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This Week in Virology

This Week in Virology

By: Vincent Racaniello
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TWiV is a podcast about viruses - the kind that make you sick.Vincent Racaniello 2022 Biological Sciences Nature & Ecology Science
Episodes
  • TWiV 1337: The whitefly and the Red Queen

    TWiV 1337: The whitefly and the Red Queen
    Jul 5 2026

    TWiV explains research that reveals an an alternative evolutionary path of antiviral signalling in a sea anemone, and how a bacterial symbiont and a plant virus enhance insect fitness by inducing physical defenses against fungal parasites.

    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
    • Positions in Rosenfeld Lab (email)
    • Springer-Nature retracted two papers by Max Planck, probably with a bot (Science)
    • Alternative evolutionary path of antiviral signalling in sea anemone (Nat Ecol Evol)
    • Bacterial symbiont and plant virus protect whitefly against fungal parasites (PNAS)
    • Letters read on TWiV 1337
    • Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!
    Picks of the Week

    Rich – The Mercy of Gods by James S. A. Corey; Livesuit by James S. A. Corey
    Alan – Climate.us, run by former NOAA scientists after Trump gutted their agency's climate site
    Vincent – A Chemically Defined Synthetic Cell Capable of Growth and Replication

    Listener Pick

    Lana – The Episodic Table of Elements

    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 53 mins
  • TWiV 1336: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

    TWiV 1336: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin
    Jul 4 2026
    In his weekly clinical update, Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello lament about the new ACIP charter, how administration of the HPV vaccine has eliminated cervical cancer deaths in young women, the global economic burden of infectious disease, restoring trust in vaccinology, new screwworm cases, the Ebola outbreak in the Congo and Uganda and need for preparedness, before Dr. Griffin deep dives into the measles outbreak, recent statistics RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the Wasterwater Scan dashboard, Johns Hopkins measles tracker, how to access and pay for Paxlovid, publication of the blocked COVID-19 vaccine findings, where to go for answers about long COVID-19, 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 New ACIP charter broadens criteria for members, calls for review of alternatives to vaccines (STAT News)ACIP Charter (CDC: Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices)HPV vaccination eliminated cervical cancer deaths in young UK women in recent years, study suggests (CIDRAP)Cervical cancer mortality trends following HPV vaccination in England, 2001–24: an analysis of population-based mortality data (LANCET)Dashboard SCREWWORM.Gov (USDA: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service)CDC Activates Emergency Operations Center for New World Screwworm Response (CDC Newroom)Ebola dashboard (ebola.fyi) EBOLA:The Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2026 (WHO) Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak Democratic Republic of the Congo (WHO: Democratic Republic of Congo)Ebola Outbreak: Current Situation (CDC:Ebola)Size of the 2026 Ebola outbreak and risk of cross-border spillover from Bundibugyo virus in Ituri Province, DR Congo, and its implications for preparedness: a recalibrated stochastic modelling study (LANCET Infectious Diseases)US CDC raises Ebola outbreak response to highest level (Reuters)Construction of US-backed Ebola quarantine unit in Kenya is stopped (CIDRAP)ASPR Supports Global Ebola Response While Strengthening U.S. Preparedness (Administration for Strategic Preparedness & Response) 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 outbreak response (Utah Department of Health and Human Services) Utah Measles Dashboard (Utah Department of Health and Human Services)Measles (VDH: Virginia Department of Health)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)) 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)FDA vaccine advisers recommend adding subclade K to fall shots (CIDRAP)Weekly surveillance report: cliff notes (CDC FluView)US military requires flu vaccine for some after outbreak in Texas training center (Reuters) OPTION 2: XOFLUZA $50 Cash Pay Option (xofluza)RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) Respiratory Diseases (Yale School of Public Health)USrespiratory 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)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...
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    23 mins
  • TWiV Special: Albert Sabin with Karen Torghele

    TWiV Special: Albert Sabin with Karen Torghele
    Jun 29 2026

    Vincent speaks with Karen Torghele about her recently published biography of polio vaccine pioneer Albert Sabin, the first ever written.

    Host: Vincent Racaniello

    Guest: Karen Torghele

    Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email

    Links for this episode
    • Karen Torghele's website
    • Purchase Albert Sabin by Karen Torghele (Bookshop or Amazon)
    • My letters from Albert Sabin (virology blog)

    Become a patron of TWiV!

    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.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 10 mins
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