Episodes

  • TWiV 1189: Viruses making waves

    TWiV 1189: Viruses making waves
    Feb 2 2025

    TWiV notes the HHS communication pause, and describes research showing that rotavirus viroporin activity is necessary for intracellular calcium signals that contribute to viral pathogenesis, and control of human orthrflavivirus vaccine challenge by T cells in the absence of neutralizing antibodies.

    Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Kathy Spindler, and Brianne Barker

    Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email

    Become a patron of TWiV!

    Links for this episode
    • Support science education at MicrobeTV
    • ASV 2025
    • Rotavirus viroporin activity, calcium waves, and pathogenesis (Sci Adv)
    • T cells control human orthoflavivirus challenge (Nat Micro)
    • Letters read on TWiV 1189
    • Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!
    Weekly Picks

    Brianne – The Perfect Cacio e Pepe Recipe, According to Science (primary article here)
    Kathy – Dragonflies Loop-the-Loop
    Alan – My Beloved Monster, by Caleb Carr
    Vincent – Why Did the FDA Ban Red Dye #3

    Listener Picks

    Anne – Japan’s 65-Foot Towering Snow Walls

    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 33 mins
  • TWiV 1188: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

    TWiV 1188: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin
    Feb 1 2025
    In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin and Vincent Racaniello discuss changes in access to public health information, the Marburg and Ebola outbreaks in Africa, the largest tuberculosis outbreak in the US ever, the politicization of polio vaccine campaigns in Pakistan, effect of high pathogenic influenza in animals and on the economy before Dr. Griffin reviews recent statistics on RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the WasterwaterScan dashboard, where to find PEMGARDA, provides information for Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s long COVID treatment center, where to go for answers to your long COVID questions, trials and devices to relieve some neurological complications of long COVID and the ramifications of long COVID in children, healthcare workers and adults. Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode No morbidity and mortality in the US this week? (NPR)More support for Marburg outbreak in Tanzania (Reliefweb)Tanzania confirming second Marburg case (CIDRAP) Norovirus mRNA vaccine …..hmmmm? (moderna) What is noronvirus? (modernatx)Largest tuberculosis outbreak ever in the US (Reuters) Ebola outbreak in DRC during US:WHO strain (STAT News) Uganda Ebola outbreak…..1 dead (Reuters)Polio outside endemic zone due to militants? (Washington Post)Mpox vaccination initiation in central Africa (CIDRAP)Preparing rapid response to emerging infectious disease in Africa (PANTHER Health)Mpox therapeutic study MOSA enrollment begins (Africa CDC) Halting of US foreign aid for health programs…..not in the US best interests? (NY Times) No PEPFAR (NY Times)PEPFAR (US Department of State)PEPFAR…..still not America first? Really? (CIDRAP)Resurgence of infections globally may affect US…..what is global health? (NY Times) Milk testing for H5N1….but I thought raw milk was the only healthy milk? (USDA)How do you like your $10.99 dozen of eggs? (NY Times) Farm outbreak of H5N1 (AP News)US- high pathogenicity avian influenza viruses (World Organization for Animal Health)H5N9 high pathogenic flu in duck farm California (CIDRAP)More egg issues (CIDRAP)Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)Weekly surveillance report: cliff notes (CDC FluView)RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection)US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)Respiratory syncytial virus vaccine effectiveness among US veterans, September, 2023 to March, 2024 (LANCET Infectious Diseases)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)Where to get pemgarda (Pemgarda) EUA for the pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 (INVIYD)Fusion center near you….if in NY (Prime Fusions) CDC Quarantine guidelines (CDC)NIH COVID-19 treatment guidelines (NIH) Infectious Disease Society guidelines for treatment and management (ID Society)Drug interaction checker (University of Liverpool)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 staffing shortages (CDC)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 COVIDLong COVID Recovery Program with Zara Dureno, BA, MOTThe current and future burden of long COVID in the United States (JID)Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation improves Long COVID symptoms in a female cohort (Frontiers in Neurology)Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation trials: https://www.mountsinai.org/clinical-trials/tvns-in-long-covid-19 https://www.centerwatch.com/clinical-trials/listings/NCT06585254/tvns-in-long-covid-19 Devices: https://pulsetto.tech/products/meet-pulsetto?pulsetto_offer_id=57&transaction_id=1024e5a0258b6647e262ba8fec5d62 https://www.dolphinmps.com/product/dolphin-neurostim-professional-single-kit-vagal-stim-kit/Distinct pro-inflammatory/pro-angiogenetic signatures distinguish children with Long COVID from controls (Pediatric Research)Persistent symptoms and clinical findings in adults with post-acute sequelae of COVID-19/post-COVID-19 syndrome in the second year after acute infection(PLoS Medicine)SARS-COV-2 re-infection and incidence of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) among essential workers in New York (LANCET: Regional Health Americas)Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the incidence and...
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    48 mins
  • TWiV 1187: The tau of herpesvirus

    TWiV 1187: The tau of herpesvirus
    Jan 26 2025

    TWiV explains a new blood test for head and neck cancer, Japanese regulators approve tecovirimat for mpox, an entry receptor for enterovirus D68, and anti-herpetic tau preserves neurons via a DNA sensing pathway in Alzheimer’s disease.

    Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Kathy Spindler, Brianne Barker, and Angela Mingarelli

    Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email

    Become a patron of TWiV!

    Links for this episode
    • Support science education at MicrobeTV
    • ASV 2025
    • Entry receptor for EV-D68 (Cell Host Microbe)
    • Anti-herpetic tau preserves neurons in Alzheimers (Cell Rep)
    • Letters read on TWiV 1187
    • Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!
    Weekly Picks

    Angela – Good genes are nice, but joy is better
    Brianne – Beaker Hair Clip
    Kathy – Pareidolia explained by street artist David Zinn TEDx talk Also visit zinnart.com
    Alan – Screwworm is coming back in the Americas
    Vincent – Dr. Jay Bhattacharya Was Nice to Someone During a Debate. That Doesn’t Erase the Consequences of His Misinformation

    Listener Picks

    Sarah – The Extremophile Campaign: In Your Home (ECIYH) citizen science

    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 57 mins
  • TWiV 1186: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

    TWiV 1186: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin
    Jan 25 2025
    In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin and co-host Vincent Racaniello lament about the public changes from withdrawing from the WHO to health and scientific communication pauses by the Trump Administration after a brief discussion of Marburg in Tanzania and mpox in England before reviewing cats and bird flu, the recent statistics on RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the WasterwaterScan dashboard, where to find PEMGARDA, provides information for Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s long COVID treatment center, and where to go for answers to your long COVID questions. Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Tanzania confirms Marburg virus outbreak (Reuters) Clade Ib mpox in England (Reuters)Withdrawing from the World Health Organization (WhiteHouse) Fees costs behind withdrawing from WHO ….is that what we are suppose to believe? (Sky News)Sorry to see you go, US? (WHO)Where are the updates? (CDC Health Alert Network) Pause in health communications of all kind (Washington Post) NIH chaos…..streaming to a halt? (STAT News) Devastation at the NIH, hiring traveling, meetings, communications(Science)Protect your cat from bird flu (NPR)No communication and cats with bird flu….does not sound good (CIDRAP)Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView)Baloxavir marboxil for prophylatix against influenza(NEJM)Comparative effectiveness of baloxavir marboxil and oseltamir treatment for reducint household transmission of influenza (Influenza and other respiratory viruses)RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection)US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)COVID-19 deaths (CDC)COVID-19 national and regional trends (CDC)Host-microbe multiomic profiling identifies distinct COVD-19 immune dysregulation in solid organ transplant recipients (Nature Communications)COVID-19 variant tracker (CDC)SARS-CoV-2 genomes galore (Nextstrain)Where to get pemgarda (Pemgarda) EUA for the pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 (INVIYD)Fusion center near you….if in NY (Prime Fusions) CDC Quarantine guidelines (CDC)NIH COVID-19 treatment guidelines (NIH) Infectious Disease Society guidelines for treatment and management (ID Society)Drug interaction checker (University of Liverpool)Real‐world effectiveness and safety of oral azvudine versus nirmatrelvir‒ritonavir (Paxlovid) in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 (Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy)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 staffing shortages (CDC)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 COVIDLong COVID Recovery Program with Zara Dureno, BA, MOTLetters read on TWiV 1186Dr. 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
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    47 mins
  • TWiV 1185: The birds and the Bs

    TWiV 1185: The birds and the Bs
    Jan 19 2025

    TWiV explains Guillain-Barré Syndrome associated with RSV vaccines, outbreaks of metapneumovirus in China and India, editors resign to protest Elsevier’s use of AI in publishing, global distribution and diversity of wild bird associated pathogens, and broadly inhibitory anti-neuraminidase antibody from human memory B cells.

    Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Brianne Barker

    Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email

    Become a patron of TWiV!

    Links for this episode
    • Support science education at MicrobeTV
    • ASV 2025
    • GBS with RSV vaccine (FDA)
    • Increase in respiratory infections in China (ECDC)
    • Elsevier journal editors resign (Retract Watch)
    • Wild bird associated pathogens (Med)
    • Broad anti-neuraminidase antibody (Cell Host Micr)
    • Letters read on TWiV 1185
    • Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!
    Weekly Picks

    Brianne – Dear Reviewer 2
    Rich – National Data Buoy Center
    Alan – BBC audio program on the World Morse Code Championships
    Vincent – These are the 20 most-studied bacteria — the majority have been ignored

    Listener Picks

    Peter – Local graffiti in Sydney
    Vivian – The Peoples’ Hospital by Dr. Ricardo Nuila

    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 52 mins
  • TWiV 1184: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

    TWiV 1184: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin
    Jan 18 2025
    In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin discusses current and past outbreaks of “vaccine” preventable diseases including whooping cough, polio and measles with your co-host Vincent Racaniello and the recent increase in norovirus outbreaks, if alcohol-based hand sanitizers aid in the spread of norovirus before reviewing the recent statistics on RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the WasterwaterScan dashboard, where to find PEMGARDA, provides information for Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s long COVID treatment center, if “long COVID” like symptoms occurs after influenza and how long COVID may associate with neurological complicates that control verbal memory. Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Notable infectious diseases in US (CDC NNDSS)Get your Tdap: whooping cough case increase (California Department of Public Health)Resurgence of measles among preschool aged children 1989-1991 (CDC: MMWR)Adults vulnerable to ‘childhood’ diseases (NY Times)Pivotal decision that led to a resurgence of polio (NY Times)Can polio return due to lagging vaccination? (NY Times) NoroSTAT Data Table (CDC Norovirus)The discovery of the 27-nm Norwalk virus: an historic perspective (JID)Why the “Ferrari of viruses” is surging through the northern hemisphere (Science)Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)Norovirus at Chipotle, $25million food fine (NY Times)Chipotle food issues: 2015 settlement with the justice department (Chipotle News)Purcel anyone? Hand sanitizers increase norovirus risk? (Canadian Medical Association Journal)Visualization by immune electron microscopy of a 27nm particle associated with acute infectious nonbacterial gastroenteritis (Journal of Virology) Winter vomiting disease (JID)ACIP: expanded recommendations for pneumococcal conjugate vaccines(CDC: MMWR) Presumptive bird flu case in San Francisco (SF. Gov)Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)Weekly surveillance report: cliff notes (CDC FluView)Antiviral medications for treatment ofnonsevere influenza(JAMA Network: JAMA Internal Medicine) Xofluza (GoodRx)RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection)US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)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)Where to get pemgarda (Pemgarda) EUA for the pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 (INVIYD)Fusion center near you….if in NY (Prime Fusions) CDC Quarantine guidelines (CDC)NIH COVID-19 treatment guidelines (NIH) Infectious Disease Society guidelines for treatment and management (ID Society)Drug interaction checker (University of Liverpool)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 staffing shortages (CDC)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) Symptom evolution in individuals with ongoing symptomatic COVID-19 and post COVID-19 syndrome after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination versus influenza vccination (Journal of Infection) Neurological post-COVID syndrome is associated with substantial impairment of verbal short-term and working memory (Scientific Reports)Letters read on TWiV 1184Dr. Griffin’s COVID treatment summary (pdf)Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv
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    46 mins
  • TWiV 1183: More than 2024 viruses

    TWiV 1183: More than 2024 viruses
    Jan 12 2025
    TWiV reviews some of their favorite virology stories from 2024. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, Kathy Spindler, and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Support science education at MicrobeTVASV 2025SARS-CoV-2 origins (TWiV Special)TWiV 1163: Hepadnaviridae in the heartlandTWiV 1117 Pol dances with the RNA that brought itHPV vaccine success (TWiV 1083, 1151, 1159, 1173)Monkeypox (TWiV 1095, 1119, 1143, 1145, 1147)Influenza H5N1 virus (VTWiV 1113, TWiV 1131, TWiV 1173)Influenza B/Yamagata removed from vaccine (TWiV 1161)Fiasco of poliomylelitis eradication (TWiV 1091, TWiV 1125, TWiV 1105, TWiV 1151, TWiV 1145, TWiV 1147, TWiV 1161, TWiV 1143)Protective immunity isn’t just bout antibodies (TWiV 1089, 1105, 1115, 1135, 1165)Closing the toilet lid doesn’t help (TWiV 1083)Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Weekly Picks Brianne – Scientists put vampire bats on treadmills to learn about metabolism Kathy – Says Who?: A Kinder, Funner, Usage Guide for Everyone Who Cares About Words Rich – Mark Rober on PBS Newshour Brief But Spectacular (Wiki; Testing The World’s Smartest Crow) Vincent – How Glenn Gould Broke Classical Music 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 50 mins
  • TWiV 1182: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

    TWiV 1182: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin
    Jan 11 2025
    In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin discusses how vaccination and vaccine hesitancy affects public health and disease spread in terms of mpox, the first human death from H5N1 in US, why one should not feed their pets raw pet food and the metapneumonia outbreak in China before reviewing the recent statistics on RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the WasterwaterScan dashboard, where to find PEMGARDA, how nirmatrelvir-ritonavir/Paxlovid reduces adverse outcomes of COVID in patients with kidney disease, provides information for Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s long COVID treatment center, SARS-CoV-2 infection affects skin conditions including shingles and if long antiviral treatment affects long COVID. Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Mpox vaccination hesitancy, previous immunisation coverage, and vaccination readiness in the African region (eClincial Medicine)Global prevalence and correlates of mpox vaccine acceptance and uptake (Communications Medicine)First case of new mpox variant in France (Reuters) First “Bird flu” death in US (NY Times)Emerging threat of H5N1 to human health (NEJM)Don’t feed your pets raw food (County of Los Angeles Public Health)Oregon, nationwide raw pet food recall (CIRAP) Raw cat food avian flu, is this like raw milk? (CIDRAP)Human metapneumovirus surging in China (The Guardian)Viral video of viral chaos: human metapneumovirus in Chinese hospital (The Economic Times)Human metapneumovirus in China (NY Times)Acute respiratory infections including human metapneumovirus in northern hemisphere (WHO)Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView)RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection)US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)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)Where to get pemgarda (Pemgarda) EUA for the pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 (INVIYD)Fusion center near you….if in NY (Prime Fusions) CDC Quarantine guidelines (CDC)NIH COVID-19 treatment guidelines (NIH) Infectious Disease Society guidelines for treatment and management (ID Society)Drug interaction checker (University of Liverpool)The effect of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir on short- and long-term adverse outcomes from COVID-19 among patients with kidney disease (OFID)Paxlovid tied to lower risk of hospital stay, heart problems, death in adults with kidney disease and COVID (CIDRAP)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 staffing shortages (CDC)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)Chronic urticaria, vitiligo, alopecia areata, and herpes zoster following COVID-19 infection (Journal of Dermatology)Impact of extended-course oral nirmatrelvir/ritonavir in established Long COVID:(Communications Medicine)Letters read on TWiV 1182Dr. Griffin’s COVID treatment summary (pdf)Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv
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    31 mins