This Week in Virology

TWiV 942: Omicron boosters with Paul Offit

October 2, 2022

Paul Offit returns to TWiV for a discussion of SARS-CoV-2 bivalent boosters containing ancestral and Omicron spike mRNAs, including their composition, why they are being recommended by CDC, and who would benefit the most from them.

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

Guest: Paul Offit

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Download TWiV 942 (68 MB .mp3, 114 min)
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Research assistant position at FDA (pdf) 3:26
Support MicrobeTV with a Spike t-shirt (Vaccinated.us) 4:38
CDC oversells bivalent booster (Wall St Journal) 8:48
FDA authorizes bivalent COVID-19 booster 12:53
Letters read on TWiV 942 1:09:05
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks 1:32:47

Dickson – Jazz favorites: Small group #4: Gerry Mulligan Quartet with Chet Baker: Gerry Mulligan, Baritone saxophone; Carson Smith, Bass; Larry Bunker, Drums, Chet Baker, Trumpet. Signature album: The Best Of The Gerry Mulligan Quartet With Chet Baker: Signature song: My Funny Valentine.

Second pick: Wonder: Childhood and the Lifelong love of Science. Frank C. Keil.

Brianne – A Devious Cellular Trick Cancers Can Use to Escape Your Immune System
Kathy – Durable antimicrobial coating
Rich – One Health
Vincent – The works of Dashiell Hammett

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 941: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

October 1, 2022

In his weekly clinical update Dr. Griffin discusses increased acute respiratory illnesses among children and adolescents, estimates of monkeypox incubation period, generation time, and reproduction number, rapid increase in suspected SARS-CoV-2 reinfections, interim infection prevention and control recommendations for healthcare personnel during COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 secondary attack rates in vaccinated and unvaccinated household contacts during replacement of delta with omicron variant, breakthrough infection by SARS-CoV-2 delta and omicron variants elicited immune response comparable to mRNA booster vaccination, interval between prior SARS-CoV-2 infection and booster vaccination impacts magnitude and quality of antibody and B cell responses, further humoral immunity evasion of emerging SARS-CoV-2 BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, short-course early outpatient Remdesivir prevents severe disease due to COVID-19 in organ transplant recipients during the Omicron BA.2 wave, effectiveness of Molnupiravir in high risk patients, and primary care and a distinct symptom pattern for long COVID.

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Research assistant position with Amy Rosenfeld (pdf) 00:42
Support MicrobeTV with a Spike t-shirt at Vaccinated.US 1:35
Increase in Acute Respiratory illnesses among children and adolescents (CDC) 3:13
Estimates of Monkeypox incubation period, generation time, reproduction number (CDC) 8:23
Rapid increase in suspected SARS-CoV-2 reinfections (CDC) 15:04
Infection prevention and control recommendations for healthcare providers (CDC) 17:39
SARS-CoV-2 attack rate in vaccinated and unvaccinated household contacts (CDC) 19:15
Breakthrough Infection by variants elicited immune response comparable to vaccine (JID) 22:26
Interval between prior SARS-CoV-2 infection and booster vaccination impacts (CELL) 24:51
Humoral immunity evasion of BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants (The Lancet) 27:13
Outpatient Remdesivir prevents severe disease in organ transplant recipients (Am J Transplant) 30:10
PAXLOVID patient eligibility screening checklist (FDA)
Remdesivir fact sheet for providers (Veklury)
Bebtelovimab fact sheet for providers (FDA)
Effectiveness of Molnupiravir in high risk patients (CID) 32:52
Update on Long COVID for primary care (BMJ) 36:08
Distinct symptom pattern emerges for COVID-19 long-haul (Scientific Reports) 41:10
Dr. Griffin’s treatment guide (pdf)
Contribute to Floating Doctors fundraiser at PWB 42:00
Letters read on TWiV 941 42:34
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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

TWiV 940: Eddie Holmes in on viral origins

September 28, 2022

Eddie Holmes joins TWiV to discuss his role in the first release of the SARS-CoV-2 genome sequence, what really happened during the infamous Fauci teleconference, and evidence that the virus came from Nature and not from a lab.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

Guest: Eddie Holmes

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Download TWiV 940 (73 MB .mp3, 121 min)
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Links for this episode

Research assistant position at FDA (pdf) 3:20
Support MicrobeTV with a Spike t-shirt (Vaccinated.us) 4:28
Novel 2019 coronavirus genome (Virological) 23:41
Proximal origins of SARS-CoV-2 (Virological and Nature versions) 35:15
Original paper on new CoV in China that led to genome sequence release (Nature) 30:09
Reporting on Fauci teleconference (USA Today) 28:46
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 939: From lizards to Lassa with Tom Monath

September 25, 2022

Tom Monath joins TWiV to discuss his wide-ranging career that includes medicine, field work and vaccine development while working for the US government, the US military, and multiple biotechnology companies.

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

Guest: Tom Monath

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Research assistant position at FDA (pdf) 3:39
Support MicrobeTV with a Spike t-shirt (Vaccinated.us) 3:56
Fever by John Fuller (Amazon) 25:37
Crozet BioPharma
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks 1:37:58

Dickson – Jazz – Small Group #3: Dave Brubeck Quartet. Dave Brubeck, Piano; Joe Morello, Drums, Paul Desmond, Alto Saxophone, Eugene Wright, Bass: Signature Album: Time Out. Signature Song: Take Five.
Rich – Wilderness Safaris (wiki)
Alan – Madhouse at the End of the Earth, by Julian Sancton
Vincent – Raymond Chandler and his protagonist Philip Marlowe.

Listener Picks

Philip – Students bitten by bats inside college residence hall

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 938: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

September 24, 2022

In his weekly clinical update Dr. Griffin reviews the public health response to poliovirus in New York, impact of mandatory influenza vaccination, monkeypox in a young infant, health care worker exposure to monkeypox virus, monkeypox testing delays, transmission potential of monkeypox virus, TPOXX trial for monkeypox, detection of SARS-CoV-2 subgenomic mRNA, mucosal IgA against SARS-CoV-2, BNT262b2 against Omicron, awareness and use of SARS-CoV-2 antivirals, comparable outcomes for Bebtelovimab and Nirmatrelvir, and COVID-19 and Alzheimer’s disease.

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Links for this episode

Support MicrobeTV with a Spike t-shirt at Vaccinated.US 00:50
Research assistant position with Amy Rosenfeld (pdf)
Public health response to polio in New York (MMWR) 3:33
Impact of mandatory influenza vaccination (Cambridge Core) 11:54
Monkeypox in young infant (MMWR) 15:07
Health care worker exposure to monkeypox virus (MMWR) 18:28
Monkeypox testing delays (Cambridge Core) 20:57
Monkeypox in smallpox vaccinated patient (Emerg Inf Dis) 22:40
Transmission potential of monkeypox virus (Int J Epidemiol) 25:07
TPOXX trial for monkeypox (ACTG) 25:45
SARS-CoV-2 subgenomic mRNA detection (J Inf Dis) 29:09
Quantitative SARS-CoV-2 subgenomic mRNA for Remdesivir treatment (Clin Inf Dis) 32:41
Anti-spike mucosal IgA (NEJM) 34:21
BNT262b2 against Omicron sublineages (NEJM) 35:23
Awareness and use of SARS-CoV-2 antivirals (Clin Inf Dis) 37:11
Comparable outcomes for Bebtelovimab and Nirmatrelvir treatment (J Inf Dis) 38:37
COVID-19 and Alzheimer’s disease (J Alzheimer’s Dis) 41:05
Dr. Griffin’s treatment guide (pdf)
Contribute to Floating Doctors fundraiser at PWB 43:14
Letters read on TWiV 938 43:42
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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

TWiV 937: Pediatric hepatitis with Emma Thomson

September 18, 2022

From the European Society for Clinical Virology 2022 Conference in Manchester UK, Vincent speaks with Emma Thomson about the recent outbreak of pediatric hepatitis of unknown etiology and the finding that it is linked to infection by adenovirus-associated virus 2.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello

Guest: Emma Thomson

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Links for this episode

Thomson laboratory 00:42
Emma on TWiV 188 and TWiV 341 00:52
AAV2-associated pediatric hepatitis (bioRxiv) 3:18
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 936: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

September 17, 2022

In his weekly clinical update Dr. Griffin discusses detection of a highly divergent type 3 vaccine-derived poliovirus in a child with a severe primary immunodeficiency disorder, severe respiratory illnesses associated with rhinoviruses and/or enteroviruses including EV-D68, effects of vaccination and previous infection on Omicron infections in children, COVID-19-associated hospitalizations among vaccinated and unvaccinated adults 18 years or older in 13 US states, effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines over time prior to Omicron emergence in Ontario, Canada, nasal IgA wanes 9 months after hospitalization with COVID-19 and is not induced by subsequent vaccination, resistance of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariant BA.4.6 to antibody neutralization, persistent circulating SARS-CoV-2 spike associated with post-acute COVID-19 sequelae, and impact of COVID-19 vaccination on the risk of developing long-covid and on existing long-covid symptoms.

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Links for this episode

Detection of poliovirus in immunosuppressed child (CDC) 3:38
Severe respiratory illnesses associated with rhinoviruses and/or enteroviruses (CDC) 14:53
Effects of vaccination and previous Omicron infection in children (NEJM) 24:04
COVID-19 hospitalizations among vaccinated and unvaccinated adults (JAMA) 29:28
Effectiveness of vaccines prior to Omicron (IDSA) 30:32
Nasal iga wanes 9 months after COVID hospitalization (medRxiv) 32:00
Resistance of Omicron subvariant to antibody neutralization (BioRxiv) 35:30
PAXLOVID patient eligibility screening checklist (FDA)
Remdesivir fact sheet for providers (Veklury)
Bebtelovimab fact sheet for providers (FDA)
SARS-CoV-2 spike is associated with post-acute sequelae (IDSA) 38:57
Impact of vaccination on the risk of developing long-COVID (The Lancet) 40:35
Contribute to Floating Doctors fundraiser at PWB 42:33
Dr. Griffin’s treatment guide (pdf)
Letters read on TWiV 936 43:05
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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

TWiV 935: Mobile DNA with Cedric Feschotte

September 11, 2022

Vincent travels to Cornell University to speak with Cedric about his career and his research on mobile genetic elements such as transposons and endogenous viruses and how they have shaped the evolution of nearly all organisms.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello

Guest: Cedric Feschotte

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Download TWiV 935 (50 MB .mp3, 83 min)
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Links for this episode

Feschotte laboratory 00:38
Field guide to transposable elements (Ann Rev Genetics)
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 934: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

September 10, 2022

In his weekly clinical update Dr. Griffin discusses variant influenza virus infections: recommendations for identification, treatment, and prevention for summer and fall 2022, low levels of monkeypox virus neutralizing antibodies after MVA-BN vaccination in healthy individuals, using the right tools at the right time for SARS-COV-2 infection, onset and window of SARS-COV-2 infectiousness and temporal correlation with symptom onset, transmission of SARS-COV-2: a review of viral, host, and environmental factors, antibody persistence and safety through 6 months after heterologous orally aerosolized Ad5-nCoV in individuals primed with two-dose vaccine, timely administration of tocilizumab improves outcome of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, administration of anti–SARS-COV-2 monoclonal antibodies after US Food and Drug Administration deauthorization, and clinical and genetic risk factors for acute incident venous thromboembolism in ambulatory patients with COVID-19.

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Download TWiV 934 (32 MB .mp3, 52 min)
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Links for this episode

2022 recommendations for Influenza infections (CDC) 2:14
Low levels of monkeypox neutralizing antibodies after vaccination (medRxiv) 9:58
Using the right tools during SARS-CoV-2 infection (ESMED) 12:20
Onset and window of SARS-CoV-2 infectiousness with symptom onset (The LANCET) 14:08
Transmission of SARS-COV-2 (ACP Journals) 18:33
PAXLOVID patient eligibility screening checklist (FDA)
Remdesivir fact sheet for providers (Veklury)
Bebtelovimab fact sheet for providers (FDA)
Administration of anti–SARS-COV-2 monoclonal antibodies (JAMA) 30:03
Clinical and genetic risk factors for thromboembolism (JAMA) 33:05
Administration of tocilizumab improves outcomes (PLOS One) 37:55
Antibody persistence and safety through 6 months (medRxiv)
Improve risk score for thromboembolism (mdCalc)
Contribute to Floating Doctors fundraiser at PWB 43:31
Dr. Griffin’s treatment guide (pdf)
Letters read on TWiV 934 44:47
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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

TWiV 933: Island-hopping bats

September 4, 2022

TWiV discusses a new henipavirus from fruit bats in Madagascar, and attenuation of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron disease in mice caused by genome mutations outside of the spike protein coding region.