This Week in Virology

TWiV 312: She sells B cells

November 23, 2014

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

The TWiVbolans discuss the finding that human noroviruses, major causes of gastroenteritis, can for the first time be propagated in B cell cultures, with the help of enteric bacteria.

Click arrow to play
Download TWiV 312 (67 MB .mp3, 93 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunes, RSS, email

This episode of TWiV is brought to you by the Department of Microbiology at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Links for this episode

Ebola virus appropriations (White House)
ASM Ebola FAQ
Quarantine due to Ebola virus in semen (NPR)
Enteric bacteria promote norovirus infection of B cells (Science)
Norovirus emerges (Zimmer)
Stephanie Karst on TWiV 134
Image credit
Letters read on TWiV 312

Weekly Science Picks

Alan – How Ebola airlifts work
Kathy – Fred Murphy’s Foundations of Virology
Rich – Pendulum wave
Dickson – Young Dipterists
Vincent – Microbes After Hours: Ebola and TWiV iPhone 6 case

Listener Pick of the Week

Alane – Health Map
Todd – Formaldehyde in vaccines

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to [email protected]

TWiV 311: Bulldogs go viral

November 16, 2014

Host: Vincent Racaniello

Guests: Zhen Fu and Biao He

Vincent visits the University of Georgia where he speaks with Zhen Fu and Biao He about their work on rabies virus and paramyxoviruses.

Click arrow to play
Download TWiV 311 (55 MB .mp3, 76 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunes, RSS, email

Links for this episode

Blood-brain permeability and rabies survival (Antiviral Res)
Rabies induces blood-brain permeability (J Virol)
Virus neutralizing antibodies in CNS of non-lethal rabies (PLoS Neg Trop Dis)
RSV vaccine based on PIV5 (Vaccine)
New mumps vaccine (J Virol)
PIV5-based influenza virus vaccine (J Virol)
Video of this episode – view above or at YouTube

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to [email protected]

TWiV 310: From bacteriophage to retroviruses with Ann Skalka

November 9, 2014

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Glenn Rall

Guest: Ann Skalka

Vincent and Glenn meet up with Ann and talk about her long and productive career in virology, from biochemistry to bacteriophage lambda to retroviruses.

Click arrow to play
Download TWiV 310 (43 MB .mp3, 59 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunes, RSS, email

Links for this episode

Skalka laboratory
Asilomar Conference on recombinant DNA
Unexpected inheritance (PLoS Path)
Viral sequences in vertebrate genomes (J Virol)
Assembly of integrase multimers (J Biol Chem)
Cell cycle and retrovirus integration (J Cell Bioch)
Video of this episode – view above or at YouTube

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to [email protected]

TWiV 310

TWiV 309: Ebola email

November 2, 2014

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

The TWiVocytes answer questions about Ebola virus, including mode of transmission, quarantine, incubation period, immunity, and much more.

Click arrow to play
Download TWiV 309 (86 MB .mp3, 119 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunes, RSS, email

This episode of TWiV is brought to you by the Department of Microbiology at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Links for this episode

Guidelines for monitoring potentially infected persons (CDC)
ASTMH meeting rejects attendees from Ebola countries (ScienceInsider)
Defense Threat Reduction Agency call for Ebola virus proposals
NSF calls for Ebola virus proposals
Review of Ebola virus human-human transmission (CDC)
How Firestone controlled Ebola virus (MMWR)
Could Reston virus be a vaccine for Ebola virus? (virology blog)
Letters read on TWiV 309

Weekly Science Picks

Alan – CDC Influenza activity weekly maps
Kathy – Going Deep with David Rees
Rich – Virology Special Issue: Giant Viruses
Dickson – Nikon Small World Winners
Vincent – TWiM #90 and Republicans are not scientists

Listener Pick of the Week

Paul – Tricks and Tools of Great Scientists
Yegor – Hardcore History
Amanda – Vaccine ingredients; Anti-vaxers damage; Minds of anti-vaxers

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to [email protected]

TWiV 308: The Running Mad Professor

October 26, 2014

Host: Vincent Racaniello

Guest: Tom Solomon

Tom talks with Vincent about viral central nervous system infections of global importance, Ebola virus, and running the fastest marathon dressed as a doctor.

Click arrow to play
Download TWiV 308 (60 MB .mp3, 83 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunes, RSS, email

Links for this episode

World’s biggest brain
Tom’s YouTube channel
Tom’s Twitter account (@RunningMadProf)
Running Mad Professor (Facebook)
Sex, drugs, and emerging viruses (TedX)
The Running Mad Professor
Institute of Infection and Global Health
Health Protection Research Unit
Viral CNS infections in children in Malawi (Lanc Glob Health)
Management of adult encephalitis (Infect)
Image credit: ClickLiverpool
Video of this episode – view above or at YouTube

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to [email protected]

Tom Solomon

TWiV 307: Ebola aetiology

October 19, 2014

Whoops! Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Kathy Spindler

Guest: Tara C. Smith

Tara Smith joins the TWiEBOVsters to discuss the Ebola virus outbreak in west Africa, spread of the disease to and within the US, transmission of the virus, and much more.

Click arrow to play
Download TWiV 307 (70 MB .mp3, 97 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunes, RSS, email

This episode of TWiV is brought to you by the Department of Microbiology at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Weekly Science Picks

Alan – Fall foliage map
Kathy – Interviews with Peter Piot (one, two) and autobiography
Vincent – The Ebola connection

Listener Pick of the Week

Brooke – N.B. Designs on Etsy
Victor – SMBC

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to [email protected]

TWiV 306: This Week in Ebolavirus

October 12, 2014

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Kathy Spindler

The Grand Masters of the TWiV discuss Ebola virus transmission, air travel from West Africa, Ebola virus infectivity on surfaces, the Dallas Ebola virus patient, and Ebola virus in dogs.

Click arrow to play
Download TWiV 306 (78 MB .mp3, 108 min)
Subscribe (free): iTunes, RSS, email

This episode of TWiV is brought to you by the Department of Microbiology at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Composed of over 20 virology labs, all centralized in one building in the heart of New York City, this department is a perfect fit for anyone with an interest in pursuing virus research. The Department is presently looking to recruit any prospective graduate students to apply to our program by the December 1st deadline. Interested postdocs are also encouraged to contact faculty of interest. For more information about the Department, please visit www.mssm.edu/MIC.

Links for this episode

Science communications fellow at ASM
CDC Ebola virus fact sheet (pdf)
CDC Ebola virus infographic (pdf)
No Reston virus replication in arthropods (Am J Trop Med Hyg)
Inoculation of plants and animals with Ebola virus (Emerg Inf Dis)
Arthropod studies during Ebola virus outbreak (J Inf Dis)
Medbox: Ebola toolbox
Facts about bushmeat and Ebola (pdf, CDC)
Should US ban incoming flights from West Africa?
Survey: should flights from Ebola countries be banned? (NBC News)
Ebolavirus content at virology blog and TWiV
Volunteer to help with the Ebola virus crisis
Ebola and Anthropology webinar
Asymptomatic Ebola virus infection (Lancet)
Persistence of Ebola virus during 1995 outbreak (J Inf Dis)
Assessment of Ebola virus transmission risk (J Inf Dis)
Ebola virus transmission risk factors (Emerg Inf Dis)
UV inactivation of Ebola virus (J Virol)
Ebola virus persistence in darkness (Arch Virol)
UV sensitivity of Ebola virus (Arch Virol)
Treatment of Ebola virus infection with brincidofovir (virology blog)
Ebola virus in domestic animals (Dev Biol)
Ebola virus in dogs (Emerg Inf Dis)
Ebola screening at US airports (CDC)
Letters read on TWiV 306

Weekly Science Picks

Alan – The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert
Kathy – Seeing the Invisible
Vincent – 2014 Scientific American Science in Action Award winner

Listener Pick of the Week

Mauricio – Investigating a mystery disease
Heather – Diversity Journal Club
Johnye – Flu Attack!

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to [email protected]

TWiV 305: Rhymes with shinola

October 5, 2014

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Kathy Spindler

Vincent, Alan, and Kathy continue their coverage of the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa, with a discussion of case fatality ratio, reproductive index, a conspiracy theory, and spread of the virus to the United States.