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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 1221: Nonsense mediated decay

    TWiV 1221: Nonsense mediated decay
    May 25 2025

    TWiV reviews cuts in National Science Foundation budgets, cuts to Harvard University grants, judge blocks ban on Harvard enrolling international students, DOGE ordered cuts of NIH grants, endemic coronavirus infection induces Fc receptor binding antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, and inherited IFNAR1 deficiency causing adverse reactions to measles and yellow fever infectious vaccines.

    Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Angela Mingarelli

    Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email

    Become a patron of TWiV!

    Links for this episode
    • Support science education at MicrobeTV
    • NSF funding cut to lowest level (NY Times)
    • 1,000 grants cut at Harvard University (Nature)
    • Administration ban on international students at Harvard blocked (CNN)
    • DOGE killed NIH grants (Nature)
    • Endemic coronavirus infection induces FcR binding antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 (J Virol)
    • IFNAR1 deficiency and severe reaction to measles and yellow fever vaccines (J Exp Med)
    • Letters read on TWiV 1221
    • Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!
    Weekly Picks

    Angela – Contact lenses that give people infrared vision — even with their eyes shut (one, two)
    Alan – Autocrats are afraid of you – see the graphic, especially.
    Vincent – How One Company Secretly Poisoned The Planet

    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 59 mins
  • TWiV 1220: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

    TWiV 1220: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin
    May 24 2025
    In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin with Vincent Racaniello debate the changes in FDA vaccine approval policy especially how it is applied to COVID-19 vaccines and restricts vaccine availability/usage and Novavax’s vaccine, mpox on surfaces and in the air, “bird flu”, the ongoing measles outbreak globally before Dr. Griffin reviews recent statistics on RSV, benefits of vaccination for infants, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the Wasterwater Scan dashboard, the high number of childhood deaths during this “flu” season, the May 22 VRBPAC COVID-19 vaccine meeting, where to find PEMGARDA, prolonged steroid and antibiotic therapies, provides information for Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s long COVID treatment center, where to go for answers to your long COVID questions, cognitive impairment in 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 FDA to issue new vaccine approval guidance amid questions over coronavirus shots (Washington Post)FDA vaccine committee meeting(Reuters)Evidence-based approach to COVID-19 vaccination (NEJM)FDA CBER townhall: new COVID019 vaccination approval mechanism (YouTube)FDA poised to restrict access to COVID vaccines, our own Dr. Griffin is cited! (NY Times)Novavax approval letter (FDA)We giveth and taketh away: Novavax approved but restricted use (AP News)FDA approves Novavax COVID vaccine with stricter new conditions (NY Times)History behind public health falsehoods– vaccine and autism (NPR)Making vaccines less accessible-RFK Jr making MAHA! (PBS News Hour)Kenneday says DO NOT to take medical advice from him, the HHS secretary…hummmm (NY Times)Staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccines (CDC: COVID-19)How science lost America’s trust and surrendered health policy to skeptics (WSJ)HHS stops recommendation of COVID-19 shots for children and pregnant women (Reuters) No more routine COVID-19 vaccines for children and pregnant women (WSJ)House to investigate Pfizer for allegedly delaying COVID-19 vaccines (Reuters)Statement on the antigen composition of COVID-19 vaccines (WHO)WHO advisers say current strains OK for COVID vaccine production (CIDRAP)We can’t remain indifferent to suffering: Catholic Church now champions HPV vaccination (DailyNation) Air and surface sampling for mpox in UK (Eurosurveillance)Researchers report mpox DNA, live virus on surfaces and in air from patients’ rooms(CIDRAP)USDA reported H5N1 bird flu detection in wild birds (CDC: Avian Influenza)USDA reported H5N1 in poultry (CDC: Avian Influenza)HPAI Confirmed Cases in Livestock(USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspections Service) H5 bird flu: current situation (CDC: Avian Influenza)Bird flu (CDC: Avian Influenza)Measles cases and outbreaks (CDC Rubeola)Measles and rubella weekly monitoring report: (Government of Canada)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)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)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)Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines in the United States (CDC: COVID-19)COVID-19 vaccine VRBPAC May 22 (FDA)Where to get pemgarda (Pemgarda) EUA for the pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 (INVIYD)Infusion 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 ...
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    54 mins
  • TWiV 1219: Koalas sweep horse shift

    TWiV 1219: Koalas sweep horse shift
    May 18 2025

    TWiV reviews pause in the use of Chikungunya vaccine, HHS to stop recommending COVID shots for pregnant women and children, molecular basis for shifted receptor recognition by an encephalitic alphavirus, and evolution of koala retrovirus transcriptional silencing in wild koalas.

    Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, and Rich Condit

    Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email

    Become a patron of TWiV!

    Links for this episode
    • Support science education at MicrobeTV
    • Pause in use of Ixchiq (FDA)
    • Change in COVID vaccine recommendations (STAT)
    • Basis for receptor shift in encephalitic alphavirus (Cell)
    • Transcriptional silencing of koala retrovirus (Cell)
    • Letters read on TWiV 1219
    • Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!
    Weekly Picks

    Rich – What’s that stuff in your bellybutton? Science has the answer.
    Vincent – New study reveals our skin’s own bacteria can help protect us from the bad effects of sunlight

    Listener Pick

    Rona – My Italian secret: the forgotten heroes and Italy and the Holocaust Foundation, Inc.

    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 55 mins
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All stars
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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