This Week in Virology

TWiV returns to the 2012 brouhaha over transmission experiments with avian H5N1 influenza virus, re-examines the claim of SARS-CoV-2 RNA integration into human DNA, and reviews the engineering and testing of a genetically stable version of the attenuated type 2 Sabin poliovirus vaccine. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Amy Rosenfeld Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode ASV vaccine town halls 3:16 First smallpox vaccine day Revised masking and distancing (CDC) Science vs Spin (Sandman) Artifactual SARS-CoV-2 integration (PNAS) SARS-CoV-2 integration is artifactual (J Virol) Engineering new OPV2 (Cell Host Micr) Safety and immunogenicity of nOPV2 (Lancet) Poliopolis (Lancet) Letters read on TWiV 756 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Weekly Picks Dickson – Five Deeps Amy – Premonition by Michael Lewis Alan – The Secret Life of Groceries by Benjamin Lorr Rich – The Way Ferrofluid Floats Above a Superconductor Is Unreal Vincent – Threading the NEIDL Listener Picks Iradis – SN15 Launch and Landing Blue Pilgrim – Howland Garden Tools Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

In COVID-19 clinical update #62, Daniel Griffin covers outdoor transmission of the virus, safe use of NSAIDS, expansion of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to include 12-15 year olds, post-disease Mucormycosis, and hydroxychloroquine treatment associated with increased mortality. Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Moderna vaccine safe, effective in teens (AAP news) Review of outdoor transmission (JID) Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine EUA 12-15 year olds (FDA) NSAIDS safe in COVID-19 (Lancet Rheum) Post-COVID black fungus (Laryngol Otol) HCQ and increased mortality (Nat Comm) Letters read on TWiV 755 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv

TWiV discusses the finding that the envelope (E) protein of SARS-CoV-2 is sensed by toll-like receptor 2 on cells, leading to the production of inflammatory cytokines that cause damage to cells and tissues in COVID-19. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, Kathy Spindler, and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode ASV vaccine town halls Michelson Prizes FDA authorizes Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine for adolescents (FDA) TLR2 senses SARS-CoV-2 E protein (Nat Imm) Review on CoV E protein (Virology J) Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Weekly Picks Brianne – Lab.Hacks Lab Assistant App Rich – Weird viral DNA spills secrets to biologists; COVAX Kathy – Planet Earth Now Vincent – Variants at ViralZone Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

TWiV revisits Brazil’s rejection of Sputnik vaccine, examines influenza transmission via the air from the nasal epithelium of ferrets, and a history of accidental releases of polioviruses and their relevance for eradication of poliomyelitis. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode ASV vaccine town halls Sputnik Light Ferret airborne transmission of influenza virus (Nat Comm) Facility releases of poliovirus (Emerg Inf Dis) Polio eradication progress (Polio Erad Init) Letters read on TWiV 753 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Weekly Picks Dickson – Exotic mantis Brianne – Types of Scientific Paper Alan – Rusty Lake Games / Cube Escape Collection Rich – The Departed Could Soon Become Compost in Colorado; Recompose (wiki) Vincent – Public Health Image Library Listener Pick Ivan – Apollo 11: As They Shot It Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

In COVID-19 clinical update #61, Daniel Griffin reviews a modeling of future hospitalizations and deaths by vaccination rates and non pharmaceutical intervention scenarios, performance evaluation of rapid antigen tests, children making up a growing share of new cases, antibody response to mRNA vaccine in solid organ transplant recipients, and outcomes in hospitalized patients treated with tocilizumab. Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Modeling future COVID-19 cases (MMWR) Performance of rapid antigen tests (Ann Int Med) Children are growing share of infections (AAP News) Tocilizumab in hospitalized patients (Lancet) Letters read on TWiV 752 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv

TWiV examines the claim by Brazil’s ANVISA that the Sputnik vaccine contains replication-competent adenovirus, and a role for the furin cleavage site in SARS-CoV-2 spike for efficient reproduction in the respiratory tract, evasion of antiviral IFITM proteins, and transmission in ferrets. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode ASV vaccine town halls Brazil rejects Gamaleya vaccine (Sci Transl Med) Russian vaccine behavior (Sci Transl Med) Is Gamaleya vaccine safe? (Science) Furin cleavage site in replication and transmission (Nat Micro) Furin site loss attenuates pathogenesis (Nature) Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Weekly Picks Rich – The diversity and function of sourdough starter microbiomes; Dunn Lab Wild Sourdough Project Kathy – ISS, Crew Dragon, and the sun  Doubly warped world of binary black holes Vincent – Mr. Labman Listener Picks Joy – Abandoned America: Matthew Christopher’s Autopsy of the American Dream Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

The TWiVmeisters discuss how copy-back defective viral genomes might modulate the clinical outcome of respiratory syncytial virus infection, and detection of antibodies to henipa- and filo-like viruses in Trinidad bats. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Vaccine education town halls (ASV) RSV cpDVG may influence clinical outcome (Nat Micro) Henipa- and filo-like viruses in Trinidad bats (J Inf Dis) Nice image of cpDVG generation Letters read on TWiV 750 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Weekly Picks Dickson – Olympus Image of the Year Award Alan – We need to improve the welfare of life science trainees Rich – Sheldrick Wildlife Trust; The Reteti Elephant Sanctuary Kathy – Aria Code Nessun dorma podcast Vincent – Covariants Listener Picks Justin – How Pfizer Makes Its Covid-19 Vaccine Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

In COVID-19 clinical update #60, Daniel Griffin summarizes CDC guidance for summer camps, how to protect yourself when fully vaccinated, updated recommendation for J&J vaccine, declining global case fatality rate, and characterization of post-acute sequelae. Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Summer camp guidance (CDC) Protect yourself when fully vaccinated (CDC) Updated recommendation on J&J vaccine (MMWR) NY variant B1.526 (one, two) Declining global CFR (AJTMH) Protease inhibitor in phase I (Pfizer) Molnupiravir advances (Merck) Post acute sequelae (Nature) Letters read on TWiV 749 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv

A TWiV trio explains a method for sequencing single genomes of SARS-CoV-2 and its use to explore in-host evolution drive by antibody responses, and incidence of cerebral venous thrombosis in COVID-19 patients and vaccine recipients. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode In-host SARS-CoV-2 evolution drive by antibody (PLoS Path) COVID-19 and CVT (OSF) CoronaVac underperforms (Economist) Precision Vaccines Program postdoc position Letters read on TWiV 748 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Weekly Picks Brianne – Show Your Immune System Some Love Alan – Cyborg sea turtle Vincent – Thomas Brock dies Listener Picks April – The High Line Michel – Why you can’t compare Covid-19 vaccines Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

Daniel Griffin discusses a front-line health care worker survey, pre-exposure seropositivity and subsequent infection in healthy young adults, fitted filtration efficiency of double masking, BinaxNow rapid in-home antigen test, postvaccination infections in a nursing facility, safety of mRNA vaccine in pregnant women, case control study of Bamlanivimab, no evidence for brain infection in patients with neurolgical symptoms, and mortality among US patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Healthcare worker survey (KFF) Seropositivity and infection risk in young adults (Lancet) Efficiency of double masking (JAMA) BinaxNow antigen test (Abbott) mRNA vaccine safety in pregnant persons (NEJM) Bamlanivimab case control study (CID) COVID-19 neuropathology (Brain) Mortality among hospitalized COVID-19 patients (JAMA) Letters read on TWiV 747 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv