This Week in Virology

TWiV covers a MacArthur Award for Jason McLellan, 2025 Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine, first treatment for Huntington’s Disease, structure of an archael dsDNA virus from head to tail, and discovery of a Legionella phage that explains a determinant of human disease. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Jolene Ramsey Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Support science education at MicrobeTV Jason McLellan wins MacArthur Award (NPR) 2025 Nobel Prizes Physiology or Medicine (Nobel Prizes) Huntington Disease treatment (BBC) Structure of archaeal tailed virus (Sci Adv) Discovery of Legionella phage (Sci Adv) Microbe of the Month: Legionella (Trends Micro) Letters read on TWiV 1261 Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Weekly Picks Alan – Specimen of the last female Great Auk finally identified. Jolene – Ribosome studio on IG Vincent – Greater noctule bats prey on and consume passerines in flight Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected] Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin with Vincent Racaniello chat about Jane Goodall’s death and the Nobel prize in Physiology/Medicine for understanding immune system control before Dr. Griffin deep dives into recent statistics on the measles epidemic, RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the Wasterwater Scan dashboard, Johns Hopkins measles tracker, if 2 doses of the influenza vaccine are better for protection of first season children, if COVID-19 negatively impacts pregnancy and the unborn child, efficacy of long-acting monoclonal antibody against symptomatic COVID-19, where to find PEMGARDA, how to access and pay for Paxlovid, can you be retreated with Paxlovid, long COVID treatment center, where to go for answers to your long COVID questions, long COVID in pediatrics, association of COVID-19 with new-onset vascular dementia 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 Jane Goodall’s legacy: three ways she changed science (Nature) They understood how the immune system is kept in check (The Nobel Prize) Daniel Griffin: The Nobel Prize for Understanding Autoimmune Disease (WNYC: New York Public Radio) Kennedy’s Ties to Ally Leading Vaccine Lawsuits Raise Ethical Concerns (NY Times) Ebola outbreak in southern Congo shows signs of containment with no new cases, WHO reports (AP News) Ebola Disease (WHO: African Region) Premature baby dies from measles in Alberta as cases throughout province near 2,000(Global News) DOH Issues Advisory After Measles Detection in City of Oswego Wastewater (Finger lakes dailynew.com) Wastewater for measles (WasterWater Scan) Measles cases and outbreaks (CDC Rubeola) 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) Measles (CDC Measles (Rubeola)) 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: clift notes (CDC FluView) Influenza-Associated Pediatric Deaths — United States, 2024–25 Influenza Season (CDC: MMWR) ACIP Recommendations Summary (CDC: Influenza) American Academy of Pediatrics Flu and Children (CDC: Influenza (flu)) Comparison of 2 Doses vs 1 Dose in the First Season Children Are Vaccinated Against Influenza (JAMA: Open Network) Influenza Vaccine Composition for the 2025-2026 U.S. Influenza Season (FDA) RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) 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) Evidence to Recommendations Framework (EtR): RSV Vaccination in Adults Aged 50–59 years (CDC: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases) Efficacy and safety of respiratory syncytial virus vaccines(Cochrane Library) 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) Antigenic and Virological Characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 Variant BA.3.2, XFG, and NB.1.8.1 (bioRxiV) Neonatal outcomes among pregnant women with COVID-19 (BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth) Safety and Efficacy of Pemivibart, a Long-Acting Monoclonal Antibody, for Prevention of Symptomatic COVID-19 (CID) Where to get pemgarda (Pemgarda) EUA for 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) Retreatment With Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir Following Return of COVID-19 Symptoms and SARS-CoV-2 Positivity (CID) 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) 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 COVID Long COVID associated with SARS-CoV-2 reinfection among children and adolescents in the omicron era (RECOVER-EHR) (LANCET: Infectious Diseases) Prevalence and duration of clinical symptoms of pediatric long COVID (Frontiers in Pediatrics) COVID-19 infection associated with increased risk of new-onset vascular dementia in adults ≥50 years(NPJ| dementia) Reaching out to US house representative Letters read on TWiV 1260 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 [email protected] Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

TWiV reviews experiments to understand infection, pathogenesis, and transmission of avian H5N1 influenza virus in goats, and identification of a cellular receptor for tick-borne encephalitis virus. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Support science education at MicrobeTV Public trust in science (Nature) Culling of H5N1 ostriches in Canada (Science) H5N1 in goats (Cell Rep) Receptor for tick-borne encephalitis virus (Nature) Letters read on TWiV 1259 Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Weekly Picks Brianne – Astronomers find clues suggesting Planet Y Alan – A tower of worms wriggles like a single organism Vincent – The EPA Is Ending Greenhouse Gas Data Collection. Who Will Step Up to Fill the Gap? Listener Picks Jay – Who Killed the Electric Car Douglas – Measles and Polio Down in the Schoolyard – Marsh Family parody Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected] Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin with Vincent Racaniello chat about the ongoing Ebola outbreak in DRC, increases in screwworm diagnoses, a pertussis death in Mississippi before Dr. Griffin deep dives into recent statistics on the measles epidemic, RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the Wasterwater Scan dashboard, Johns Hopkins measles tracker, monoclonal antibody therapy against RSV, where to find PEMGARDA, long COVID treatment center, where to go for answers to your long COVID questions, olfactory dysfunction following SARS-CoV-2 infection 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 Ebola Disease (WHO: African Region) Mexico sees 32% jump in flesh-eating screwworm cases since August as cases move north (Reuters) Pediatric Pertussis Death Reported (Mississippi State Department of Health) Wastewater for measles (WasterWater Scan) Measles cases and outbreaks (CDC Rubeola) 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) Measles (CDC Measles (Rubeola)) Measles (CDC: Measles Rubeola) 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) Influenza-Associated Pediatric Deaths — United States, 2024–25 Influenza Season (CDC: MMWR) ACIP Recommendations Summary (CDC: Influenza) Influenza Vaccine Composition for the 2025-2026 U.S. Influenza Season(FDA) RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses) RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection) Nirsevimab Administration and RSV Hospitalization in the 2024-2025 Season (JAMA: Open Network) 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) Evidence to Recommendations Framework (EtR): RSV Vaccination in Adults Aged 50–59 years (CDC: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases) Efficacy and safety of respiratory syncytial virus vaccines (Cochrane Library) 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) Antigenic and Virological Characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 Variant BA.3.2, XFG, and NB.1.8.1 (bioRxiV) Where to get pemgarda (Pemgarda) EUA for 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) 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) 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 COVID Olfactory Dysfunction After SARS-CoV-2 Infection in the RECOVER Adult Cohort (JAMA: Open Network) Reaching out to US house representative Letters read on TWiV 1258 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 [email protected] Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

From ESCV 2025, Vincent speaks with Elke Wollants about a project to identify SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses in toilet waste from airplanes. Host: Vincent Racaniello Guest: Elke Wollants Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Support science education at MicrobeTV Laboratory for Clinical and Epidemiological Virology (KU Leuven) Virologists in Greece (TWiV 1255 from ESCV) Airplane wastewater surveillance for pathogens (SSRN) Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected] Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

TWiV explains experiments to create genetically modified chickens that are resistant to avian influenza infection, and discovery of combination antiviral therapy for HTLV-1 infection. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Rich Condit Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Support science education at MicrobeTV Creating avian influenza virus resistant chickens (Nat Comm) Antiretroviral therapy and apoptosis inhibition for HTLV-1 (Cell) HTLV-1 infection (Cleveland Clinic) Letters read on TWiV 1257 Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Weekly Picks Rich – Chagas Disease, an Endemic Disease in the United States Alan – Archive of molecular biology artifacts ends its long, strange trip at a museum Vincent – The World’s Oceans Are Hurtling Toward Breaking Point Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected] Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

Vincent travels to Thessaloniki, Greece to attend the 27th meeting of the European Society for Clinical Virology, where he speaks with Pamela Vallely, ESCV President, and Piotr Kramarz, Chief Scientist, European CDC, about the activities of ESCV and ECDC. Host: Vincent Racaniello Guests: Piotr Kramarz and Pamela Vallely Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected] Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin with Vincent Racaniello lament the anti-vaccine, anti-science composition of the ACIP, US cases of Chagas disease, the Ebola vaccination campaign in the DRC, the death of an infant in LA due to measles complications (SSPE), before Dr. Griffin deep dives into recent statistics on the measles epidemic, RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the Wasterwater Scan dashboard, Johns Hopkins measles tracker, use of monoclonal antibodies against influenza, the lack of adverse effects of the COVID-19 mRNA in both non-pregnant and pregnant women, where to find PEMGARDA, long COVID treatment center, where to go for answers to your long COVID questions, immune cell infiltration into the central nervous system during long COVID 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 Northeast US states form health alliance in response to federal vaccine limits (Reuters) MEETING OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON IMMUNIZATION PRACTICES (ACIP) (CDC: ACIP) Viewpoint: Four tips for understanding this week’s ACIP meeting (CIDRAP) From Data to Decisions: The Evidence Base for 2025 Fall/Winter Immunizations (CIDRAP) Viewpoint: Four tips for understanding this week’s ACIP meeting (CIDRAP) Vaccine Integrity Project (CIDRAP) Chagas Disease, an Endemic Disease in the United States (CDC: Emerging Infectious Diseases) Ebola vaccination begins in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (WHO: Democratic Republic of Congo) Ebola Disease (WHO: African Region) Wastewater for measles (WasterWater Scan) Measles cases and outbreaks (CDC Rubeola) L.A. child dies from complication of measles infection contracted in infancy (LA Times) Tracking County-Level Measles Cases in the US (JAMA) 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) Measles (CDC Measles (Rubeola)) 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: clift notes (CDC FluView) Influenza Vaccine Composition for the 2025-2026 U.S. Influenza Season (FDA) Efficacy of Baloxavir Treatment in Preventing Transmission of Influenza (NEJM) RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) 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) Evidence to Recommendations Framework (EtR): RSV Vaccination in Adults Aged 50–59 years (CDC: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases) 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) Antigenic and Virological Characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 Variant BA.3.2, XFG, and NB.1.8.1 (bioRxiV) Moderna Announces Updated COVID-19 Vaccine Against LP.8.1 Variant Generates Strong Immune Response in Humans (Access Newswire) Adverse events associated with COVID-19 vaccination or diagnosis among pregnant and non-pregnant women in the United States, 2021-2022 (International Journal of Infectious Diseases) Where to get pemgarda (Pemgarda) EUA for 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) Infectious Disease Society guidelines for treatment and management (ID Society) PAXLOVID-nirmatrelvir and ritonavir : highlights of prescribing information (Pfizer) Help your eligible patients access PAXLOVID with the PAXCESS Patient Support Program (Pfizer) PAXCESSTM offers access and affordability options to patients prescribed PAXLOVIDTM (nirmatrelvir tablets; ritonavir tablets) (PAXCESS) 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) 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 COVID CSF immune cell alterations in women with neuropsychiatric Long COVID  (JID) Reaching out to US house representative Letters read on TWiV 1254 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 [email protected] Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

Vincent travels to Waterville Valley, NH to attend the Harvard virology retreat, where he speaks with Aaron Schmidt, Ben Gewurz, and Tatum Sass about their careers and their research on influenza virus, Epstein-Barr virus, and CAR-T cells. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello Guests: Aaron Schmidt, Ben Gewurz, and Tatum Sass Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Support science education at MicrobeTV Harvard Program in Virology Conserved sites on H1 and H3 HA (Sci Adv) Antigenic drift expands viral escape (Immunity) EBV LMP1 drives B cell oncometabolism (PLoS Path) Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected] Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.