Download TWiV 948 (68 MB .mp3, 114 min)
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Links for this episode

Boston Quammens (TWiV 408)
Breathless by David Quammen 2:37, 19:37
Spillover by David Quammen
Song of the Dodo by David Quammen
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks 1:34:15

David – Shepherd
Brianne – Adventure Aquarium
Kathy – DART results (Narrative, images)
Rich – “Elementary” TV series
Vincent – Stop passing the buck on intro science

Listener Pick

Rich – Consensus

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 947: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

October 22, 2022

In his weekly clinical update Dr. Griffin discusses the prediction of upcoming global infection burden of influenza seasons after relaxation of public health and social measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, severe COVID-19 outcomes after full vaccination of primary schedule and initial boosters, and how successful immunomodulators for treatment of COVID-19 have opened the pathway for comparative trials.

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Download TWiV 947 (20 MB .mp3, 34 min)
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Links for this episode

Support MicrobeTV with a Spike t-shirt at Vaccinated.US 00:59
Prediction of upcoming global infection burden of Influenza (The LANCET) 2:26
Severe COVID-19 outcomes after full vaccination (The LANCET) 13:46
Successful immunomodulators for treatment of COVID-19 (CMI) 24:39
Remdesivir fact sheet for providers (Veklury)
Bebtelovimab fact sheet for providers (FDA)
PAXLOVID patient eligibility screening checklist (FDA)
Dr. Griffin’s treatment guide (pdf)
Contribute to Floating Doctors fundraiser at PWB 25:50
Letters read on TWiV 947 27:14
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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

TWiV 946: Poo versus flu

October 16, 2022

Angela Mingarelli joins TWiV to discuss whether the gut microbiota of bats confers tolerance to influenza virus infection in mice, and primate hemorrhagic fever-causing arteriviruses that can reproduce in human cells and might be capable of infecting humans.

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

Guest: Angela Mingarelli

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Download TWiV 946 (68 MB .mp3, 114 min)
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Links for this episode

Research assistant position at FDA (pdf)
Support MicrobeTV with a Spike t-shirt (Vaccinated.us)
Bat gut microbiota and flu infection in mice (Transbound Emerg Dis) 23:56
Primate hemorrhagic fever-causing arteriviruses (Cell) 52:15
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks 1:23:20

Dickson – Jazz pics: #5. Small group. Art Blakey and the Jazz Messenger: Art Blakey, Drums; Lee Morgan, Trumpet; Benny Golson, Tenor saxophone; Bobby Timmons, Piano; Jymie Merrit, Bass (1958-1964). Signature album: Art Blakey And The Jazz Messengers: Blues March: Signature song: Blues March
Brianne – Why Chimps and Gorillas Form Rainforest Friendships
Rich – Fly Water – FPV to New Depths
Alan – The Seven Words You Can’t Say on Television, by George Carlin, and its repercussions
Angela – Nature’s Inspiring Women in Science Award
Vincent – Mysteries of Nevada Barr and her protagonist Anna Pigeon

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 945: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

October 15, 2022

In his weekly clinical update Dr. Griffin discusses a healthcare-associated infection with Monkeypox virus, air and surface sampling for monkeypox virus in a UK hospital, misrepresentation and nonadherence regarding COVID19 public health measures, tolerability and immunogenicity of an intranasally-administered adenovirus-vectored COVID-19 vaccine, clinical, virologic, and immunologic evaluation of symptomatic rebound following Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir treatment, early outpatient treatment with Eemdesivir in patients at high risk for severe COVID-19, Molnupiravir plus usual care versus usual care alone as early treatment for adults with COVID-19 at increased risk of adverse outcomes, and outcomes among confirmed cases and a matched comparison group in the long-COVID in Scotland.

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Download TWiV 945 (27 MB .mp3, 44 min)
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Links for this episode

Research assistant position with Amy Rosenfeld (pdf) 00:35
Support MicrobeTV with a Spike t-shirt at Vaccinated.US 1:24
A healthcare-associated infection with monkeypox virus (OFID) 3:30
Air and surface sampling for monkeypox virus (The Lancet) 6:17
Misrepresentation & nonadherence in COVID-19 public health measures (JAMA) 13:35
Tolerability and immunogenicity of a COVID-19 vaccine (The Lancet) 16:47
PAXLOVID patient eligibility screening checklist (FDA)
Evaluation of symptomatic disease rebound following PAXLOVID (CID) 21:40
Outpatient treatment with Remdesivir in patients at high risk (OFID) 29:50
Remdesivir fact sheet for providers (Veklury)
Bebtelovimab fact sheet for providers (FDA)
Molnupiravir as early treatment for adults with COVID-19 (SSRN) 31:37
Outcomes among confirmed cases and matched comparison group in long-COVID (Nature) 34:04
Dr. Griffin’s treatment guide (pdf)
Contribute to Floating Doctors fundraiser at PWB 36:44
Letters read on TWiV 945 37:01
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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

TWiV 944: Hacking through Borneo with Kathryn Hanley

October 9, 2022

Kathryn Hanley joins TWiV to discuss her career and the research in her laboratory on the molecular biology, evolution and ecology of emerging RNA viruses and their insect vectors.