TWiV 841: Unmasking immunity

TWiV provides an update on immunity to Omicron, results of a randomized controlled trial of face masks, and a study of correlates of protection against respiratory syncytial virus infection in the upper and lower respiratory tract of nonhuman primates.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Rich Condit, and Amy Rosenfeld

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Weekly Picks 1:22:29

Dickson – Cities at Night
Amy – I’m an E.R. Doctor in Michigan, Where Unvaccinated People Are Filling Hospital Beds
Rich – International Dark Sky Association
Vincent – SARS-CoV-2 variants

Listener Picks

Keith – Ventusky

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 840: COVID-19 clinical update #92 with Dr. Daniel Griffin

In COVID-19 clinical update #92, Dr. Griffin reviews emerging data on the Omicron variant, much information about monoclonal antibody treatment, including expansion of EUA for Lilly’s cocktail, FDA EUA for pre-exposure prophylaxis, outcomes after treatment, and investigation of subcutaneous or intramuscular administration; effect of adding immunomodulatory agents to usual care on thromboembolic events, and long COVID following infection in previously vaccinated individuals.

Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello

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Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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

TWiV 839: The long and the short of it: get vaccinated

TWiV reviews the impact of vaccination on SARS-CoV-2, the latest information on Omicron, West Nile virus transmission by organ transplantation, and why a 16 week interval between doses of BNT162b2 vaccine is better than a shorter interval.

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

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Weekly Picks 1:24:27

Kathy – CDC U-M flu report (lay version, MMWR)
Rich – Thagomizer
Alan – Descent into Darkness by Edward Raymer
Vincent – Funding: Blinding peer review

Listener Picks

Lynne – ACE2 in chewing gum

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 838: The magic virus bus

The New York City Virus Hunters join TWiV to reveal how local students engage in safe virus surveillance and conduct science research right in their neighborhoods, followed by an update on variant of concern Omicron.

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

Guests: Teresa Bautista, Isabel Francisco, Jesus Gonzales, Joel Gonzalez, Florian Krammer, and Christine Marizzi,

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Weekly Picks 1:18:48

Dickson – Plant Habitat-04
Brianne – The Coronavirus in a Tiny Drop
Rich – Prophet in Purgatory by Jon Cohen
Vincent – “ ’—All You Zombies—’ ” by Robert A. Heinlein (pdf)

Listener Picks

Mike – The Coronavirus in a Tiny Drop

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 837: COVID-19 clinical update #91 with Dr. Daniel Griffin

In COVID-19 clinical update #91, Dr. Griffin discusses final results of molnupiravir trial, Omicron variant of concern, outcomes in B-cell depleted patients, recovery in T-cell depleted macaques, peptide for induction of T cell immunity, high respiratory viral RNA loads in infants, IgA and T cells transferred to breast milk after vaccination, sensitivity and specificity of ID NOW, post-acute sequelae at 12 months, disease in low and middle income countries.

Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello

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Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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

TWiV 836: OMG, Omicron!

TWiV reveals all that we know so far about the variant of concern B.1.1.529, also called Omicron, and describes a study on the ability of the alpha, beta, and delta variants to reproduce in cells in culture and induce membrane fusion.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Kathy Spindler, and Brianne Barker

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Weekly Picks 1:37:49

Brianne – Immune
Kathy – Elizabeth Lee Hazen and Rachel Fuller Brown, discoverers of nystatin one and two
Alan – Four Lost Cities by Analee Newitz
Vincent – Deadly Choices by Paul Offit

Listener Picks

Ryan – Ronny Jackson (one and two)

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 835: Giving thanks for antibodies

TWiV reviews why children should be vaccinated against COVID-19, increased risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2 Beta, Gamma, and Delta variant compared to Alpha variant in vaccinated but not recovered individuals, and immune correlates of protection from the mRNA-1273 vaccine efficacy trial.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Brianne Barker

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Weekly Picks 1:16:21

Dickson – Pee Wee Herman aka Paul Rubens
Brianne – APOD: Pleiades
Vincent – A History of Poliomyelitis by JR Paul

Listener Picks

Richard – Let’s talk about a familiar problem and a new tactic….
Sherri – Have the New Jab

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 834: COVID-19 clinical update #90 with Dr. Daniel Griffin

In COVID-19 clinical update #90, Dr. Griffin covers FDA expansion for booster doses, 3 more at home antigen tests approved by FDA, immune correlates analysis of mRNA-1273 vaccine, risk for stillbirth, PROVENT prophylaxis trial results, fluvoxamine recommendations, advice on molnupiravir, automated text messaging service for monitoring illness, and long COVID-19 after vaccination and infection.

Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello

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Download TWiV 834 (25 MB .mp3, 41 min)
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Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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

TWiV 833: Grand theft kinesin

TWiV reviews Michael Worobey’s dissection of the early COVID-19 cases in Wuhan, and the discovery that herpesviruses assimilate cellular kinesin to produce motorized virus particles.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Kathy Spindler

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Weekly Picks 1:21:41

Kathy – Power of poop
Alan – Under the Sky We Make, by Kimberly Nicholas
Vincent – Enzymatic amplification of beta-globing sequences

Listener Picks

Paula – Reasons to be Cheerful and The Night Witches by Bruce Myles
Grant – George Carlin – Germs, Immune System

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 832: Heavy metal flu fighters

TWiV reviews the vials labeled smallpox that were not, re-emergence of enterovirus D68 in Europe, efficacy of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, and cellular correlates of protection for an oral influenza virus vaccine.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Rich Condit, and Amy Rosenfeld

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Weekly Picks 1:30:40

Dickson – Rodney Dangerfield
Amy – Calder at MoMA
Rich – ‘Useless Specks of Dust’ Turn Out to Be Building Blocks of All Vertebrate Genomes
Vincent – Structure of small viruses

Listener Picks

Charles – It is raining you lied to me
Dave – A Whole New Ball Game

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments 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.


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