This Week in Virology

From ESCV 2025, Vincent speaks with Elke Wollants about a project to identify SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses in toilet waste from airplanes. Host: Vincent Racaniello Guest: Elke Wollants Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Support science education at MicrobeTV Laboratory for Clinical and Epidemiological Virology (KU Leuven) Virologists in Greece (TWiV 1255 from ESCV) Airplane wastewater surveillance for pathogens (SSRN) Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! 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.

TWiV explains experiments to create genetically modified chickens that are resistant to avian influenza infection, and discovery of combination antiviral therapy for HTLV-1 infection. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Rich Condit Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Support science education at MicrobeTV Creating avian influenza virus resistant chickens (Nat Comm) Antiretroviral therapy and apoptosis inhibition for HTLV-1 (Cell) HTLV-1 infection (Cleveland Clinic) Letters read on TWiV 1257 Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Weekly Picks Rich – Chagas Disease, an Endemic Disease in the United States Alan – Archive of molecular biology artifacts ends its long, strange trip at a museum Vincent – The World's Oceans Are Hurtling Toward Breaking Point 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.

Vincent travels to Thessaloniki, Greece to attend the 27th meeting of the European Society for Clinical Virology, where he speaks with Pamela Vallely, ESCV President, and Piotr Kramarz, Chief Scientist, European CDC, about the activities of ESCV and ECDC. Host: Vincent Racaniello Guests: Piotr Kramarz and Pamela Vallely Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! 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.

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin with Vincent Racaniello lament the anti-vaccine, anti-science composition of the ACIP, US cases of Chagas disease, the Ebola vaccination campaign in the DRC, the death of an infant in LA due to measles complications (SSPE), before Dr. Griffin deep dives into recent statistics on the measles epidemic, RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the Wasterwater Scan dashboard, Johns Hopkins measles tracker, use of monoclonal antibodies against influenza, the lack of adverse effects of the COVID-19 mRNA in both non-pregnant and pregnant women, where to find PEMGARDA, long COVID treatment center, where to go for answers to your long COVID questions, immune cell infiltration into the central nervous system during 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 Northeast US states form health alliance in response to federal vaccine limits (Reuters) MEETING OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON IMMUNIZATION PRACTICES (ACIP) (CDC: ACIP) Viewpoint: Four tips for understanding this week's ACIP meeting (CIDRAP) From Data to Decisions: The Evidence Base for 2025 Fall/Winter Immunizations (CIDRAP) Viewpoint: Four tips for understanding this week's ACIP meeting (CIDRAP) Vaccine Integrity Project (CIDRAP) Chagas Disease, an Endemic Disease in the United States (CDC: Emerging Infectious Diseases) Ebola vaccination begins in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (WHO: Democratic Republic of Congo) Ebola Disease (WHO: African Region) Wastewater for measles (WasterWater Scan) Measles cases and outbreaks (CDC Rubeola) L.A. child dies from complication of measles infection contracted in infancy (LA Times) Tracking County-Level Measles Cases in the US (JAMA) Tracking Measles Cases in the U.S. (Johns Hopkins) Measles vaccine recommendations from NYP (jpg) Weekly measles and rubella monitoring (Government of Canada) Measles (WHO) 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) Influenza: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses) Respiratory virus activity levels (CDC Respiratory Illnesses) Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView) Influenza Vaccine Composition for the 2025-2026 U.S. Influenza Season (FDA) Efficacy of Baloxavir Treatment in Preventing Transmission of Influenza (NEJM) RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses) RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection) Vaccines for Adults (CDC: Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection (RSV)) Economic Analysis of Protein Subunit and mRNA RSV Vaccination in Adults aged 50-59 Years (CDC: ACIP) Evidence to Recommendations Framework (EtR): RSV Vaccination in Adults Aged 50–59 years (CDC: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases) Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) COVID-19 deaths (CDC) Respiratory Illnesses Data Channel (CDC: Respiratory Illnesses) 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 (bioRxiV) Moderna Announces Updated COVID-19 Vaccine Against LP.8.1 Variant Generates Strong Immune Response in Humans (Access Newswire) Adverse events associated with COVID-19 vaccination or diagnosis among pregnant and non-pregnant women in the United States, 2021-2022 (International Journal of Infectious Diseases) 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) PAXLOVID-nirmatrelvir and ritonavir : highlights of prescribing information (Pfizer) Help your eligible patients access PAXLOVID with the PAXCESS Patient Support Program (Pfizer) PAXCESSTM offers access and affordability options to patients prescribed PAXLOVIDTM (nirmatrelvir tablets; ritonavir tablets) (PAXCESS) Molnupiravir safety and efficacy (JMV) Convalescent plasma recommendation for immunocompromised (ID Society) What to do when sick with a respiratory virus (CDC) Managing healthcare staffing shortages (CDC) Anticoagulation guidelines (hematology.org) Daniel Griffin's evidence based medical practices for long COVID (OFID) Long COVID hotline (Columbia : Columbia University Irving Medical Center) The answers: Long COVID CSF immune cell alterations in women with neuropsychiatric Long COVID (JID) Reaching out to US house representative Letters read on TWiV 1254 Dr. Griffin's COVID treatment summary (pdf) Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

Vincent travels to Waterville Valley, NH to attend the Harvard virology retreat, where he speaks with Aaron Schmidt, Ben Gewurz, and Tatum Sass about their careers and their research on influenza virus, Epstein-Barr virus, and CAR-T cells. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello Guests: Aaron Schmidt, Ben Gewurz, and Tatum Sass Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Support science education at MicrobeTV Harvard Program in Virology Conserved sites on H1 and H3 HA (Sci Adv) Antigenic drift expands viral escape (Immunity) EBV LMP1 drives B cell oncometabolism (PLoS Path) Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! 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.

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin with Vincent Racaniello discuss the continued Legionnaire's outbreak in Harlem, invasive Asia longhorned tick and associated disease, potential Ebola outbreak in the Congo, Florida ending childhood vaccine mandates, before Dr. Griffin deep dives into recent statistics on the measles epidemic, RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the Wasterwater Scan dashboard, Johns Hopkins measles tracker, SARS-CoV-2 spillover into household/domestic dogs, real data demonstrating the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines, states that increase access to COVID-19 vaccines, effective and availability to PAXLOVID, where to find PEMGARDA, long COVID treatment center, where to go for answers to your long COVID questions, the beginning of numerous long COVID clinical studies 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 Legionnaires' Disease: In Harlem (NYC Health) 2 dead, dozens sickened by Legionnaires' disease in Westchester County: Officials (NBC News) Invasive longhorned tick found for 1st time in New England (AP News) First person bitten by east Asian longhorned tick (AP News) Invasive, disease-carrying tick found in Maine, the farthest northeast it has been spotted (AP News) Suspected cases rise in DR Congo Ebola outbreak (CIDRAP) Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (CDC: Travelers' Health) Patricia Mazzei (NY Times) Florida Moves to End Vaccine Mandates for Schoolchildren (NY Times) Wastewater for measles (WasterWater Scan) Measles cases and outbreaks (CDC Rubeola) Tracking Measles Cases in the U.S. (Johns Hopkins) Measles vaccine recommendations from NYP (jpg) Weekly measles and rubella monitoring (Government of Canada) Measles (WHO) 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) Influenza: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) Influenza-Associated Hospitalizations During a High Severity Season — Influenza Hospitalization Surveillance Network, United States, 2024–25 Influenza Season (CDC: MMWR) US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses) Respiratory virus activity levels (CDC Respiratory Illnesses) Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView) Influenza Vaccine Composition for the 2025-2026 U.S. Influenza Season (FDA) RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) Risk factors for severe outcomes of respiratory syncytial virus infection in children (LANCET: Regional Health Europe) US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses) RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection) Vaccines for Adults (CDC: Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection (RSV)) Economic Analysis of Protein Subunit and mRNA RSV Vaccination in Adults aged 50-59 Years (CDC: ACIP) Evidence to Recommendations Framework (EtR): RSV Vaccination in Adults Aged 50–59 years (CDC: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases) Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) COVID-19 deaths (CDC) Respiratory Illnesses Data Channel (CDC: Respiratory Illnesses) 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 (bioRxiV) Spillover of SARS-CoV-2 to domestic dogs in COVID-19–positive households: A one health surveillance study (Virus Research) Pfizer and BioNTech Announce Topline Data Demonstrating Robust Immune Response With Their LP.8.1-Adapted COVID-19 Vaccine 2025-2026 Formula (Pfizer) Minnesota, New York issue executive orders promoting access to COVID vaccines (CIDRAP) No. 52: Declaring a Disaster in the State of New York Due to Federal Actions Related to Vaccine Access(NY State: Executive Order #52) 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) Managing healthcare staffing shortages (CDC) Patient-Reported Outcomes of Nirmatrelvir Treatment for High-Risk, Nonhospitalized Adults With Symptomatic COVID-19 (OFID) Real-world effectiveness of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir against severe outcomes of COVID-19 in Taiwan (OFID) PAXLOVID-nirmatrelvir and ritonavir : highlights of prescribing information (Pfizer) Help your eligible patients access PAXLOVID with the PAXCESS Patient Support Program (Pfizer) PAXCESSTM offers access and affordability options to patients prescribed PAXLOVIDTM (nirmatrelvir tablets; ritonavir tablets) (PAXCESS) Steroids,dexamethasone at the right time (OFID) Anticoagulation guidelines (hematology.org) Daniel Griffin's evidence based medical practices for long COVID (OFID) Long COVID hotline (Columbia : Columbia University Irving Medical Center) The answers: Long COVID Clinical trials explore how Low-Dose Naltrexone could help people with Long COVID (The Sick Times) Three clinical trials for Long COVID are testing JAK inhibitors to treat immune dysregulation (The Sick Times) Research updates, July 29: Stellate ganglion blocks, may help reduce the severity of some symptoms of Long COVID and ME (The Sick Times) New Long COVID and complex disease center at Mount Sinai set to be a leader in research, clinical care (The Sick Times) RECOVER-TLC announces new Long COVID clinical trials, receives mixed reactions from patient community (The Sick Times) Reaching out to US house representative Letters read on TWiV 1252 Dr. Griffin's COVID treatment summary (pdf) Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

TWiV re-issues our 100th episode which featured a discussion of viruses with David Baltimore, an exemplary scientist and Vincent's exemplary mentor, who passed on 6 September 2025. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Rich Condit Guest: David Baltimore Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Support science education at MicrobeTV David's early papers on poliovirus and mengovirus RNA synthesis Reverse transcriptase found by Baltimore and Temin (pdfs) Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1975 The David Baltimore asteroid belt Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! 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.

TWiV reviews a study showing that the 2009 influenza pandemic virus disrupted biennial respiratory syncytial virus epidemics in northern Stockholm, and development of broad-spectrum synthetic carbohydrate receptors that inhibit viral entry of coronaviruses, filoviruses, and paramyxoviruses. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, Kathy Spindler, and Angela Mingarelli Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Support science education at MicrobeTV Florida will end all state vaccine mandates (Reuters) New West Coast Health Alliance (Gov Newsome) COVID vaccines to be more accessible in NY State (CBSNews) Colorado makes COVID vaccines accessible (Denver Post) Massachusetts makes COVID vaccines accessible (Boston dot com) Viral interference disrupts RSV biennial pattern (Nat Comm) Broad-spectrum antiviral carbohydrate receptors (Science Adv) Pedantry about 'in cellulo' (Protocol Online) Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Weekly Picks Angela – Revolutionary Bee "Superfood" Could Save Collapsing Colonies (U Oxford) Kathy – Margaret W. Rossiter, Who Discovered Women of Science, Dies at 81 Rich – Scientists track humpback whale migration with help from AI (Happywhale) Alan – You're probably using the wrong dictionary (Alan's first work of fiction) Vincent – Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus Infection in a Child with No Known Exposure 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.