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 1199: Loosely contained

    TWiV 1199: Loosely contained
    Mar 9 2025

    TWiV covers a second death over 150 cases of measles in Texas, utter failure of removal of type 2 poliovirus from OPV, more OPV doses administered in Gaza, second Ebola outbreak in Sudan, vaccine being tested, Trump administration cancels $400 million in grants to Columbia University, bat-infecting merbecovirus that binds human ACE2 and infects human cells, and innate immune sensing of rotavirus by intestinal epithelial cells leads to diarrhea.

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

    Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email

    Become a patron of TWiV!

    Links for this episode
    • Support science education at MicrobeTV
    • ASV 2025
    • Second child dies of measles (NY Times)
    • Over 150 measles cases in Texas (Texas DSHS)
    • Utter failure of removal of OPV2 from OPV (Science)
    • Over 600,000 doses of OPV administered in Gaza (polioeradication)
    • Second outbreak of Sudan Ebola in Uganda (IAVI)
    • Columbia grants canceled by administration (NBC News)
    • Bat merbecovirus also infects human cells via Ace2 (Cell)
    • Recent virus research, was proper containment used? (NY Times)
    • Innate immune sensing of rotatvirus leads to diarrhea (Cell Host Microbe)
    • Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!
    Weekly Picks

    Kathy – Mice cry out when they urinate, and give mouth to mouth resuscitation
    Rich – Firefly Aerospace
    Alan – Strong Museum of Play
    Vincent – How a PhD student’s lab size affects their chance of future academic success

    Listener Picks

    Larry – James Harrison’s rare blood protected many infants

    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 52 mins
  • TWiV 1198: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

    TWiV 1198: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin
    Mar 8 2025
    In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin with Vincent Racaniello deliberate the effect of the absence of US foreign aid on the Ebola outbreak in Uganda and death of two children, continued use of nOPV2 in Gaza and the utter failure of type 2 poliovirus removal from the oral poliovirus vaccine, growing measles outbreak in the US including the death of a second child, measles infection parties, the use of fat soluble vitamin A and fish liver oil as anti-viral therapies as well as the history and proven safety of the measles vaccine before Dr. Griffin reviews recent statistics on RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the WasterwaterScan dashboard, where to find PEMGARDA, what happens when antiviral therapy is delayed, provides information for Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s long COVID treatment center, and where to go for answers to your long COVID questions, long COVID interventions. Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode African region: outbreaks and other emergencies(WHO Bitstream)US withdrawal……death of 4 year old children from Ebola (CIDRAP)Science and health writer Apoorva Mandavilli (NY Times)US foreign aid pullback……death of 4 year old in Uganda (NY Times) Another Ebola death reported in Kampala (Monitor)African region: outbreaks and other emergencies(WHO Bitstream)More than 600,000 doses of nOPV2 in Gaza last week (GPEI)Utter failure of the global withdrawal of the Sabin oral poliovirus type 2 vaccine 2016 (Science)Measles 159 in Texas…. (Texas Health and Human Services) Second child dies in the growing measles outbreak (Washington Post)2025 Measles outbreak guidance (New Mexico Health)Lea county resident tests positive for measles after death (New Mexico Health)Robert F Kennedy Jr article series (The Guardian)Kennedy Jr backtracks and says US measles outbreak is now a ‘top priority’ for health department (The Guardian)RFK Jr. Says Ending Measles Outbreak Is Priority (Wall Street Journal)RFK Jr. Sparks Anti-Vaxxer Anger: ‘No Different Than Fauci’ (Newsweek)Amid West Texas measles outbreak, vaccine resistance hardens (Washington Post)How to protect your children during a measles outbreak (healthychildren.org)Measles vaccination protects against virus infection and other infections (Science)MEASLES (WHO)C.D.C. Sends ‘Disease Detectives’ to Texas for Measles Outbreak(NY Times) Studies on an attenuated measles-virus vaccine — clinical, virologic and immunologic fffects of vaccine in institutionalized children(NEJM)Studies on an attenuated measles-virus vaccine — clinical and antigenic effects of vaccine in institutionalized children (NEJM)Studies on an attenuated measles-virus vaccine — administration of vaccine by several routes (NEJM)Studies on an attenuated measles-virus vaccine — clinical, antigenic and prophylactic effects of vaccine in institutionalized and home-dwelling children(NEJM)Studies on an attenuated measles-virus vaccine — clinical, antigenic and prophylactic effects of vaccine in institutionalized children(NEJM)Studies on an attenuated measles-virus vaccine — clinical, antigenic and prophylactic effects of vaccine in home-dwelling children (NEJM)Studies on an attenuated measles-virus vaccine — general summary and evaluation of the results of vaccination(NEJM)Cooperative measles vaccine field trial (Pediatrics)A collaborative study of measles vaccines in five united states communities (American Journal of Public Health)A field trial of inactivated measles virus vaccine in young school children(JAMA Network)Prevention of natural and experimental measles with the vaccine(JAMA Network)A field trial in young school children(JAMA Network)Measles vaccination before the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (American Journal of Public Health)The status of measles vaccines (Journal of the National Medical Association)Measles, mumps, and rubella (mmr) vaccination: what everyone should know (CDC Vaccines & Immunizations)Clinical review memo- measles, mumps, rubella (FDA) History of the measles vaccine (WHO) Vitamin A and the measles (Yahoo! News)As measles spreads, Kennedy embraces remedies like cod liver oil (NY Times)Parents are holding ‘measles parties’ in the U.S., alarming healthexperts(Global News)Influenza: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)Weekly surveillance report: cliff notes (CDC FluView)RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) Weekly US influenza surveillance report (CDC FluView)US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection)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)...
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    43 mins
  • TWiV 1197: The long and short of influenza

    TWiV 1197: The long and short of influenza
    Mar 2 2025
    TWiV reviews passing of Ann Palmenberg, deadly illness in western Congo, US disruption of mpox and ebolavirus programs, first measles death in Texas outbreak, flu vaccine selection meeting postponed, US withdraws from polio, malaria, HIV programs and more, clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1 viruses have a long HA stalk, and systems vaccinology to identify predictors of durable antibody response to multiple vaccines in humans. 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 MicrobeTVASV 2025 Ann Palmenberg dies (Cress)Ann at Chumakov Symposium (YouTube) Unknown illness in Congo (NY Times)Bad news about mpox outbreak (NPR)US interrupts Ebola prevention program (NPR)First measles death in Texas (Texas Trib) Flu vaccine selection meeting canceled (NY Times)US ends funding for polio, HIV, malaria and more (NY Times)Clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1 neuraminidase has a long stalk (mBio)Predictors of durable antibody responses to vaccines (Nat Immunol)Review of adjuvants (Vaccinol Methods Vacc Res)Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Weekly Picks Brianne – Video of the Northern Lights from Space Rich – Vaccination for Sudan Ebola virus disease Alan – Specialized moth wing scales give it 3-D camouflage (news and paper) Vincent – WHO Recommendations for Influenza Vaccine Composition for the 2025-2026 Northern Hemisphere Influenza Season Listener Picks Gerry – Eukaryotic Transcription Anne – The science of the solar system 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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