This Week in Virology

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.

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin and Vincent Racaniello discuss the positive side effect of the shingles vaccine on dementia outcomes and how one dose of the HPV vaccine is non-inferior to two doses, but are dismayed about the FDA's secrecy around the inflammatory statement that the COVID-19 vaccine is linked to the death of 10 children. 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, effectiveness of maternal administration of the RVS vaccine or the COVID vaccine for neonates, 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 celiac plexus blocks improves gastrointestinal long COVID symptoms, brain alterations and neurodegenerative processes in long COVID cognitive impairment 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 The effect of shingles vaccination at different stages of the dementia disease course (Cell) FDA links 10 children's deaths to COVID-19 vaccines. Doctors want proof (ABC News) Subject: Deaths in children due to COVID-19 vaccines and CBER's path forward Dear Team CBER,(Washington Post) Noninferiority of One HPV Vaccine Dose to Two Doses(NEJM) Marburg Outbreak in Ethiopia: Current Situation (CDC: Marburg Virus Disease) Washington state resident believed to be the first to die from a rare strain of bird flu (AP News) 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: cliff 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) 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) 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) Effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against post-COVID-19 condition/long COVID: systematic review and meta-analysis (CMI: Clinical Microbiology and Infection) SARS-CoV-2Infection Versus Vaccination During Pregnancy: Implications for Placental Antibody Transfer (The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal) 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) 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 Case Report: Celiac plexus block improves gastrointestinal Long COVID symptoms (Frontiers Neuroscience) Distinct brain alterations and neurodegenerative processes in cognitive impairment associated with post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (Nature Communications) Reaching out to US house representative Letters read on TWiV 1276 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 explains the Nobel Prize-winning discovery of pre-mRNA splicing, and engineering bacteriophage to deliver proteins to the human intestine. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, 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 Immune 100 live at the Incubator Spliced segments of adenovirus mRNA (PNAS) An amazing sequence in adenovirus mRNA (Cell) Nobel Prize for mRNA splicing (Nobel) A predominant undecanucleotide in adenovirus late mRNAs (Cell) Splicing RNA with Phillip A. Sharp (ASM) Protein production in the gut by engineered phage (Nat Biotech) Engineered phage T4 (Curr Op Virol) Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Weekly Picks Brianne – Can You Identify These Lines from Classic SciFi Novels? Kathy – Saturday Morning Physics, Photograph 51 and JCE article Rich – Wikipedia:Wiki Science Competition 2025 in the United States Jolene – Data visualization workshop Vincent – Transformer: The Deep Chemistry of Life and Death by Nick Lane 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.