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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 Natural History Nature & Ecology Science
Episodes
  • TWiV 1309: Maybe they're all cancer vaccines

    TWiV 1309: Maybe they're all cancer vaccines
    Mar 29 2026

    TWiV explains why human papillomavirus vaccine-induced immunity can block infection, unlike all other vaccines, and how respiratory viral infections such as COVID and influenza prime accelerated lung cancer growth.

    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)
    • J. Michael Bishop passes (NY Times)
    • Vincent interviews JM Bishop (YouTube)
    • David Botstein passes (NY Times)
    • Post-attachment neutralization of HPV (npj vaccines)
    • HPV vaccine blocks infection (Cancer Discov)
    • Respiratory viral infections prime lung cancer growth (Cell)
    • Respiratory virus infections awaken metastatic breast cancer (TWiV 1243 )
    • SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines sensitize tumors to immunotherapy (TWiV 1265)
    • Letters read on TWiV 1309
    • Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!
    Weekly Picks

    Brianne – Project Hail Mary
    Rich – After a decade as a Yale hospital janitor, she is now a doctor there
    Alan – Scientific analysis of jokes in conference talks
    Vincent – Yuval Noah Harari: Why advanced societies fall for mass delusion

    Listener Pick

    Greg – Changes in Terrestrial N Budgets and Riverine Nitrate-N Yields from Mississippi River Basin Watersheds 2000 to 2020

    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 46 mins
  • TWiV 1308: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

    TWiV 1308: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin
    Mar 28 2026
    In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin and Vincent Racaniello talk about the resignation of a member of the advisory committee for immunization practices and the irony of his rationale that a judge slandered him, vaccinating dairy cattle against H5N1, illnesses resulting from drinking raw milk and the US norovirus outbreak, which is not cruise related, then Dr. Griffin deep dives into the measles outbreak in South Carolina and Utah, recent statistics RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the Wasterwater Scan dashboard, Johns Hopkins measles tracker, where to find PEMGARDA, safety data of the RSV vaccine for high risk young adults, recognition of unrecognized COVID-19 deaths (but weren't we not allow to call it a COVID-19 in 2020?), retraction of and how the ANTIBIOTIC azithromycin is NOT an antiviral drug, how to access and pay for Paxlovid, long COVID patients with neurocognitive symptoms 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 Confusion abounds over future of US vaccine advisory committee (The Guardian)Key Adviser Quits Federal Vaccine Panel (NY Times)Vaccinate the vacca? …..Why We Must Vaccinate US Dairy Cattle Against HPAI H5N1(JID)Largest Animal Health Emergency in US History Continues as HPAI Hits Indiana Hard (Hoosier AG Today)Indiana: More than 350,000 birds killed in massive avian flu outbreak (CIDRAP)5 children receive E. Coli from raw milk; TN dairy farm responds (Local 3 News)Quick takes: Measles spike in Utah, 5 kids ill from raw milk, CDC director uncertainty (CIDRAP)Increasing Predominance of Norovirus GII.17 over GII.4, United States, 2022–2025 (Emerging Infectious Diseases) Wastewater for norovirus (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 outbreak response (Utah Department of Health and Human Services) 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) 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: clift 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)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)Immunogenicity and Safety of the AS01E-adjuvanted Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Prefusion F Protein Vaccine in Adults Aged 18–49 Years at Increased Risk of RSV Disease Compared with Adults Aged ≥60 Years (CID)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)Respiratory viral infections prime accelerated lung cancer growth (Cell)Association between COVID-19 vaccination and sudden death in apparently healthy younger individuals: A population-based case-control study (PLoS Medicine)Applying machine learning to identify unrecognized COVID-19 deaths recorded as other causes of death in the United States (Science Advances) RETRACTED work: Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin as a treatment of COVID-19: results of an open-label non-randomized clinical trial (International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents)Antibiotic used in COVID patients tied to increased signs of antibiotic resistance (CIDRAP)Empiric azithromycin alters the upper respiratory microbiome and resistome without anti-inflammatory benefit in COVID-19 (Nature ...
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    51 mins
  • TWiV 1307: My heart breaks for flu

    TWiV 1307: My heart breaks for flu
    Mar 22 2026

    TWiV reviews the structural basis for Rep-mediated adeno-associated virus DNA genome packaging, how influenza virus-infected myeloid cells travel to the heart and infect cardiomyocytes, leading to IFN-fueled heart damage.

    Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, 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
    • Positions in Rosenfeld Lab (email)
    • Robin Weiss passes (ICR)
    • Judge strikes down RFK Jr.'s vaccine policies (NYTimes)
    • How Rep protein packages AAV DNA (Cell Rep)
    • How influenza virus causes heart damage (Immunity)
    • Influenza virus hitches a cellular ride to the heart (Cell Host Microbe)
    • Letters read on TWiV 1307
    • Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!
    Weekly Picks

    Brianne – The math of March Madness brackets
    Kathy – SpaceX launch plume, jellyfish APOD and Cleveland Meteor, map of meteorites fall and a doorbell cam photo
    Rich – After barista's tips were stolen, strangers showed up with $900
    Vincent – What Causes Gravitational Time Dilation? A Physical Explanation.

    Listener Pick

    Charles – They're Made Out Of Meat

    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 53 mins
All stars
Most relevant
Science first and yet entertaining.
Wonderful gang full of knowledge and joy for related topics.

Love it!

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I found TWiV through the recommendation of another podcast. Like many I am a post covid follower and I have really appreciated TWiV as a source of current and accurate information. The clinical updates with Dr. Griffin are so useful . Dr Gritting uses language that I, a custodian i.e. not a science professional am able to understand. I find the clinical updates really ease my anxieties because finally I understand what is going on around me. Sometimes the other episodes I struggle to totally follow along but I always finish having learned something I didn't know before listening. Turns out virology and immunology is quite fascinating!

Excellent Source

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You need a background in Bio to enjoy this podcast, but if you are on the in you should have a great time.

Fun team

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The content is really good and always interesting with many great guests. Good job guys!

Very good science podcast!

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I discovered TWiV during 2020 due to the desire for more accurate and unbiased information about the viruses and then stayed for the good and interesting science. I never liked biology before but have found the discussions to be reasons to get interested in not only virology but biology, microbiology, even medicine. Although I don’t understand all the science, to hear the unfamiliar multiple times made them less intimidating and I feel like I am sitting in the same room as the host and guest scientists week after week when different topics are being discussed. The weekly clinical updates are also keeping me well informed about the viruses that we should be aware of in a timely way. Love this podcast and many sister podcasts from microbe.tv

A good thing from the pandemic years

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