This Week in Virology

By: Vincent Racaniello
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  • Summary

  • TWiV is a podcast about viruses - the kind that make you sick.
    Vincent Racaniello 2022
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Biological Sciences Natural History Nature & Ecology Science
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Episodes
  • TWiV 1211: Moo flu and dengue two

    TWiV 1211: Moo flu and dengue two
    Apr 20 2025

    TWiV discusses the rising autism rate among children, RFK Jr.’s claim that autism ‘destroys lives’, receptor binding specificity of a bovine H5N1 influenza virus, and improved dengue subunit vaccine modified to form E protein dimers.

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

    Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email

    Become a patron of TWiV!

    Links for this episode
    • Support science education at MicrobeTV
    • ASV 2025
    • Rising autism rate among children (MMWR)
    • RFK Jr. claims autism ‘destroys lives‘ (NY Times)
    • Receptor binding specificity of bovine H5N1 virus (Nature)
    • Bovine H5N1 binds poorly to human receptors (Nature)
    • AJ Eisfeld et al reply (Nature)
    • Mootant influenza H5N1 virus (TWiV 1131)
    • Improved dengue 2 subunit vaccine (J Virol)
    • Letters read on TWiV 1211
    • Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!
    Weekly Picks

    Brianne – Scientists detect signature of life on a distant planet, study suggests
    Rich – Hanlon’s Razor
    Alan – Baby colossal squid filmed in deep ocean
    Vincent – How the United States became a science superpower — and how quickly it could crumble

    Listener Pick

    John – Revisionist History: The RFK Jr. Problem

    Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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

    Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.
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    1 hr and 44 mins
  • TWiV 1210: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

    TWiV 1210: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin
    Apr 19 2025
    In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin with Vincent Racaniello rue about the continuation of the gutting of the American public health infrastructure, the continuing measles outbreak, an unreported outbreak of deadly E.coli human infections, meningococcal disease before Dr. Griffin reviews recent statistics on RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the WasterwaterScan dashboard, ACIP recommended changes in guidelines for the RSV and COVID-19 vaccines, reactogenicity differences between Novavax and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines, where to find PEMGARDA, provides information for Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s long COVID treatment center, where to go for answers to your long COVID questions, long COVID interventions, effects of long COVID in children and adolescents and a list of ongoing clinical trials for long COVID treatment. Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Making America Healthy Again-purging of administrators at HHS (Politico)Making America Healthy Again-purging of data (Politico)Deep cuts of the federal government (NY Times)Cutting NIH, CDC and HHS promotes chronic disease research(Washington Post)Political ideology and trust in scientists in the USA(Nature Human Behavior)US political conservatives have deep, unbudging suspicion of science, survey suggests(CIDRAP)A deadly E. coli outbreak hit 15 states, but the FDA chose not to publicize it(NBC News)Invasive meningococcal disease – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia(WHO)The essential guide to understanding the differences between hajj and umrah (Marhabahaji)Measles Vaccination: Know the Facts(ISDA: Infectious Diseases Society of America) Measles booster? (Washington Post)How to stop an outbreak…….fire the experts (Washington Post)Measles cases and outbreaks (CDC Rubeola)Measles 159 in Texas…. (Texas Health and Human Services)2025 Measles outbreak guidance (New Mexico Health)Measles and rubella weekly monitoring (Government of Canada)Measles vaccine recommendations from NYP (jpg)NAFMA: North American Free Measles agreement…..(NY Times)Get the FACTS about measles (NY State Department of Health) Measles (CDC Measles (Rubeola))Measles vaccine (CDC Measles (Rubeola)) Presumptive evidence of measles immunity (CDC) Contraindications and precautions to measles vaccination (CDC) Measles (CDC Measles (Rubeola))Doctors’ talk measles (YouTube)Measles (CDC: Measles Rubeola)Adverse events associated with childhood vaccines: evidence bearing on causality (NLM)Measles Vaccination: Know the Facts(ISDA: Infectious Diseases Society of America)Deaths following vaccination: what does the evidence show (Vaccine)Influenza: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView)Respiratory virus activity levels (CDC Respiratory Illnesses) 200 children die from flu (CIDRAP)Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView) FDA-CDC-DOD: 2025-2046 influenza vaccine composition (FDA)RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection)ACIP votes to expand recommendation for Pfizer’sRSV vaccine Abrysvo® to include adults aged 50 to 59 at increased risk of disease (Pfizer)Respiratory syncytial virus and incidence of cardiovascular events: a nationwide self-controlled case series analysis (JACC Journals)Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)COVID-19 deaths (CDC)COVID-19 national and regional trends (CDC)COVID-19 variant tracker (CDC)SARS-CoV-2 genomes galore (Nextstrain)Comorbidities associated with different degrees of severity in children and young people hospitalized with acute COVID-19 (Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal)SHIELD-Utah study shows Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine induces lower reactogenicity symptoms compared to mRNA (Novavax)Interim clinical considerations for use of COVID-19 vaccines in the United States (CDC Vaccines & Immunizations)Novavax says its COVID vaccine produces fewer, milder reactions than Pfizer version(CIDRAP)US CDC advisers discuss narrower use of COVID-19 vaccines (Reuters)Where to get pemgarda (Pemgarda) EUA for the pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 (INVIYD)Fusion center (Prime Fusions) CDC Quarantine guidelines (CDC)NIH COVID-19 treatment guidelines (NIH)Drug interaction checker (University of Liverpool) Infectious Disease Society guidelines for treatment and management (ID Society)Molnupiravir safety and efficacy (JMV)Convalescent plasma recommendation for immunocompromised (ID Society)What to do when sick with a respiratory virus (CDC)When your healthcare provider is infected/exposed with SARS-CoV-2 (CDC)Managing healthcare staffing shortages (CDC)Steroids, dexamethasone at the right time (OFID) Anticoagulation guidelines ...
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    47 mins
  • TWiV 1209: Just say no to norovirus

    TWiV 1209: Just say no to norovirus
    Apr 13 2025

    TWiV reviews RFK Jr’s odd comments on ‘single antigen’ vaccines and his September deadline for understanding why autism has increased, dire wolf does not come back from the dead, oral norovirus vaccine tablet that induces mucosal immunity in older adults, and identification of broadly neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies against norovirus.

    Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Kathy Spindler, and Brianne Barker

    Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email

    Become a patron of TWiV!

    Links for this episode
    • Support science education at MicrobeTV
    • ASV 2025
    • RFK Jr. and Novavax (MSN)
    • September deadline to understand autism rise (Reuters)
    • Dire wolf not resurrected (Science)
    • Oral norovirus vaccine tablet (Sci Transl Med)
    • Broadly neutralizing norovirus monoclonal antibodies (Sci Transl Med)
    • Letters read on TWiV 1209
    • Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!
    Weekly Picks

    Brianne – New experiment updates classic experiment on how life on Earth started
    Kathy – APOD ISS meets Venus, Sign up for NASA ISS alerts, GoISS Watch
    Alan – Mason bees could replace honeybees as crop pollinators
    Vincent – Mystery of medieval manuscripts revealed by ancient DNA

    Listener Pick

    Sonrisa – GOT’EM Good!

    Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

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

    Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.
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    1 hr and 41 mins
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Profile Image for Kari Helgerud

Love it!

Science first and yet entertaining.
Wonderful gang full of knowledge and joy for related topics.

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Profile Image for M. Rossiter

Excellent Source

I found TWiV through the recommendation of another podcast. Like many I am a post covid follower and I have really appreciated TWiV as a source of current and accurate information. The clinical updates with Dr. Griffin are so useful . Dr Gritting uses language that I, a custodian i.e. not a science professional am able to understand. I find the clinical updates really ease my anxieties because finally I understand what is going on around me. Sometimes the other episodes I struggle to totally follow along but I always finish having learned something I didn't know before listening. Turns out virology and immunology is quite fascinating!

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Profile Image for norman rogers

Fun team

You need a background in Bio to enjoy this podcast, but if you are on the in you should have a great time.

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Very good science podcast!

The content is really good and always interesting with many great guests. Good job guys!

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Profile Image for portia shao

A good thing from the pandemic years

I discovered TWiV during 2020 due to the desire for more accurate and unbiased information about the viruses and then stayed for the good and interesting science. I never liked biology before but have found the discussions to be reasons to get interested in not only virology but biology, microbiology, even medicine. Although I don’t understand all the science, to hear the unfamiliar multiple times made them less intimidating and I feel like I am sitting in the same room as the host and guest scientists week after week when different topics are being discussed. The weekly clinical updates are also keeping me well informed about the viruses that we should be aware of in a timely way. Love this podcast and many sister podcasts from microbe.tv

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