TWiV 58: Nipah virus in ferrets

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dick Despommier, Alan Dove, and Joshua Stillman

Vincent, Dick, and Alan are joined by emergency medicine physician Dr. Joshua Stillman to talk about passive antibody therapy for Nipah infection in ferrets, annual influenza immunization of children, facemasks to prevent influenza, predicting dengue outbreaks by the weather, and the amazing viral communities in an icy Antarctic lake.

Click the arrow above to play, or right-click to download TWiV #58 (52 MB .mp3,  73 minutes)

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Links for this episode:

• Post-exposure passive antibody therapy for Nipah virus in ferret
• Image above left shows Nipah viral antigen (red) in ferret brain ependymal epithelium
• Is yearly influenza vaccination of children a bad idea?
• Debate on N95 masks vs surgical masks to prevent influenza
• Weather patterns help predict dengue outbreaks
• Diverse viral community in Antarctica’s icy lakes (thanks Russ!)
• Tamiflu in Japanese river waters (see TWiV 40 – thanks Russ!)
• Chlorine dioxide gas removes influenza virus (thanks André!)

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Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv.