This Week in Virology

TWiV 1303: Overachieving vaccines

TWiV reviews an association between shingles vaccination and slower biological aging, and how mucosal immunization in mice provides protection against disease caused by diverse viruses and bacteria. 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 Positions in Rosenfeld Lab (email) Shingles vaccination may slow biological aging (J Gerontol) Getting virus classification and nomenclature right (J Virol) Mucosal vaccination blocks diverse respiratory diseases (Science) Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!   Weekly Picks Brianne – I grew up unvaccinated. Now I’m an Immunologist Rich – Horizons from PBS News – The science behind exercise and why it’s good for our bodies; The London Busman Study (Cardiac Health) Alan – Waste Wars: The Wild Afterlife of Your Trash, by Alexander Clapp Vincent – America vs the World by Robert Kagan Listener Pick Anne – Winners of the 2026 Underwater Photographer of the Year Award 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 1302: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin and Vincent Racaniello talk about the health misconceptions that RFK Jr continues to perpetuate and how to combat them, first cases of highly pathogenic influenza in the California elephant seal population before Dr. Griffin deep dives into economic costs of not vaccinating against measles, the measles outbreak in South Carolinaand Utah, ICE detention centers, lack of accurate reporting may prevent the US from losing its status as a country that eliminated measles, immune amnesia from measles infection, influenza strain selection for the 2026-2027 vaccine,  recent statistics for RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the Wasterwater Scan dashboard, Johns Hopkins measles tracker, where to find PEMGARDA, how to access and pay for Paxlovid, when to use steroids for treating influenza, long COVID treatment center, where to go for answers to your long COVID questions, clinical trials for long COVID treatment including GLP-1 inhibitors and IVIG 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 Kristen Panthagani, MD, PhD (Substack) You can know things! (Substack) Kmpanthagani: Kristen Panthagani, MD, PhD Instagram) Kristen Panthagani, MD, PhD kmpanthagani (Threads) Psychological inoculation improves resilience against misinformation on social media (Science) 5 Logical fallacies in the era of RFK Jr. (Substack) Tecovirimat for the Treatment of Mpox (NEJM) California records avian flu in northern elephant seals (CIDRAP) First Cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Northern Elephant Seals Confirmed in California (UC Davis) Wastewater for measles (WasterWater Scan) The health and economic repercussions of declining MMR coverage in the United States (medRxiv) 2025 measles resurgence carries estimated $244 million price tag (CIDRAP) US builds case to retain measles elimination status as infections mount (Reuters) Expert meeting on US measles elimination status delayed to November (Reuters) ‘Nearly Every’ Child With Measles Suffers This Hidden Threat (Medscape) CDC acting director Bhattacharya urges use of measles vaccine (Reuters) Measles cases and outbreaks (CDC Rubeola) Measles Dashboard (South Carolina Department of Public Health) Utah measles outbreak response (Utah Department of Health and Human Services) Utah Measles Dashboard (Utah Department of Health and Human Services) Escobar: ICE sending sick migrants to El Paso hospitals for quarantine (BorderReport) 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) 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) Flu vaccine recommendations: Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee March 12, 2026 Meeting Announcement (FDA) WHO updates all 3 viral strains to be included in fall flu shots (CIDRAP) Weekly surveillance report: cliff notes (CDC FluView) OPTION 2: XOFLUZA $50 Cash Pay Option (xofluza) RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) Respiratory Diseases (Yale School of Public Health) 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) Respiratory Diseases (Yale School of Public Health) RSV Detection and Antibiotic Prescribing Decisions for Pediatric Respiratory Tract Infections (JAMA Network) 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) Where to get pemgarda (Pemgarda) EUAfor 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) Help your eligible patients access PAXLOVID with the PAXCESS Patient Support Program (Pfizer Pro) Understanding Coverage Options (PAXCESS) 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) Anticoagulationguidelines (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 SARS-CoV-2Persistence and the Gut Microbiota: New Insights into Long COVID Pathogenesis (MDPI) Neither Metformin nor Ursodeoxycholic Acid Effectively Treats Postacute Sequelae of COVID-19 (Annals of Internal Medicine) Long COVID: RECOVER-TLC Clinical Trials (Foundation for the National Institute of Health) Design and rationale of RECOVER-AUTONOMIC: A randomized platform trial evaluating interventions for Long COVID postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (American Heart Journal) Dr. Ruth’s Newsletter: COVID, Flu & Health News, 3/1/26 (Substack) Reaching out to US house representative Letters read on TWiV 1302 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 1301: Lost in giant virus translation

TWiV reviews lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus seroprevalence among urban pregnant women and newborns in Philadelphia, and a functional translation initiation complex encoded in the genome of giant viruses that drives synthesis of viral structural proteins. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, 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 Positions in Rosenfeld Lab (email) LCMV seroprevalence among pregnant women (Emerg Inf Dis) Giant viruses encode functional vIF4F (Cell) Ribosomal proteins encoded in viral genomes (virology blog) Letters read on TWiV 1301 Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Weekly Picks Angela – “The Song of the Cell” by Siddhartha Mukherjee. Kathy – Fitbit for farts (WSJ and 1° article) Rich – The Password That Lets Caterpillars Hide in an Ant’s Lair Vincent – Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson Listener Pick Larry – Get an early start! (primary article) 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 1300: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin and Vincent Racaniello discuss several states and the governor of Pennsylvania suing HHS over changes in the childhood vaccination schedule, the vaccine derived type 2 poliovirus outbreak in Pakistan and implications for the global withdrawal of the oral poliovirus vaccine, and the outbreak of Candida, then Dr. Griffin deep dives into recent statistics RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the Wasterwater Scan dashboard, Johns Hopkins measles tracker, where to find PEMGARDA, how to access and pay for Paxlovid, when to use steroids for treating influenza, long COVID treatment center, where to go for answers to your long COVID questions, 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 States vs RFK Jr and Bhattacharya: changes to the childhood vaccine schedule (Office of the Attorney General, California) Surgeon General Nominee Sidesteps Questions on Vaccines at Senate Hearing (NY Times) Unqualified failure in polio vaccine policy left thousands of kids paralyzed (Science) Clinical and Epidemiological Investigation of Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus Type 2 Outbreak in Pakistan During 2019–2021 (CID) Inactivated Polio Vaccine Must Be an Essential Part of Polio Eradication (CID) Wastewater for Candida auris: Wastewater (WasterWater Scan) Wastewater for measles (WasterWater Scan) Measles cases and outbreaks (CDC Rubeola) Big outbreak, bright lights…Measles Dashboard (South Carolina Department of Public Health) Utah Measles Dashboard (Utah Department of Health and Human Services) 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) 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: cliff notes (CDC FluView) OPTION 2: XOFLUZA $50 Cash Pay Option (xofluza) RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) Respiratory Diseases (Yale School of Public Health) 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) Respiratory Diseases (Yale School of Public Health) 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) COVID-19 vaccination status during pregnancy and preeclampsia risk: the pandemic-era cohort of the INTERCOVID consortium (eClinical Medicine) Where to get pemgarda (Pemgarda) EUAfor 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) Help your eligible patients access PAXLOVID with the PAXCESS Patient Support Program (Pfizer Pro) Understanding Coverage Options (PAXCESS) Infectious Disease Society guidelines for treatment and management (ID Society) Molnupiravir safety and efficacy (JMV) Convalescent plasma recommendation for immunocompromised (ID Society) Use of corticosteroids in influenza-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome and severe pneumonia: a systemic review and meta-analysis(Scientific Reports) What to do when sick with a respiratory virus (CDC) Managing healthcare staffing shortages (CDC) Anticoagulationguidelines (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 Reaching out to US house representative Letters read on TWiV 1300 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 1299: Moth balls and blood clots

TWiV explains how vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia develops from antibodies to adenovirus and somatic hypermutation, and castration by a viral protein tyrosine phosphatase that targets a host cell cycle checkpoint protein. 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 Positions in Rosenfeld Lab (email) US repeals environmental endangerment finding (Nature) Environmental groups sue EPA (Guardian) NIAID to drop pandemic preparedness and biodefense (Nature) FDA backpedals on Moderna mRNA rejection (npr) Mechanism of VITT (NEJM) Parasitc castration by a wasp virus protein (PNAS) Polydnaviruses (PloS Path) Letters read on TWiV 1299 Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Weekly Picks Brianne – The effect of seeing scientists as intellectually humble on trust in scientists and their research Rich – The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge by David McCullough Alan – Recipes from the American South, by Michael Twitty Vincent – Why Returning From Mars ls Impossible – Richard Feynman’s Warning 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.