This Week in Virology

Vincent travels to Tegernsee, Germany for the Sixth Ringberg Symposium on Giant Viruses, where he talks with John Archibald, Susana Coelho, and Tom Delmont about their work on – you guessed it – giant viruses. Host: Vincent Racaniello Guests: John Archibald, Susana Coelho, and Tom Delmont Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Transposable elements shaping Ectocarpus genome (Genome Biol) Mirusviruses link herpesviruses to giant viruses (Nature) Mirusviruses predicted to reproduce in nuclei (Nat Micro) Persistent mirusvirus infection in the marine protist Aurantiochytrium (Nat Com) 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.

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin and Vincent Racaniello protest Vinjay Prasad, head of CBER FDA Nov memo stating administration of the COVID-19 vaccine resulted in 10 children's deaths, but are cautiously delighted by the December memo from those in CBER who dispute this data-less claim, how in 31 states pertussis vaccination rates have declined before Dr. Griffin then deep dives into recent statistics on the measles epidemic, RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the Wasterwater Scan dashboard, Johns Hopkins measles tracker, of clinical outcomes of oseltamivir versus baloxavir for treating influenza infection, number deaths associated with COVID-19 hospitalizations and disease associated economic burden, where to find PEMGARDA, how to access and pay for Paxlovid, long COVID treatment center, where to go for answers to your long COVID questions, how the German government is committed to research into 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 Industry laments Prasad vaccine memo (Politico) Scoop: FDA vaccine chief's memo cited 10 pediatric Covid-19 vaccine deaths—but the agency's own analysis found 0–7 (Inside Medicine) Whooping cough cases soar as vaccination rates drop (NBC News) Marburg Outbreak in Ethiopia: Current Situation (CDC: Marburg Virus Disease) 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) 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) Hundreds quarantined as South Carolina measles outbreak accelerates (Washington Post) Influenza: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) USrespiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses) Respiratory virus activity levels (CDC Respiratory Illnesses) Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView) In call with clinicians, CDC recommends flu vaccines widely (CIDRAP) Influenza Vaccine Composition for the 2025-2026 U.S. Influenza Season (FDA) Comparison of clinical outcomes of oseltamivir versus baloxavir in outpatients with influenza: a retrospective cohort analysis (International Journal of Infectious Diseases) 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) 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) Effectiveness of 2024–2025 COVID-19 Vaccines in Children in the United States — VISION, August 29, 2024–September 2, 2025 (CDC:MMWR) Mortality following recovery from COVID-19 hospitalization: A long-term cohort study (International Journal of Infectious Diseases) COVID hospitalization tied to 69% higher risk of death for up to 2 years (CIDRAP) 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) Comparison of work productivity losses in the United States among employees with COVID-19 at high-risk of severe disease who were untreated or treated with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Journal of Medical Economics) 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 Long-COVID research just got a big funding boost: will it find new treatments?(Nature) Reaching out to US house representative Letters read on TWiV 1280 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 considerations and perspectives on phage therapy, and the Nobel Prize-winning discovery of hepatitis b virus. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Jolene Ramsey Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Support science education at MicrobeTV Immune 100 live at the Incubator ASV 2026 WHO global expert committee: no link between vaccines and autism (News-Medical) Considerations on phage therapy (Nat Comm) What is TATFAR? (CDC) History of phage therapy (one, two) JAMA Viruses that (can) make you well (TWiV 1153) The InVinceable TWiV (TWiV 145) Blumberg Nobel Lecture 1976 Particles associated with Australia antigen in patients (Nature) HBV vaccination remains vital for saving lives (Hep B Foundation) Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Weekly Picks Rich – Scientist's cat, again, helps discover new virus Alan – Wormtalk video on politicization of screwworm spread Jolene – Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis Vincent – Scoop: FDA vaccine chief's memo cited 10 pediatric Covid-19 vaccine deaths—but the agency's own analysis found 0–7 Listener Picks David – Astronomy Picture of the Day Eric – Jesse Welles (United Health) 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 and Vincent Racaniello discuss the rise in norovirus infections, contamination of infant formula and botulism outbreak, confusion and response to the CDC's ACIP decision to reverse the recommendation for a birth dose of the hepatis B virus vaccine and how states in the Northwest and Northeast are responding as well as some insurance companies, then deep dives into recent statistics on the measles epidemic, RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the Wasterwater Scan dashboard, Johns Hopkins measles tracker, South Carolina's imposed quarantine of individuals due to their accelerated measles outbreak, neurotropism of H1N1, benefits of the RSV and COVID vaccines, where to find PEMGARDA, how to access and pay for Paxlovid, 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 Norovirus season! (Wastewater Scan) Outbreak Investigation of Infant Botulism: Infant Formula (November 2025) (FDA: Foodborne illnesses) Botulism outbreak sickens more than 50 babies and expands to all ByHeart products (AP News) CDC advisers drop decades-old universal hepatitis B birth dose recommendation, suggest blood testing after 1 dose (CIDRAP) Health and Economic Benefits of Routine Childhood Immunizations in the Era of the Vaccines for Children Program — United States, 1994–2023 (CDC: MMWR) Universal Hepatitis B vaccination at birth: safety, effectiveness and public health impact (CIDRAP) Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule for Ages 18 years or younger (American Academy of Pediatrics) West Coast health experts reject RFK Jr. panel, say hepatitis B vaccines at birth should continue (The Oregonian) Statement from the Northeast Public Health Collaborative In Response to ACIP's Hepatitis B Vote (NJ.Gov Health) Governors Denounce ACIP Recommendation on Hepatitis B Vaccination, Reaffirm Commitment to Strong, Evidence-Based Childhood Vaccination Programs (Governors Public Health Alliance) Blue Cross and Blue Shield Companies Statement on Vaccines (Blue Cross Blue Shield) AHIPStatement on Vaccine Coverage (AHIP) Pediatricians reject CDC advisers' guidance, plan to continue vaccinating all newborns against hepatitis B (CIDRAP) Survey: Social media on par with CDC as trusted vaccine source (Healio) FDA to investigate whether adult deaths linked to COVID vaccine (Washington Post) Exclusive: US FDA launches fresh safety scrutiny of approved RSV therapies for infants (Reuters) Marburg Outbreak in Ethiopia: Current Situation (CDC: Marburg Virus Disease) Contemporary highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) viruses retain neurotropism in human cerebral organoids (OFID) Confirmations of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Commercial and Backyard Flocks (USDA: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) Indiana, cases of New World screwworm in Mexico, rising US flu activity (CIDRAP) Mexico reports 92 cases of myiasis in humans caused by screwworm (Expreso.press) 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) 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) Hundreds quarantined as South Carolina measles outbreak accelerates (Washington Post) Influenza: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) USrespiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses) Respiratory virus activity levels (CDC Respiratory Illnesses) Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView) ACIP Recommendations Summary (CDC: Influenza) Types of Influenza Viruses (CDC: Influenza (flu)) Influenza Vaccine Composition for the 2025-2026 U.S. Influenza Season (FDA) 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) Intensive Care Unit Stay and Mechanical Ventilation Among Adults with Respiratory Syncytial Virus-Related Hospitalization by Age and Comorbidity Status (Infectious Diseases and Therapy) Cardiovascular Events 1 Year After Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection in Adults (JAMA: Open Network) Long-Term Illness in Adults Hospitalized for Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease, United States, February 2022–September 2023 (CDC: Emerging Infectious Diseases) Vaccines for Adults (CDC: Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection (RSV)) Effectiveness of the maternal RSVpreF vaccine against severe disease in infants in Scotland, UK: a national, population-based case–control study and cohort analysis (LANCET: Infectious Diseases) Effectiveness of Nirsevimab in Preventing Respiratory Syncytial Virus-related Burden: A Test-negative Case-control Study in Infants With Bronchiolitis in Lombardy Region, Italy (The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal) Economic Analysis of Protein Subunit and mRNA RSV Vaccination in Adults aged 50-59 Years (CDC: ACIP) Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes After Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prefusion F Protein Vaccination During Pregnancy (Obstetrics & Gynecology) 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) COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination and 4-Year All-Cause Mortality Among Adults Aged 18 to 59 Years in France (JAMA: Open Network) Two-year prognosis of mRNA vaccine-related myocarditis compared with historical conventional myocarditis: a population-based cohort study (CMI: Clinical Microbiology and Infection) 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) UnderstandingCoverageOptions (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 Reaching out to US house representative Letters read on TWiV 1278 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.

Infectious diseases physician Jake Scott returns to TWiV to discuss the dangerous anti-vaccine policies being established in the US and what RFK Jr. and his associates get wrong. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, and Angela Mingarelli Guest: Jake Scott Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Support science education at MicrobeTV Vaccine RCT spreadsheet (CIDRAP) What RFK Jr gets wrong about vaccines (Conversation) RFK Jr's case against mRNA vaccines collapses (STAT) Too many kids' vaccines? Think again (STAT) Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Weekly Picks Angela – Angela Palmer, science meets art (one, two) Rich – TWiV Special: A Shot of Hep B with Thomas Tu; TWiV Special: A shot of HepB with Chari Cohen Vincent – TSA is checking senior's phones for these 5 apps 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.