This Week in Virology

TWiV 835: Giving thanks for antibodies

November 28, 2021

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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COVID-19 vaccines for children (Science) 7:51
Risk of infection with variants (medRxiv) 23:29
Immune correlates of mRNA-1273 (Science) 43:08
Letters read on TWiV 835 1:27:51
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

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

November 27, 2021

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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Links for this episode

Expanded eligibility for booster doses (FDA) 3:06
More rapid antigen tests approved (FDA) 7:49
Immune correlates for mRNA-1273 (Science) 12:46
Risk for still birth with and without COVID-19 (MMWR) 15:51
PROVENT phase III prophylaxis trial (AstraZeneca) 17:04
Fluvoxamine guidelines (IDSA) 19:45
COVID-OUT trial (Univ Minnesota) 20:47
Monoclonal antibody treatment in vaccinated infected (J Inf Dis) 23:35
Steroid use in non-oxygen requiring patients (QJM)
Doxycycline trial (Lancet)
Efficacy of inhaled ciclesonide (JAMA) 27:02
Advise on use of molnupiravir (EMA) 26:05
Text messaging for monitoring disease (Ann Int Med) 29:34
Long COVID after vaccination and infection (Res Square) 30:43
Ivermectin for West Nile virus (Medpage Today) 30:49
Letters read on TWiV 834 33:31
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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

TWiV 833: Grand theft kinesin

November 25, 2021

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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Download TWiV 833 (77 MB .mp3, 128 min)
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Links for this episode

Early COVID-19 cases in Wuhan (Science) 3:53
Herpesviruses assimilate kinesin (Nature) 29:29
Letters read on TWiV 833 58:56
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

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

November 21, 2021

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 Condi t, and Amy Rosenfeld

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Download TWiV 832 (77 MB .mp3, 128 min)
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Links for this episode

Smallpox vials contain vaccinia virus (6abc.com) 3:47
European re-emergence of enterovirus D68 (Eurosurveill) 13:24
Efficacy of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (Lancet) 33:00
Cellular correlates of protection for oral flu vaccine (Cell Host Micr) 57:50
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

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]

TWiV 831: COVID-19 clinical update #89 with Dr. Daniel Griffin

November 20, 2021

In COVID-19 clinical update #89, Dr. Griffin reviews upcoming meeting on FDA emergency use authorization for molnupiravir, 25% of US cases in children, reinfection associates with presence of antibodies, national surveillance for acute flaccid myelitis in the US, and monoclonal antibody treatment of infection in vaccinated, high-risk individuals.

Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello

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Download TWiV 831 (20 MB .mp3, 33 min)
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Links for this episode

Scott Hammer on TWiV 52 1:49
Meeting for molnupiravir EUA (FDA) 6:32
SARS-CoV-2 reinfection associates with antibodies (Clinical Inf Dis) 16:39
AFM surveillance in US (CDC) 18:52
Monoclonal antibody treatment in high-risk patients (J Inf Dis) 22:42
Letters read on TWiV 831 27:54
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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

TWiV 830: A culture of resistance

November 18, 2021

TWiV explains that a recent report suggesting that the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein inhibits V(D)J recombination in vitro would not impact immunity after infection or vaccination, and describes the isolation of remdesivir resistant mutants in cells in culture, and the emergence of amino acid changes in the spike protein identical to those in variants of concern, in the absence of immune selection.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condi t, and Kathy Spindler

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Download TWiV 830 (77 MB .mp3, 128 min)
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Links for this episode

Spike protein inhibition of V(D)J recombination in vitro (Viruses) 6:30
Evolutionary predictability of SARS-CoV-2 (PLoS Path) 40:34
Letters read on TWiV 830 1:12:23, 2:04:45
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks 1:44:00

Kathy – When do we get back to normal? Maybe now.
Rich – The Covid-19 Pandemic
Alan – Yaupon Brothers American tea
Vincent – Cracking the genetic code (and Niremberg’s account)

Listener Picks

Justin – Partisan vaccination
Lisa – The Red Flag

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 829: Antiviral and cytotoxically empowered for COVID-19

November 14, 2021

A TWiV duo reviews how SARS-CoV-2 attacks the olfactory mucosa but spares the olfactory bulb, vaccination with BNT162b2 induces virus-specific stem cell memory T cells, and development of an oral protease inhibitor for the treatment of COVID-19.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Brianne Barker

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Download TWiV 829 (67 MB .mp3, 112 min)
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Links for this episode

How SARS-CoV-2 attacks olfactory mucosa (Cell) 3:00
SARS-CoV-2-specific stem cell memory T cells after mRNA vaccine (Sci Immunol) 20:21
Oral SARS-CoV-2 protease inhibitor (Science) 50:40
Paxlovid phase 2/3 trial preliminary results (Pfizer) 1:13:27
Letters read on TWiV 829 1:16:08
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks 1:29:29

Brianne – Coronavirus Neutralizing Antibodies and mRNA Vaccine Video
Vincent – MHC restriction of cytotoxic T cell lysis (Nobel description)

Listener Picks

Lisa – Shall Furnish Medicine
Bistra – Saving the World by Julia Alvarez

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 828: COVID-19 clinical update #88 with Dr. Daniel Griffin

November 13, 2021

In COVID-19 clinical update #88, Dr. Griffin covers vaccine protection among US veterans, absence of long COVID in vaccinated who are infected, single dose of REGEN-COV monoclonal antibody cocktail provides long term protection, and Pfizer protease inhibitor Paxlovid is 89% effective in preventing hospitalization or death.

Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello

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Download TWiV 828 (20 MB .mp3, 33 min)
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Links for this episode

Vaccine protection of US veterans (Science) 13:24
Long term protection by REGEN-COV (Regeneron) 17:39
Pfizer protease inhibitor Paxlovid phase 2/3 results (Pfizer) 19:43
Letters read on TWiV 828 25:05
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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

TWiV 827: A shot to save the world with Greg Zuckerman

November 7, 2021

Greg Zuckerman joins TWiV to discuss his book that explores the race to produce COVID-19 vaccines, with insights into the companies, scientists, and executives involved and the rivalries, ambitions, ego, and a desire to save the world.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Rich Condi t, and Kathy Spindler

Guest: Greg Zuckerman

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Download TWiV 827 (67 MB .mp3, 112 min)
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Links for this episode

A Shot to Save the World (Hardcover, Kindle) 1:28
Letters read on TWiV 827 1:04:30, 1:27:13, 1:41:10
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks 1:20:30

Dickson – Michael Palin
Kathy – Science News Centennial
Rich – Diverse variola virus (smallpox) strains were widespread in northern Europe in the Viking Age
Vincent – Evidence for somatic rearrangement of immunoglobulin genes (and commentary)

Listener Picks

Matt – Clinical evidence that the pandemic from 1889 to 1891 commonly called the Russian flu might have been an earlier coronavirus pandemic
Brigitte – The Obscure Virus Club
Justin – Eddie Holmes wins Prime Minister’s Prize for Science

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 826: COVID-19 clinical update #87 with Dr. Daniel Griffin

November 6, 2021

In COVID-19 clinical update #87, Dr. Griffin reviews PCR cycle threshold and RNA copy number, rapid antigen tests, hospitalization rate after infection or vaccination, allergies and vaccination, community transmission and viral RNA load, early treatment with sotrovimab, meta-analysis of tocilizumab treatment, antibiotic overuse, and guidelines on the use of anticoagulation for thromboprophylaxis.