Julia writes:
Dear TWIV,
Thanks for the fantastic episodes! I wanted to share a pick of the week which represents recent success in troubleshooting autoclave challenges in our field research. I am an environmental health scientist working in Mozambique to characterize enteric pathogen exposures for children under 24 months of age among urban, low-income households in Maputo, Mozambique. We collect a variety of matched environmental (surface swabs, drinking water, solid and liquid foods, hand rinses) and clinical specimens (stool, blood) which we test by multiplex PCR methods to understand pathogen transmission dynamics in this setting and how child age and hand hygiene behaviors may mediate exposures. The site autoclave has not been working for several months posing challenges particularly for our hand rinse concentration and downstream processing steps. Attached is a picture of a makeshift autoclave using a domestic pressure cooker which successfully sterilized our centrifuge bottles – yay! Feeling quite pleased with this trouble-shooting and glad we have a temporary fix to move our work forward!
Thanks again and enjoy!
Julia (aka Dr. MacGyver)
Julia Silva Sobolik, PhD, MS, MPH
Marshall Sherfield Fellow, Environmental Health Group
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Charmaine writes:
Viruses, myelin, the evolution of complex life, and the Fermi paradox:
Alien Life and the Myelin Sheath Solution to the Fermi Paradox
Anish writes:
Dear TWiV Team,
I hope this finds you well. I’m Anish, and I’m currently enrolled in Bi115 at Caltech. As part of our course, we’ve been encouraged to engage with external resources to deepen our understanding of virology, one such example being the TWiV episodes. I’m writing to submit a few questions and insights for your consideration, which were inspired by the most recent episode. I’ve also cc’d Camille to highlight this initiative for extra credit in our course.
1. In the most recent episode, the strategy of stabilizing viral spike proteins with proline substitutions was highlighted, particularly in vaccine development. Considering the diversity of spike proteins across different viruses, how do you see this strategy evolving to tackle emerging pathogens? Are there specific viral families or pathogens where this approach might be particularly impactful but hasn’t been explored yet?
2. The conversation around leveraging the S2 subunit of the coronavirus spike protein to potentially craft broad-spectrum vaccines caught my attention. Given the noted challenges in generating potent neutralizing antibodies targeting S2, what are your thoughts on enhancing their efficacy through combined strategies like nanoparticle display or novel adjuvants? Could such a multifaceted approach lead us closer to pan-coronavirus vaccines?
3. How do you anticipate vaccine design strategies will adapt to keep pace with rapid viral evolution? Are there general lessons from the experience with SARS-CoV-2 that could be applied more broadly to anticipate and counteract variants of other viruses, or is the evolutionary dynamic of SARS-CoV-2 unique in its challenges?
Thank you for considering my questions, and for your continued efforts to demystify the complex world of viruses for listeners worldwide.
Sincerely,
Anish
Adam writes:
In the latest Offit episode, Dickson described some interesting astronomical phenomena, after which you had extended discussion. A couple corrections:
-the black hole at the center of our galaxy is 4 million times bigger than the sun (not billion)
-the sun will end its life as a white dwarf, not a neutron star or black hole (no supernova)
-the solar system orbits the galaxy at 220 km/s, so kinda fast. We’re not likely to hit anything.
-gravity doesn’t suck. It is an attractive force, but it doesn’t pull things in – planets orbit stars for a long time staying at the same distance, and stars orbit black holes the same way.
-if stuff falls into the black hole, it never comes out. However, if the stuff falls very close to the black hole, it can be launched out as a jet
Dickson got a lot more right than he got wrong, though! I’m just nitpicking.
Adam Ginsburg
Associate Professor, Department of Astronomy
University of Florida, Gainesville
Bo writes:
Hello Twivers,
A few episodes ago the hosts were talking about mammals in Australia. There are native bats and rodents in Australia according to fossil records from 15 mya and 10-5 mya! They are the only placental mammals native to Australia. By native I mean they were not brought there by humans. I was astonished to find out about Australian bats myself a few months ago so I thought it was worth sharing. Thank you for your hard work and as always excellent content!
Cheers,
Bo
David writes:
Super NO va
Just a small correction for Dickson. Our sun will not go supernova. It lacks the mass and energy. It will likely expand to a red giant, then shrink to a dwarf star. Of course we won’t be around to empirically prove this. However our knowledge of stellar physics tells us that this is how it will die.
Martin writes:
Dear Twivers,
I have only just learned (from David Attenborough’s TV series on Mammals) about the bats in Austin. Any comments, Rich?
https://www.austintexas.org/things-to-do/outdoors/bat-watching/
Best wishes
Martin Keats
Isleworth , UK
Randall writes:
Dear TWIV,
A couple months ago I sent you an article about the new virus Alaskapox. I remember wondering at the time if any other states had viruses named after them.
Well, Alaskapox is now Borealpox. In keeping with the trend to not name viruses after geographical locations or animals, the name has been changed.
Here’s a link to the article.
Randall Plant
Anchorage, AK
Bradon writes:
Dear TWiV Team,
Thank you for your podcast. I’ve been a regular listener since 2020, and came dangerously close to applying to an immunology masters program as a result of wanting to introduce people to the truth about vaccines by osmosis with a heavy textbook applied to the head. (I felt like my questions – whether “autism cure” diets actually reduce symptoms, or if avoiding inflammatory foods like wheat freed up people’s immune systems and allowed them to mask better as neurotypical – weren’t exciting enough to justify Strasbourg giving me a double-masters spot. I applied for programs closer to my undergrad degree.)
My question:
In a recent episode, someone (was it Vincent?) said that cancers we currently think of as not being caused by viruses are cancers caused by viruses we haven’t found yet. My aunt (my dad’s sister) recently passed from pancreatic cancer. This is the same cancer that claimed my dad’s brother and, forty-something years ago, my dad’s dad. As far as I know, my grandfather wasn’t diabetic, although my dad and both his siblings are/were. (Dad is still alive. Dad’s mum died of a heart attack in May 2020, after having an antibiotic-resistant respiratory infection with fever and headache that started in November 2019 and progressed to antibiotic-resistant pneumonia; I don’t say that she died of COVID near my anti-vaxx/conspiracy theorist relatives, but it seems like she was an early case of that.) Do you think it’s possible that my aunt, uncle, and grandfather (and maybe my cousins, brother, and I) have some kind of endogenous virus that passes through sperm cells? Or is it just a genetic predisposition to diabetes, pancreatitis, and an inability to eat a lot of fatty, sugary foods? (My gran was a legendary cook, and made a lot of cakes and pastries. How she died of a COVID-like disease in her 90s and not diabetes remains a mystery.) Unfortunately, because she died in hospice of a known disease, nobody biopsied my aunt’s pancreas before she was cremated.
I’m looking forward to the upcoming sports science podcast. My undergrad was in sports science and ergonomics, and the department (Human Kinetics and Ergonomics, Rhodes University) is still active in sports research. Candice Christie and Jonathan Davy are publishing in the sector; Candace more than Jono.
Keep up the great work! You’ve been my lifeline of sanity for the last four years, and I’m always disappointed when people don’t take my recommendations. (I was the person who emailed President Macron to recommend you, and was quite overjoyed that he stopped recommending hydroxychloroquine as his COVID policy.)
Best regards from warm, sunny Zimbabwe,
Bradon
James writes:
Hello,
In listening to TWiV 1095: Monkeys fly and mice exaggerate, Dickson only got it half right on platypus. Females lose their spurs in adulthood and males basically use their spurs for fighting other
males.
Be sure to watch this truly heartwarming tear jerker.
https://www.pbs.org/video/the-platypus-guardian-axzeo8/
James
Jay writes:
Dear TWiV,
TWiV 1105 is an excellent episode. I would like to point out one minor correction. At around 1:28, Vincent comments that “common cold corona viruses doesn’t make anybody die outright. . . ”
But common cold viruses can, in fact, be fatal. Mortality may be low, but I’ve seen it myself in immunocompromised hosts.
A quick search of the medical literature provides plenty of other examples. Here is one summary:
“The disease is more severe and dissemination is more likely in patients with impaired immunity (e.g., organ transplant recipients, human immunodeficiency virus infection). Fatality rates for untreated severe AdV pneumonia or disseminated disease may exceed 50%.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7171713/#JR01222-90
Respiratory Viral Infections: Adenovirus: Epidemiology, Global Spread of Novel Serotypes, and Advances in Treatment and Prevention
Adenoviruses (AdVs) are DNA viruses that typically cause mild infections involving the upper or lower respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, or conjunctiva. Rare manifestations of AdV infections include hemorrhagic cystitis, hepatitis, hemorrhagic …
I love learning with all of you. Keep up the great work.
Thank you,
Jay
Jay Gladstein, M.D. | Chief Medical Officer
APLA Health & Wellness
Los Angeles, CA
Tom writes:
Dear Vincent,
Richard Ebright makes public the names of people he considers ‘Deceivers’.
I am sad to see this and hope you are not getting harassed as a result.
Tom
Pasadena,CA
Charles writes:
Hello TWiVers;
Wonderful day in central North Carolina. 86F (30C) and sunny. One of those days I would like to take off from work.
If you get a chance to see another total eclipse, I suggest you look for a clearing in the woods. Your ears will be almost as delighted as your eyes. The birds and the bugs go through their day-night-day cycle in just a few minutes.
The linked pictures are from the 2017 eclipse. They were taken at a small electrical substation in South Carolina. One image is just a zoomed part of the other.
These are just pictures I really like:
Huge driftwood: https://flic.kr/p/86ipCz
IR just outside of Lexington KY: https://flic.kr/p/5NtWyY
IR from near Edisto SC: https://flic.kr/p/anhPfu
Thanks,
Charles
PS, if you decide to read this during the podcast, I hope Dickson is there. I enjoy his photography.
Chris writes:
Re TWIV 1105 on the Wasp’s Gall, here’s a funny for the mob:
Sammy comes home to find his wife in bed with another man.
At court, Sammy’s lawyer describes the reason for the divorce being that his wife cheated & had the gall to do so in Sammy’s own bed.
Sammy interrupts and says, “no, no; the reason isn’t gall but chutzpah, which is because my wife said, “Stick around Sammy, you might learn something.”
Love you all,
Chris from a sunny Toronto
Moniqua writes:
I have an amazing STEM girl. That practices stitches and plans to become a virologist . At 7 she had already picked her classes at MIT and where she wanted to live. Stem has always been close to heart, including getting more involved. Noa has always advocated for girls and women, including raising funds for different programs.
Last year after attending a few STEM camps, Noa realized just how much educational camps cost and wanted to see more girls in those programs.
Noa started a fundraiser for STEM camps and has continued with that this year too. Below is her fundraiser and would appreciate it if you could just look at it and maybe leave some words of encouragement.
Thank you for your time,
Moniqua
Bob writes:
Hi All,
There is a conversation online about avian flu virus in cow milk and raw milk. I have been drinking raw milk for over a year now, for various reasons. The idea online was there was some type of equivalency between flu transmission via air and flu transmission via drinking milk.
How possible is it to get flu by drinking it? Wouldn’t the acid in your stomach kill the flu? Even if it didn’t kill the flu, how would the flu virus then go from your stomach/intestines to become an infection.
Are there any studies supporting your position?
Thank you,
Bob
Anthony writes:
There have always been lunatics and idiots — few and far between and easy to spot. The scary thing now is the tsunami of the mentally mangled who apparently are functioning.
Anthony
www.chicagotribune.com/2024/03/10/trumps-illinois-delegates-some-tout-election-denials-others-claim-vaccines-were-useless-or-qr-codes-lead-to-government-tracking/
Martin writes:
Dear TWIVers
I should be grateful if you would kindly consider Prof. Angus Dalgleish’s prompt reply to my enquiry about SARS-CoV-2 vaccine boosters causing cancer to reemerge in some of his patients after spotting a commentator assert that vaccines can cause this disease on the Daily Telegraph website.
I seem to recall discussion recently in TWiV about suppression in T-cells after COVID-19 vaccine booster shots. Has this been noticed widely through the vaccine community since the SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic?
Best wishes
Martin
Isleworth, UK
From Angus Dalgleish:
Unfortunately, It is true. The booster doses perturbate the immune system severely leading to T cell suppression especially in cancer patients, and IgG 1 and 3 switching to IgG4 which is tolerogenic and desired in transplant patients.
I have now witnessed 12 patients who were stable with melanoma who relapsed after the booster. 3 of my friends who only had a booster to travel developed bone metastases within days of the booster, 2 are already dead from their turbo cancers in spite of the very best treatments.
Having nearly 30 years in developing vaccines in HIV and cancer I have warned that there are models where 1 and 2 shots are good and the 3rd causes inappropriate immune responses destroying any benefit from the first 2.
I have sent many co written letters with dozens of colleagues to Whitty, NHS, DOH, MHRA none of whom will respond.
I have written about this with refs to published works supporting the evidence in the Daily Sceptic and TCW defending freedom.
Angus Dalgleish
Chris writes:
Hello Vincent,
I just finally had a chance to listen to you and Daniel from Wed Mar 20th and feel compelled again to write – likely when you were riding on the 9:48 home.
I come for the science, sure, but gain so much just by hearing you two together. You speak so well and are kind and empathetic, treating every question and person with respect and consideration.
It’s a big commitment; I’m sure Daniel would rather be sailing. I had a sloop when I was young and fully understand the pleasure of being on the water.
People listen to ‘guided meditation’ in attempt to capture similar good vibes. You two deliver them without even trying. I feel so good listening to you both I had to write to thank you. I take your science and warmth with me every session.
And just a side note that Tim’s Mirror Mirror paper was stunning: every cell with a membrane has a sense of self. I know Steph, it is “deep, Tim!”
Many thanks, again & fondest regards,
Chris Way
Toronto
Sunny and warm with a nice blanket of TWIV & snow.
Liz writes:
I wanted to write and express my heartfelt thanks for the work that you and Dr. Daniel Griffin have done over the past few years.
I was listening to the weekly update today and was touched to hear Dr. Griffin speak about POTS. His advice on how doctors can screen for this common post viral issue of the autonomic nervous system meant a lot to me and our family. Having an infectious disease doctor educate other doctors on lingering effects of a virus will hopefully help those suffering receive better care and treatment from physicians out there.
(It does seem so long ago that I was at home (early 2020), taking care of my college student who had just been diagnosed with POTS by a doctor at Vanderbilt’s Autonomic Center. Knowing so little about what caused POTS after a viral illness, I spent time on your website teaching myself virology and trying to better understand what had happened to my once healthy child. I listened regularly to your podcasts about SARS-COV-2 and recognized immediately how the “tail” of this virus sounded so similar to what my daughter experienced before COVID-19.)
It has, unfortunately, taken a pandemic to push our medical system to recognize and address post viral syndromes. Hopefully this will lead to better research and treatment options. I hope you can keep us posted on this progress. I will be listening every Saturday!
Thanks again,
Liz
Anthony writes:
“…
bus driver says is there any reason why I shouldn’t kiss my cat on the
1:03:45
mouth you can you can kiss your cat on the mouth it’s it’s a relatively safe thing
1:03:53
…”
Office Hours with Earth’s Virology Professor Livestream 3/20/24
# # #
Cowpox Virus Infection
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMicm1702548
(covered on TWiV 490)
Orbital Cowpox
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMicm2033620
# # #
Perhaps the definition of “relatively” is relative. Still, in terms of risk/reward, I’d say “Don’t do it.”
On a related note, I wonder how many unknown rodent Pox viruses there might be?
FWIW
Anthony
Charles writes:
Hello TWiVers and Daniel;
I am not sure if this is a letter to or a letter for TWiV.
I have gone down a very dark rabbit hole and would like some help. The dark rabbit hole is the internet’s misinformation news sites’ comments sections. Yahoo! is the worst that I visit, but even the Washington Post is inhabited with a fluffle of evil rabbits spreading misinformation.
Notice I did not say I wanted help getting out of the rabbit hole. I want help countering the misinformation. Not from you directly. You do a great job and I don’t know how you have the time to do what you do already. I am looking for help from your students. Not just your students, but from all the students that listen to microbe.tv. I can be an ambitious fellow. Ideally a class getting a login on Yahoo! as TeamDrew, for example could check a few sites each day and counter the most offensive rabbits, such as Paul.
The misinformation is not just COVID-19 or vaccines. It goes beyond that to things like birth control. See this story in the Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/03/21/stopping-birth-control-misinformation
It just pisses me off to see so much misinformation go unchallenged. So please recruit a little help so we can be a real PITA to the misinformation spreaders.
Thanks,
Charles
Hunter writes:
TWiV Team and particularly Angela,
This is hot off the presses and seems to be a bit concerning.
I do not see it as an issue for specialized livestock production. My concern is the backyard farm that has multiple species and minimal veterinary interaction.
Stay tuned.
Hunter
Charles writes:
Hello TWiVers;
After listening to TWiV 1095 my odd sense of connections put together some of the unrelated thoughts into this odd letter. Comments about wonderful writing, beautiful pictures and pythons in Florida, naturally lead me to Beowulf. Adding in that Matters Microbial #31 was an interview with a University of Kentucky professor, sealed the connections.
Let me string this together for you. Beowulf is obviously wonderful writing. Over 30 years ago I had a small part in some of the first high resolution images taken of Beowulf. That work became Dr. Kevin Kiernan’s Electronic Beowulf project at the University of Kentucky. Today the project is up to version 4 and has some really beautiful images at much higher resolution than we could do in 1993. The project also has images outside of the visible spectrum. That was something we were not allowed to do 30 years ago, and would not have been able to do a very good job of if allowed. And that is where pythons in Florida come in. About 20 years ago I was part of a team that put together a multi-spectral camera system for a USDA water conservation lab that could image light from 400-1100 nm. 400-700 nm is the visible range. I no longer have access to such systems. I hope one of your listeners may have access and the desire to go high tech snake hunting. My thought is that there is very little if any evolunary pressure on pythons to have camouflage that works outside of the visible spectrum. If the snakes could be imaged with a multi-spectral camera system it may be possible to find some wavelength(s) that will provide good contrast with the background. That information could then be used to make a better snake finding camera. Sounds like a good project to me. Come on, University of Florida/Florida Museum, you can do it.
Link to the Electronic Beowulf project: https://ebeowulf.uky.edu/ebeo4.0/
Thanks,
Charles Fischer
Loyal listener and PITA
Brenda writes:
Hi vincent
Just thought I would draw this to your attention.
metro.co.uk/2024/03/15/covid-19-lab-leak-most-likely-cause-pandemic-new-study-shows-20471683/
Can’t say that I am terribly impressed about the validity of a conclusion reached by university scientists in Australia using a technique I have never heard of on data we do not know the veracity of which is full of unverified allegations.
Dont know who would be best to question it –
Debunk the Funk, Beyond the noise or somebody else.
Brenda
Black Isle Scotland
Robert writes:
Regarding TWIV 1094 and 1092
- Recommended ages for MMR?
Children are typically recommended to receive a first dose of MMR at their first birthday, after maternal antibody has waned, and a second dose before starting kindergarten at ages 4-6 years/ However, children are recommended to receive doses sooner if traveling abroad, as many cases in the US have occurred in young children who were exposed overseas:
CDC recommends that all U.S. residents older than 6 months of age who are planning to travel internationally receive MMR vaccine, prior to departure.
- Infants 6 through 11 months of age should receive one dose of MMR vaccine before departure. Infants who receive a dose of MMR vaccine before their first birthday should receive two more doses of MMR vaccine, the first of which should be administered when the child is 12 through 15 months of age and the second at least 28 days later.
- Children 12 months of age or older should receive two doses of MMR vaccine, separated by at least 28 days.
- Teenagers and adults without evidence of measles immunity should have documentation of two doses of MMR vaccine separated by at least 28 days.
Protect your kids before those Spring or Summer trips abroad!
Recent COVID-19 VE data were presented at ACIP meeting in February (contrary to comments in TWIV)
Dr. Ruth Link-Gelles reviewed preliminary VE data on the updated 2023-24 COVID-19 vaccine, including the VISION and IVY data published the next day in MMWR
- https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/meetings/downloads/slides-2024-02-28-29/04-COVID-Link-Gelles-508.pdf
- https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/meetings/slides-2024-02-28-29.html
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXHABjiHBw8 1:03:00 –
Thanks to TWIV and your ongoing dedication!
Robert Schechter MD FAAP
Volker writes:
Dear Alan, Daniel and Vincent,
Thanks so much to Alan for stating clearly on epitope 1091 that we cannot simply switch to IPV worldwide.
So often during the last months when especially you, Vincent, repeated over and over again that NOPV was a failure and we should not use a vaccine that paralyses kids, I was shouting in my head “Don’t neglect money! Don’t neglect reality!”
Finally Alan formulated it better than I could have done. Of course, in an ideal world we would only use the best vaccines for everybody. In this world there would be no hunger, no war, no resource scarcity, no climate change … This is not our world. In our world we have to distribute our resources and if this means that the money necessary for all the IPV distribution and infrastructure can provide more good for other things than we should stick to (N)OPV (for now).
Greetings from Bavaria,
Volker
Craig writes:
“Teratoma” today (twiv 1095) prompted me to complete an email I started drafting some time ago.
“teratoma” is a good word, from a good family, “terat-” from τέρατα, plural of τέρας a marvel, prodigy, monster.
See teratogenic, teratoid, etc.
So whenever you see terat think monster, “tera-” just means big, specifically the prefix 10 to the 12th, from the same root.
Alan Dove lives in Massachusetts, which means he’s eligible for a Boston Public Library ecard, https://www.bpl.org/ecard/
Which gives one access to online resources including the The Oxford English Dictionary (OED)
https://www.bpl.org/resource/oxford-english-dictionary/
The authority for meaning and etymology of every English word ever deemed significant, > 600,000 words.
I find the etymology or history of technical words to be very useful. Some are directly meaningful in understanding, like “teratoma” or “macrophage”, others historical like “eosinophil”, and some counterproductive but we’re stuck with — “complement” is a common word, but when you see it in immunology it’s not obvious what it’s complementing and is it “complement” or is it “compliment” and it’s saying your immune system is very nice?
So a suggestion, or something to consider: when on the podcast and in your lectures you introduce a term, break down the etymology and meaning. I find this helpful in understanding and remembering.
Bernard Hsu, Pharm.D. aka chubbyemu does this in his videos, and while it becomes a running joke it does seem useful. E.g. https://youtu.be/J3HivpHP-5I?t=158 where he breaks down the four parts of “Acute Hyponatremia”
I see that the *phil cells are named by what stains them, which is helpful to remember. And it’s fun to know that the phag in phagocytosis is the phag in sarcophagus.
For the students they probably have encountered the terms before and may have learned the meaning / origins, but a reminder doesn’t hurt.
You could also make a page with your favorite technical terms, like “enterovirus” which was mentioned by another letter writer, and link to that in the comments for each episode.
End suggestion, begin general comments:
I followed Prof. Rataniello’s 2023 Virology Lectures and those are interesting, but that led me to Prof. Barker’s Immunology lectures, and those are really interesting and useful.
I think people should have an understanding of the science behind things they use – enough thermodynamics to use a microwave oven well, enough mechanics to do things around the house, enough about cars to know how to fix simple things and work well with a mechanic.
I use my immune system every day, more than I use my car.
I see that immunology is like thermodynamics – it’s not a linear story, material taught earlier really only makes sense when you understand the later material. I only felt I understood thermodynamics after two levels of classes and then reviewing for quals and teaching it myself. I don’t plan on taking high level immunology courses but I may go through another round of lectures.
I’m just getting the high level, general ideas. Things in virology and immunology are changing enough that I don’t think it’s useful for me to memorize any details. Phrases like “we used to teach” and “ten years ago we thought” keep coming up in both courses.
Thanks,
Craig
David writes:
I don’t know if you have discussed this topic before (if so I’d appreciate a reply pointing to a particular TWIV episode so I can review it).
Listened to Paul Offit on NPR yesterday, regarding measles. He made the point that measles/smallpox have LONG incubation period unlike COVID, which is why MMR vaccine protects against mild as well as severe measles disease. I have watched TWIVs albeit not all since 2020, don’t ever recall hearing about this important distinction regarding vaccine efficacy for mild disease. If you haven’t communicated this before, I’ve even got a title for a future episode on that subject: The LONG and SHORT of it.
What a great job you are doing. Our family are all patients of Dr. Griffin’s practice, as a result, even though residing in FL and ME.
Thank you Vincent!! Keep up the good work!!
David
Carrie writes:
Hello TWiV,
I love the TWIV series! I listened to every episode during COVID lockdown as I was part of my local health department epidemiology team. I haven’t kept up with every episode since, but I have a question regarding rebound COVID after treatment with Paxlovid.
I escaped COVID infection for 4 years, but it finally got me recently and I obtained a prescription of Paxlovid and began taking it the second day of my symptoms. I completed the medication and was feeling great. I tested on day 9 after first symptoms and tested negative. Two days after this – so day 11 after first symptoms began, I had a return of symptoms, runny nose, congestion, cough. The symptoms were less than initially but I was surprised and tested again and this time positive! I did a little research and found out that there can be a phenomenon called COVID rebound after finishing a round of Paxlovid. I assume this is what happened with me.
My question to you is can you explain the virology of what happens during the rebound? I am curious to know why there is a rebound. What does this suggest about treatment with Paxlovid?
If you have already discussed this issue in a podcast, please direct me to that podcast.
Thanks again for doing the TWIV podcasts!
Jerry writes:
Hi,
I have no expertise in sloths. This allows me to freely engage in speculation and theories about their relationship to algae.
A thought on your question of whether algae and sloths are symbiotic. I am sure it is useful to the sloth to have algae on it to improve its camouflage. Anything that adds complexity to the shape/boundaries of an animal makes it harder for a predator to see (think parrot colors for an extreme example.) For the algae, free transport is a core benefit.
I have never been sure what the bar is for symbiotic. Does the sloth benefit sufficiently from the algae is hard to assess.
Love as always,
jerry
Yosif writes:
Hi all, my lab delivers both lentiviral and AAV preps to cells in vitro. The titers for lenti’s come as Transducing Units/mL whereas AAVs are in Genomic copies/mL. At a functional level it appears as though one lenti TU is the equivalent of >1000 GCs/mL. Do you know why this is the case and why they are reported differently? I’m sure it’s a qPCR quantification as opposed to a strictly cellular one but I’m not entirely clear on this. At the ground level, by these numbers, a functional MOI for a lenti may be say 3 (MOI=3), whereas for AAV it can be 10,000 (MOI=10,000). This is very confusing and could use a TWIV explainer. Thanks all and take care.
-Yosif
Ann writes:
Hi,
Given the attention with which you review and discuss scientific papers, I was wondering if you had an opinion on this interview with Sholto David, in which he claims he regularly finds errors in peer reviewed scientific papers.
I was hoping that the peer review process catches stuff like this, but according to him, it does not.
Is he right?
Is he alarmist?
www.nytimes.com/2024/02/02/science/sholto-science-papers-misconduct.html?ref=oembed
Thanks for all you do,
Ann
Laura writes:
Hi folks,
I asked this on the youtube channel, but I thought I’d shoot you an email here also.
Here’s the question: “How likely is it that someone can get infected with 2 strains of COVID19? and if that did happen, would it make a difference in the course of their disease? My housemate is positive for COVID and two of his good friends are also positive. . .I suggested that he could go hang out with them at their house, but he’s worried about catching/spreading a second strain. I googled for this in past TWIVs, since it seemed like a question you would have answered, but I didn’t find any info. Thanks so much for being excellent humans and for all you do for science education. – Laura, from Albany, Oregon
A quick weather update: Fortunately, it is 45 degrees (7 Celsius) here and not 19, like it was last week!
Bernt writes:
Dear TWiV’ers,
Thank you for carrying the torch of science !
I discovered your show during the start of the Covid 19 epidemic thanks to a former postdoc of mine. I’ve been a regular ever since.
I have a question and a comment. They are entirely unrelated.
1.
A couple of weeks ago you covered Cafeteria roenbergensis. You were speculating about the origin of the species’ odd name. The species was described by Fenchel and Patterson in 1988. Tom Fenchel was at the time a professor of ecology at Aarhus University. Part of his work would have taken place at the university’s field station in a tiny village named Rønbjerg. In Rønbjerg, there was a diner named Rønbjerg Cafeteria. Below is a picture:
https://www.microbe.tv/twiv/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/Screenshot-2024-04-20-at-1.09.10 PM.png
When I was a PhD student at Aarhus University in the department where Prof. Fenchel had been, I was told that he in fact had named Cafeteria roenbergensis after this diner.
2.
Occasionally the claim is made (including, I believe, on TWiV) that there is a minimum number (greater than one) of virus particles required to start an infection. Why would that be so? Should one imagine some kind of synergy – say, to overwhelm “local defenses”? Or should one imagine that a minimum number as the substantial fraction of virus particles are somehow defective, unable to initiate an infection?
Best wishes,
Bernt
Howard writes:
As a yearly donor (through parasites without borders) I urge you to expand your fundraising efforts (and your campaign for a citizenry that is better informed about how science works) beyond microbe.tv’s audience.
Being located in New York gives you easy access to any number of shows with a large reach into the general population, all of whom are looking to book interesting guests. Some that come to mind are CNNs Anderson Cooper, MSNBCs Alex Wagner, and CBSs Steven Colbert. Vincent would make an engaging guest with an interesting story to tell.
You all do important work. Microbe.tv deserves, and democracy needs it to have, a broader reach. Please don’t be shy.
Howard
Howard writes:
Hi TWIVers
Another great episode.
The discussion about human-swine-bird viral exchange raised a question that you might have some insight into. Slaughterhouses were a prime location (along with prisons) for Sars-cov-2 cases at the height of the pandemic, but the reports didn’t differentiate between pig, cattle, and chicken slaughterhouses. Do you know if there were any differences between these types of facilities, and whether these differences might have been related to viral transmission? And are slaughterhouses loci for human flu infections, with cattle lower than pigs or chicken?
Thanks for your efforts. My 100 year old, 5 time vaccinated, mother is in her 2nd bout with covid in the past 10 months. Twiv’s information has allowed my sisters and I to help her navigate her care and all of us to stay calm.
Howard
Toronto
(Sunny –7c)
Craig writes:
Immune dysregulation
When you next use this phrase can you please pause to explain it? I’ve seen people see “immune dysregulation” or “immune dysfunction” and mention of T cells in connection to COVID19 / SARS-CoV-2 and jump to saying that this means COVID is like AIDS.
This is a case of “a little learning is a dangerous thing” since you need to know enough to have heard of T cells and understand the prefix “dys”, but not enough to know what it all really means.
I myself only know enough more than that to know that I don’t know and would need to look it up and study more before saying anything myself.
Thanks,
Craig
Chris writes:
On the last clinical update, you and Vincent talked about how there will always be a new variant every winter. I accept as you often state that it is not necessarily more pathogenic, and that it is not accurate to say that each new variant is more transmissable, but more fit.
Here is my question: why is there a new variant every winter? Why is the mutation rate of Cov2 so high compared to other viruses? On an episode of TWIV a few months ago, I believe Trevor Bedford said it appeared to be more than twice the mutation rate of flu. I recall there being speculation that this was a feature of limited immunity, but surely that is no longer the case. What is it about the features of this specific virus compared to other viruses?
Please feel free to correct the premise of my question if I am wrong on any of this or to redirect it to the main TWIV podcast. I am just trying to understand how this works.
– Chris in Cambridge
Portia writes:
Hi, Vincent and the TWIV doctors,
Just finished episode 1095, it was a good surprise to hear the pick from Rich is Mark Smith Photography. I have followed his work on instagram and YouTube since before the pandemic and have even taken 2 workshops with him on bald eagles in Washington state. I can’t quite bring myself to go to Florida
He is really an exceptional bird photographer. I am sure he will get a TWiV bump. I will have to tell him about TWiV.
As for Angela’s new podcast, we are eagerly waiting. One topic I am interested in is exercise which could build bone mass to prevent osteoporosis for older women. And my husband is interested in the mammalian dive reflex.
Thank you and all the esteemed members on your team for bringing all the microbe.tv podcasts.
/portia
