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This Week in Virology

This Week in Virology

By: Vincent Racaniello
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 TWiV is a podcast about viruses - the kind that make you sick.Vincent Racaniello 2022 Biological Sciences Natural History Nature & Ecology Science
Episodes
  • TWiV 1225: Poultry flu and SARS-CoV-2

    TWiV 1225: Poultry flu and SARS-CoV-2
    Jun 8 2025

    TWiV reviews the administration’s call for fools gold-standard science, NIH may publish in-house, avian influenza viruses in birds in China, and Omicron pathogenicity and immune responses.

    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
    • Fool’s Gold Standard Science (Nature)
    • NIH may publish in-house (Stat News)
    • Diversity of H9N2 in China (Nat Micro)
    • Omicron and immunity (Cell Rep)
    • Letters read on TWiV 1225
    • Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!
    Weekly Picks

    Kathy – mSphere virus species names standardization
    Rich – Real Tides & Currents Graph HD
    Alan – Invasive termites spreading from privately owned boats
    Vincent – Entomologist Answers Insect Questions

    Listener Picks

    Gerry – Citations Needed podcast 221: Anti-science mugging
    Joyrell – Mayday: Air Disaster Favorite one, two, three, for Vincent

    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 57 mins
  • TWiV 1224: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

    TWiV 1224: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin
    Jun 7 2025
    In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin with Vincent Racaniello in dismay examine the MAHA-Make America Health Again-report and its inclusion of fictious studies or “Creative literature degree Medical Science writing”, RFK Jr contradicted by the CDC for COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for children, reduction in MMR vaccine coverage, the ongoing bird flu and measles outbreaks, how the General Accounting Office instructed HHS to fix deficiencies in infectious disease testing before the next pandemic, before Dr. Griffin reviews recent statistics on RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections the Wasterwater Scan dashboard, whether or not the NB.1.8.1 should be included in the fall 2025 vaccines approval of Moderna’s mNEXSPIKE vaccine for fall 2025, childhood immunization recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines, where to find PEMGARDA, results from the phase 3 randomized clinical trial of pemivibart, provides information for Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s long COVID treatment center, where to go for answers to your long COVID questions, the identification of an association between FOXP4 and long COVID and contacting your federal government representative to stop the assault on science and biomedical research. Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode The MAHA report (The White House)White House Health Report Included Fake Citations (NY Times)C.D.C. Contradicts Kennedy and Keeps Advice That Children May Get Covid Shots (NY TImes)CDC revises recommendation for COVID vaccines in kids (CIDRAP)Exclusive: CDC Expert resigns from COVID vaccines advisory role (Reuters) Trends in County-Level MMR Vaccination Coverage in Children in the United States (JAMA Network)U.S. Cancels Contract With Moderna to Develop Bird Flu Vaccine (NY Times)Canada Wants to Kill 400 Ostriches. Kennedy and Dr. Oz Want to Save Them. (NY Times)Confirmations of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Commercial and Backyard Flocks (USDA: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) H5 bird flu: current situation (CDC: Avian Influenza)Bird flu (CDC: Avian Influenza)H5N1 avian flu strikes another Arizona layer farm (CIDRAP)Bird flu outbreak kills 95% of Hickman’s Arizona chickens, closes West Valley farms (AZCentral) Wastewater for measles (WasterWater Scan)Additional Denver Resident Tests Positive forMeasles (Denver: The Mile High City)Health officials alert public of potential measles exposure at Denver International Airport and nearby hotel (Colorado: Department of public health and environment)Colorado announces another measles case linked to Turkish Airlines flight (CIDRAP)Measles cases and outbreaks (CDC Rubeola)Weekly measles and rubella monitoring (Government of Canada)Measles (WHO)Measles vaccine recommendations from NYP (jpg)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))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)Public Health Preparedness: HHS Needs a Coordinated National Approach for Diagnostic Testing for Pandemic Threats (GAO: US Government Accountability Office)GAO to HHS: Fix ‘persistent deficiencies’ in infectious-disease testing before next pandemic (CIDRAP)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)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)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)Antigenic and Virological Characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 Variant BA.3.2, XFG, and NB.1.8.1 (biRxiV)mNEXSPIKE is now approved and coming this fall (mNEXSPIKE)FDA approval for mNEXSPIKE (moderna)COVID-19 vaccine for 6 months, 12 years (CDC: childhood vaccination)COVID-19 vaccine for65 years and older (CDC: Adult vaccination)ACIP Shared Clinical Decision-Making Recommendations (CDC: Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices(ACIP))Safety and Efficacy of Pemivibart, a Long-Acting Monoclonal Antibody, for Prevention of Symptomatic COVID-19 (CID)Where to get pemgarda (Pemgarda) EUA for the pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19...
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    56 mins
  • TWiV 1223: Someone is guano be sick

    TWiV 1223: Someone is guano be sick
    Jun 1 2025

    TWiV reviews RFK Jr.”s MAGA report with non-existent literature citations, a new fungus that could further devastate North American bats, surveillance of avian influenza viruses through bird guano in remote regions, and the receptor for HKU5 coronaviruses is ACE2 from Pipistrellus abramus bats.

    Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, 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
    • Bad citations in MAGA report (Med Exp)
    • Another fungus for North American bats (NY Times)
    • Surveillance of avian influenza through bird guano (Nat Commun)
    • ACE2 from Pipistrellus bats is receptor for HKU5 coronaviruses (Nat Commun)
    • Letters read on TWiV 1223
    • Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!
    Weekly Picks

    Brianne – New mutation found in orange cats
    Kathy – Middle schooler’s STEM project leads to a bacterium with antibiotic activity and to an anti-cancer compound
    Vincent – Elon Musk’s Legacy Is Disease, Starvation and Death

    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.
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 51 mins
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Most relevant  
Science first and yet entertaining.
Wonderful gang full of knowledge and joy for related topics.

Love it!

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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!

Excellent Source

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

Fun team

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

Very good science podcast!

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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

A good thing from the pandemic years

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