This Week in Virology

In COVID-19 clinical update #87, Dr. Griffin reviews PCR cycle threshold and RNA copy number, rapid antigen tests, hospitalization rate after infection or vaccination, allergies and vaccination, community transmission and viral RNA load, early treatment with sotrovimab, meta-analysis of tocilizumab treatment, antibiotic overuse, and guidelines on the use of anticoagulation for thromboprophylaxis. Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode CDC vaccine nod to 5-11 year olds (CDC) Sensitivity of rapid antigen tests (Front Micro) COVID-19 among infected or vaccinated (MMWR) Allergy and vaccination symptoms (JAMA) Community transmission and viral RNA load (Lancet) Early treatment with sotrovimab (NEJM) Tocilizumab treatment meta-analysis (Leukemia) Antibiotic overuse in COVID-19 (Am J Trop Med Hyg) Anticoagulants for thromboprophylaxis (Blood Adv) Letters read on TWiV 826 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv

In this special live-streamed episode of TWiV, Dr. Daniel Griffin fields questions on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 from listeners. Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv

TWiV explores the properties of the spike glycoproteins of an influenza B virus discovered in the Wuhan spiny eel, and protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection one year after mRNA-1273 vaccination of nonhuman primates. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Rich Condit, and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode HA and NA of Wuhan spiny eel influenza virus (Nat Comm) Protection one year after mRNA-1273 vaccination (bioRxiv) Letters read on TWiV 824 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Weekly Picks Dickson – Best of Gilda Radner Brianne – This polio survivor is one of the last still relying on an iron lung Rich – WHO Announces Proposed Members of its Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO); (members) Vincent – Discovery of mRNA (paper one and two) Listener Picks Doris – History of smallpox and smallpox vaccine Judith – How the immune system works Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

In COVID-19 clinical update #86, Dr. Griffin discusses virologic features of infection in children, antibody tests should not be used to asses level of protection, test-to-stay programs in schools, FDA authorizes Moderna boosters, results of TOGETHER trial for fluvoxamine, statins and 28 day mortality, and cognitive function in patients. Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode 115,000 healthcare worker deaths (Stat News) Virology features of infection in children (J Inf Dis) Antibody tests not for assessing protection (FDA) Infections in vaccinated healthcare workers (NEJM) Flawed science of antibody testing (JAMA) Test-to-stay in school (US News) Vaccination and non-COVID mortality risk (MMWR) EUA for Moderna booster (FDA) Fact sheet for use of casirivimab and imdevimab (FDA) Effect of early treatment with fluvoxamine (Lancet) Statins and 28-day mortality (J Inf Dis) Cognitive function after COVID-19 (JAMA) Routine vaccination coverage worldwide (MMWR) Letters read on TWiV 823 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv

Rich reviews the history of smallpox and the discovery of variola viral genomes in ancient DNA from human remains throughout Northern Europe, which pushes back the earliest date of smallpox virus infection to ~600–1050 CE, overlapping the Viking Age. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, Kathy Spindler, and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Variola virus genomes from Viking era (Science) Hidden history of ancient plagues (Nature) Was smallpox a mild disease? (Science) Smallpox: Ten years gone (Am J Pub Health) Myth of the milkmaid (NEJM) Interview with DA Henderson (ASM) Letters read on TWiV 822 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Weekly Picks Brianne – The Animal Kingdom is Full of Genetic Screwballs Kathy – Science dresses, accessories from Svaha and Rosalind Franklin’s DNA diffraction dress Rich – The Saxon Stories Alan – Cincinnati’s “Old Cunny,” and audiobook version Vincent – Infectious QBeta viral DNA Listener Picks Jeff – The unvaccinated may not be who you think Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

A TWiV trio reveal the isolation of novel paramyxoviruses from rodents and bats in Arizona, and isolation of naive B cells from seronegative donors that produce germline encoded antibodies which engage the receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2, variants of concern, and related sarbecoviruses from bats. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Bat and rodent paramyxoviruses from Arizona (J Viral) Naive B cells engage SARS-CoV-2 RBD (Science Immunol) Vincent interviews Philip Sharp (ASM) Letters read on TWiV 821 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Weekly Picks Brianne – Apod: The Dolphin Head Nebula Rich – The Tree That Could Help Stop The Pandemic; Elucidating the Mechanisms of Action of Saponin-Derived Adjuvants Vincent – Discovery of RNA splicing in Sharp and Roberts laboratories Listener Picks Jason – Home Assistant Alena – VirusCraft Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

In COVID-19 clinical update #85, Dr. Griffin reviews cases and deaths by vaccination status, mRNA vaccine effectiveness in 12-18 year olds, standard and extended dosing of mRNA vaccines, immune responses after vaccination, Moderna booster dose approved, giving monoclonals at home, no benefit from colchicine, and IFN does not help remdesivir. Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Guidelines on COVID-19 drugs (WHO) Holiday celebrations (CDC) COVID-19 cases and deaths by vaccination status (CDC) Effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA Vaccination 12-18 years (MMWR) Rollout of vaccines for 5-11 year olds (WaPo) Standard and extended dosing mRNA vaccine (Cell) Differential kinetics immune responses after vaccination (NEJM) Moderna booster dose approved (FDA) Vertically transferred maternal immune cells (Nat Comm) Giving monoclonals at home (JAMA) No benefit from colchicine (Lancet) IFN does not help remdesivir (Lancet) Letters read on TWiV 820 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv

TWiV explains how remdesivir inhibits the SARS-CoV-2 RNA polymerase: the drug is incorporated into the growing RNA chain and causes synthesis to stall when the drug clashes with an amino acid in the active site. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode How remdesivir stalls the SARS-CoV-2 polymerase (Nat Comm) Movie of polymerase stalling (Nat Comm) Second mechanism of remdesivir inhibition (J Biol Chem) Watson Crick molecular model (Science Museum Group) Letters read on TWiV 819 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Weekly Picks Kathy – Great Lakes Science Center, Cleveland Rich – How to Temporarily Disable Your Keyboard with a Keyboard Shortcut in Windows Alan – How to Make a Slave and Other Essays by Jerald Walker Vincent – A structure for deoxyribose nucleic acid Listener Picks Steve – How the immune system actually works Lise – Lise Meitner: A Life in Physics Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

The TWiVers review phase 3 efficacy and safety results for the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine, effects on the neonatal immune system caused by maternal infection with SARS-CoV-2, and NHC, the metabolite of molnupiravir, causes mutations in cellular DNA. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Rich Condit, Kathy Spindler, and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Efficacy and safety of Novavax vaccine (medRxiv) A floret of spikes with Matt Frieman (TWiV 729) Maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection affects neonatal immunity (Nat Immunol) NHC is mutagenic in mammalian cells (J Inf Dis) Coding for catastrophe (Nat Struct Mol Biol) Molnupiravir development (Nature) Letters read on TWiV 818 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Weekly Picks Dickson –  John Clease Brianne – Astronomy Picture of the Day: Swirl in the Southern Sky Kathy – Lise Meitner  Statue is at the Humboldt University Rich – Google has the cleanest cloud. Now it’s helping other companies go green Vincent – Discovery of reverse transcriptase by Baltimore and Temin Listener Picks Sam – Air Travel Packing List Justin – PFAS: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and EPA targets greenhouse emissions Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

In COVID-19 clinical update #84, Dr. Griffin discusses childrens’ antibody response to vaccination, phase 3 results of Novavax vaccine, heterologous vaccination, antithrombotic therapy, EUA for molnupiravir, phase 3 results of AZD7442, serum ferritin levels and outcomes, heparin therapy, and WHO strategy for global vaccination. Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello   Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Antibody profiles after mRNA vaccination in children (bioRxiv) Novavax vaccine phase 3 results (medRxiv) Heterologous vaccine boosters (medRxiv) Antithrombotic therapy outcomes (JAMA) Molnupiravir EUA submitted (Merck) AZD7442 phase 3 results (AstraZeneca) Serum ferritin levels and disease outcome (JAMA) Heparin efficacy (JAMA) WHO strategy to vaccinate world (WHO) Letters read on TWiV 817 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv