TWiV explains why the concept of herd immunity might not apply to COVID-19, and the observation that smallpox vaccination causes an increase in skin bacteria that promote pathology and influence the immune response.
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, Kathy Spindler, and Brianne Barker
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Download TWiV 898 (65 MB .mp3, 108 min)
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Links for this episode
- Herd immunity may not apply to COVID-19 (J Inf Dis) 2:58
- Smallpox vaccination increases skin bacteria (PLoS Path) 27:29
- The invinceable TWiV (TWiV 145) 36:29
- By the pricking of my thumbs… (TWiV 284) 36:43
- Letters read on TWiV 898 1:10:06
- Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!
Weekly Picks 1:27:50
Brianne – Bacteria and Me Coloring Book
Kathy – Smarter 3D printing
Rich – Big Ben Restoring the Worlds Most Famous Clock 2021
Vincent – Scientific review articles as antivaccine disinformation
Listener Pick
Suellen – Your Fantastic Mind Season 3 Ep 2: Long COVID and Making of a Brain Surgeon (Full Episode)
Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees
Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]
Rivers of vacuoles represent the elastic cartilage in the mouse ear.
Sincerely
Retired veterinary pathologist.
It’s always difficult in science as paradigms shift, especially in a science with as many caveats and unknowns as biology. I tell people that achievable “herd immunity” (whatever we’re in the process of learning what that actually may be) applies to some viruses (e.g., polio) but not others (flu, coronaviruses). In non-real-world situations, in might be possible to get a protective herd immunity with sars cov19, but this is the real-world, and we haven’t achieved that with the flu (and currently have no practical hopes to do so).