This Week in Virology

TWiV reveals all that we know so far about the variant of concern B.1.1.529, also called Omicron, and describes a study on the ability of the alpha, beta, and delta variants to reproduce in cells in culture and induce membrane fusion. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Kathy Spindler, and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Omicron genome changes (Covariants) Omicron shared changes with other variants (Covariants) Update on Omicron (WHO) Spike polymutant PMS20 (bioRxiv) Syncytium formation of variants of concern (EMBO J) Variants as super cell fusers (EMBO J) Letters read on TWiV 836 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Weekly Picks Brianne – Immune Kathy – Elizabeth Lee Hazen and Rachel Fuller Brown, discoverers of nystatin oneand two Alan – Four Lost Cities by Analee Newitz Vincent – Deadly Choices by Paul Offit Listener Picks Ryan – Ronny Jackson (one and two) Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

TWiV reviews why children should be vaccinated against COVID-19, increased risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2 Beta, Gamma, and Delta variant compared to Alpha variant in vaccinated but not recovered individuals, and immune correlates of protection from the mRNA-1273 vaccine efficacy trial. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode COVID-19 vaccines for children (Science) Risk of infection with variants (medRxiv) Immune correlates of mRNA-1273 (Science) Letters read on TWiV 835 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Weekly Picks Dickson – Pee Wee Herman aka Paul Rubens Brianne – APOD: Pleiades Vincent – A History of Poliomyelitis by JR Paul Listener Picks Richard – Let’s talk about a familiar problem and a new tactic…. Sherri – Have the New Jab Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

In COVID-19 clinical update #90, Dr. Griffin covers FDA expansion for booster doses, 3 more at home antigen tests approved by FDA, immune correlates analysis of mRNA-1273 vaccine, risk for stillbirth, PROVENT prophylaxis trial results, fluvoxamine recommendations, advice on molnupiravir, automated text messaging service for monitoring illness, and long COVID-19 after vaccination and infection. Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Expanded eligibility for booster doses (FDA) More rapid antigen tests approved (FDA) Immune correlates for mRNA-1273 (Science) Risk for still birth with and without COVID-19 (MMWR) PROVENT phase III prophylaxis trial (AstraZenica) Fluvoxamine guidelines (IDSA) COVID-OUT trial (Univ Minnesota) Monoclonal antibody treatment in vaccinated infected (J Inf Dis) Steroid use in non-oxygen requiring patients (QJM) Doxycycline trial (Lancet) Efficacy of inhaled ciclesonide (JAMA) Advise on use of molnupiravir (EMA) Text messaging for monitoring disease (Ann Int Med) Long COVID after vaccination and infection (Res Square) Ivermectin for West Nile virus (Medpage Today) Letters read on TWiV 834 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv

TWiV reviews Michael Worobey’s dissection of the early COVID-19 cases in Wuhan, and the discovery that herpesviruses assimilate cellular kinesin to produce motorized virus particles. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Kathy Spindler Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Early COVID-19 cases in Wuhan (Science) Herpesviruses assimilate kinesin (Nature) Letters read on TWiV 833 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Weekly Picks Kathy – Power of poop Alan – Under the Sky We Make, by Kimberly Nicholas Vincent – Enzymatic amplification of beta-globing sequences Listener Picks Paula – Reasons to be Cheerful and The Night Witches by Bruce Myles Grant – George Carlin – Germs, Immune System Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

TWiV reviews the vials labeled smallpox that were not, re-emergence of enterovirus D68 in Europe, efficacy of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, and cellular correlates of protection for an oral influenza virus vaccine. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Rich Condit, and Amy Rosenfeld Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Smallpox vials contain vaccinia virus (6abc.com) European re-emergence of enterovirus D68 (Eurosurveill) Efficacy of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (Lancet) Cellular correlates of protection for oral flu vaccine (Cell Host Micr) Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Weekly Picks Dickson – Rodney Dangerfield Amy – Calder at MoMA Rich – ‘Useless Specks of Dust’ Turn Out to Be Building Blocks of All Vertebrate Genomes Vincent – Structure of small viruses Listener Picks Charles – It is raining you lied to me Dave – A Whole New Ball Game Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

In COVID-19 clinical update #89, Dr. Griffin reviews upcoming meeting on FDA emergency use authorization for molnupiravir, 25% of US cases in children, reinfection associates with presence of antibodies, national surveillance for acute flaccid myelitis in the US, and monoclonal antibody treatment of infection in vaccinated, high-risk individuals. Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Scott Hammer on TWiV 52 Meeting for molnupiravir EUA (FDA) SARS-CoV-2 reinfection associates with antibodies (Clinical Inf Dis) AFM surveillance in US (CDC) Monoclonal antibody treatment in high-risk patients (J Inf Dis) Letters read on TWiV 831 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv

TWiV explains that a recent report suggesting that the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein inhibits V(D)J recombination in vitro would not impact immunity after infection or vaccination, and describes the isolation of remdesivir resistant mutants in cells in culture, and the emergence of amino acid changes in the spike protein identical to those in variants of concern, in the absence of immune selection. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler Click arrow to play Download TWiV 830 (67 MB .mp3, 112 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Spike protein inhibition of V(D)J recombination in vitro (Viruses) Evolutionary predictability of SARS-CoV-2 (PLoS Path) Letters read on TWiV 830 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Weekly Picks Kathy – When do we get back to normal? Maybe now. Rich – The Covid-19 Pandemic Alan – Yaupon Brothers American tea Vincent – Cracking the genetic code (and Niremberg’s account) Listener Picks Justin – Partisan vaccination Lisa – The Red Flag Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

A TWiV duo reviews how SARS-CoV-2 attacks the olfactory mucosa but spares the olfactory bulb, vaccination with BNT162b2 induces virus-specific stem cell memory T cells, and development of an oral protease inhibitor for the treatment of COVID-19. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode How SARS-CoV-2 attacks olfactory mucosa (Cell) SARS-CoV-2-specific stem cell memory T cells after mRNA vaccine (Sci Immunol) Oral SARS-CoV-2 protease inhibitor (Science) Paxlovid phase 2/3 trial preliminary results (Pfizer) Letters read on TWiV 829 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Weekly Picks Brianne – Coronavirus Neutralizing Antibodies and mRNA Vaccine Video Vincent – MHC restriction of cytotoxic T cell lysis (Nobel description) Listener Picks Lisa – Shall Furnish Medicine Bistra – Saving the World by Julia Alvarez Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

In COVID-19 clinical update #88, Dr. Griffin covers vaccine protection among US veterans, absence of long COVID in vaccinated who are infected, single dose of REGEN-COV monoclonal antibody cocktail provides long term protection, and Pfizer protease inhibitor Paxlovid is 89% effective in preventing hospitalization or death. Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Vaccine protection of US veterans (Science) Long term protection by REGEN-COV (Regeneron) Pfizer protease inhibitor Paxlovid phase 2/3 results (Pfizer) Letters read on TWiV 828 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv

Greg Zuckerman joins TWiV to discuss his book that explores the race to produce COVID-19 vaccines, with insights into the companies, scientists, and executives involved and the rivalries, ambitions, ego, and a desire to save the world. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler Guest: Greg Zuckerman Click arrow to play Download TWiV 824 (76 MB .mp3, 127 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode A Shot to Save the World (Hardcover, Kindle) Letters read on TWiV 827 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Weekly Picks Dickson – Michael Palin Kathy – Science News Centennial Rich – Diverse variola virus (smallpox) strains were widespread in northern Europe in the Viking Age Vincent – Evidence for somatic rearrangement of immunoglobulin genes (and commentary) Listener Picks Matt – Clinical evidence that the pandemic from 1889 to 1891 commonly called the Russian flu might have been an earlier coronavirus pandemic Brigitte – The Obscure Virus Club Justin – Eddie Holmes wins Prime Minister’s Prize for Science Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv