This Week in Virology

TWiV 793: COVID-19 clinical update #75 with Dr. Daniel Griffin

August 14, 2021

In COVID-19 clinical update #75, Daniel Griffin reviews vaccine effectiveness against transmission, modeling effectiveness of daily antigen tests, updated CDC guidance for fully vaccinated, risk of infection with time after mRNA vaccination, reduced risk of infection after vaccination, therapeutic anticoagulants in critically ill patients, and 6 month outcomes in hospitalized patients.

Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello

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Vaccine effectiveness against transmission (Euro Surveill) 10:09
Effectiveness of daily antigen tests (medRxiv) 14:22
Interim guidance for fully vaccinated people (CDC) 17:45
Elapsed time since BNT162b2 vaccine and reinfection (medRxiv) 20:29
Reduced risk of infection after vaccination (MMWR) 24:23
Therapeutic anticoagulants in critically ill patients (NEJM) 27:42
6 month outcomes in hospitalized patients (J Gen Int Med) 32:10
Letters read on TWiV 793 33:59
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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

TWiV 792: Transmission with Jeffrey Shaman

August 12, 2021

Jeffrey Shaman returns to TWiV to explain how epidemiologists measure SARS-CoV-2 movement among humans, including calculation of the reproductive index, secondary transmission, and what factors affect transmission.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Kathy Spindler, and Brianne Barker

Guest: Jeffrey Shaman

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A guide to R (Nature) 1:07:42
Epidemiology of three SARS-CoV-2 VOC (medRxiv)
Impact of delta variant in India (medRxiv)
Letters read on TWiV 792 1:09:18
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks 1:30:37

Brianne – The Social Lives of Giraffes
Kathy – Saturn’s Iapetus, moon in 3-D
Vincent – Arkansas Governor Wants To Reverse A Law That Forbids Schools To Require Masks

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 791: A mad virologists’ T party

August 8, 2021

TWiV reviews SARS-CoV-2 infection of wild white-tailed deer in the US, mRNA vaccine-mediated protection by spike-specific T cells before detection of neutralizing antibodies, and recovery from SARS-CoV-2 infection in T-cell depleted rhesus macaques.

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

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Download TWiV 791 (73 MB .mp3, 122 min)
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Links for this episode

SARS-CoV-2 in wild deer (bioRxiv) 12:05
Rapid T cell induction by mRNA vaccine (Nature) 26:28
T cell depleted macaques recover from SARS-CoV-2 infection (mBio) 48:11
Letters read on TWiV 791 1:17:03
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks 1:45:19

Dickson – Virgin Hyperloop shows off the future
Brianne – BioNumbers
Rich – Advice will evolve as COVID situation changes
Alan – Mars Perseverance-themed geocaching swag
Vincent – Mattel’s Barbie Turns Women Of Science, Including COVID Vaccine Developer, Into Dolls

Listener Picks

Nancy – Vaccines at a Party
Jeff – How to Survive a Plague, Part 2

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 790: COVID-19 clinical update #74 with Dr. Daniel Griffin

August 7, 2021

In COVID-19 clinical update #74, Daniel Griffin covers infections in vaccinated individuals, expansion of Regeneron monoclonal antibody cocktail for prophylaxis, neutralization of variants by antibodies produced by infection or vaccination, longer hospital stays associated with remdesivir treatment, and post-acute sequelae of infection and impact on quality of life 1-6 months after illness.

Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello

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Links for this episode

Outbreak in Barnstable County, MA (MMWR) 13:34
Kinetics of delta variant infections (medRxiv) 22:33
Prophlaxis with Regeneron mAbs (Regeneron) 27:00
Subcutaneous mAbs to prevent COVID-19 (NEJM) 28:30
Variant neutralization by infection or vaccine antibodies (Clin Inf Dis) 32:02
Remdesivir associated with longer hospital stays (JAMA) 33:56
Post-acute sequelae (Op For Inf Dis) 35:38
Letters read on TWiV 790 39:12
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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

TWiV 789: Does delta mean a change?

August 5, 2021

TWiV reviews a leaked CDC document on virulence and spread of the delta variant, and how anti-alphavirus antibodies that do not neutralize infection can nevertheless protect mice from disease.

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

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Links for this episode

NYC first to require vaccination proof (Reuters) 7:32
Leaked internal CDC document (WaPo) 9:42
Manuscripts on increased virulence (one, two, three) 46:28
Disease protection by non-neutralizing antibodies (Cell) 1:08:40
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks 1:32:56

Brianne – Nobel Prize Games
Kathy – Snail sensors
Rich – In Shock: My Journey from Death to Recovery and the Redemptive Power of Hope by Rana Awdish
Vincent – The Provincetown Covid data is actually good news (if you are vaccinated) and I Was the Architect of Operation Warp Speed. I Have a Message for All Americans.

Listener Pick

Jake – NASA spinoff
Peter – Bernard, the Extraordinary Moth

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 788: neuroCOVID with Kiran Thakur, MD

July 31, 2021

Kiran joins TWiV to discuss the findings of a team at Columbia University Medical Center on COVID-19 neuropathology, and the conclusion that SARS-CoV-2 does not reproduce in the central nervous system.

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

Guest: Kiran Thakur

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Download TWiV 788 (73 MB .mp3, 122 min)
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Links for this episode

COVID-19 neuropathology (Brain) 9:46
Infections in vaccinated people (MMWR) 1:06:27
Infections in vaccinated people (NEJM) 1:07:44
Letters read on TWiV 788 1:21:16
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks 1:41:23

Dickson – Simone Biles and Suni Lee
Brianne – How Speed and Distance Dictate the Way Olympians Run
Rich – CDC reversal on indoor masking prompts experts to ask, ‘Where’s the data?’
Vincent – Paul and the Mosquitos

Listener Pick

Lin – Your Vaccinated Immune System is Ready For Breakthroughs

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 787: COVID-19 clinical update #73 with Dr. Daniel Griffin

July 31, 2021

In COVID-19 clinical update #73, Daniel Griffin reviews updated mask guidance from CDC, infections in public school district employees, effectiveness of vaccines against delta variant, antibody response after third vaccine dose in kidney transplant recipients, protection afforded by mRNA vaccines fully vaccinated people with and without prior infections, correlates of protection in nonhuman primates, lack of effectiveness of doxycycline, neurological manifestations of COVID-19, and infection in vaccinated health care workers.

Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello

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Download TWiV 787 (28 MB .mp3, 46 min)
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Links for this episode

Updated mask guidance (CDC) 3:37
Infections in public school district employees (MMWR) 8:59
10% of positive kids need hospitalization (Houston Chronicle) 13:05
Effectiveness of vaccines vs delta variant (NEJM) 17:48
Antibody response after third vaccine dose (JAMA) 20:10
Severe COVID-19 in kidney transplant patients (Kidney Intl) 21:06
mRNA vaccine protection with or without prior infection (medRxiv) 22:37
Doxycycline ineffective (Lancet) 27:33
Neurological manifestations (Lancet) 30:09
Infections in vaccinated health care workers (NEJM) 32:24
Letters read on TWiV 787 38:15
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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

TWiV 786: You make mucus and you move it

July 29, 2021

TWiVsters review off-season epidemics of respiratory syncytial virus in Australia after easing of COVID-19 restrictions, and impaired innate immune responses in upper respiratory tract cells from patients with severe COVID-19.

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

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Download TWiV 786 (62 MB .mp3, 104 min)
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Links for this episode

Off-season RSV in Australia (medRxiv) 4:08
Impaired innate immunity in severe COVID-19 (Cell) 23:48
Letters read on TWiV 786 1:05:51
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Weekly Picks 1:28:59

Brianne – The Science of Swimming
Kathy – Talking to the vaccine hesitant and covidactnow.org
Rich – The Disinformation Dozen | Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH on wiki)
Vincent – Russia discards Pirs docking port to clear way for new space station module (IG post)

Listener Pick

April – Pemberton Aviation (Facebook, YouTube)

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

TWiV 785: COVID-19 Q&A with Dr. Daniel Griffin

July 28, 2021

In this special episode, Daniel Griffin answers listener questions on COVID-19 vaccines, vaccine misinformation, long COVID, masking and distancing, school safety, and much more.

Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello

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Download TWiV 785 (28 MB .mp3, 44 min)
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Links for this episode

Letters read on TWiV 785 1:18
Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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

TWiV 784: Virtually live from ASV

July 25, 2021

Moriah and Joseph join the nearly complete TWiV team to discuss their work on genetic variation and adaptability in herpes simplex virus, and how rotavirus infection disrupts intracellular calcium homeostasis. Live streamed during the 2021 annual meeting of the American Society for Virology.