TWiV reviews RFK Jr.”s MAGA report with non-existent literature citations, a new fungus that could further devastate North American bats, surveillance of avian influenza viruses through bird guano in remote regions, and the receptor for HKU5 coronaviruses is ACE2 from Pipistrellus abramus bats.

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
• Bad citations in MAGA report (Med Exp)
• Another fungus for North American bats (NY Times)
• Surveillance of avian influenza through bird guano (Nat Commun)
• ACE2 from Pipistrellus bats is receptor for HKU5 coronaviruses (Nat Commun)
• Letters read on TWiV 1223
• Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!

Weekly Picks

Brianne – New mutation found in orange cats Kathy –  Middle schooler’s STEM project leads to a bacterium with antibiotic activity and to an anti-cancer compound Vincent – Elon Musk’s Legacy Is Disease, Starvation and Death

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 discusses vaccination trends, the changes COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for children and pregnant women, easing of vaccination exemptions in Texas, the ongoing measles outbreak globally before Dr. Griffin reviews recent statistics on RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections the Wasterwater Scan dashboard, whether or not the NB.1.8.1 should be included in the fall 2025 vaccines and concern as confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 rise here and in China, different mechanisms by which to reduce transmission of respiratory pathogens, the May 22 VRBPAC COVID-19 vaccine meeting, where to find PEMGARDA, prolonged steroid and antibiotic therapies, provides information for Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s long COVID treatment center, where to go for answers to your long COVID questions, how spike protein may alter mast cells and the immune response 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

• Vaccination trends (CDC: Respiratory Illnesses)
• Weekly COVID-19 Vaccination Dashboard (CDC: COVIDVaxView)
• RFK Jr ends coronavirus shot recommendation for healthy children and pregnant women (Washington Post)
• Characteristics of Children Ages 1–17 Who Died of COVID-19 in 2020–2022 in the United States (American Academy of Pediatrics)
• RFK Jr.’s War on Children (Paul Offit: Beyond the Noise)
• AAP analyzes pediatric COVID-19 hospitalizations from 2020-’24 (American Academy of Pediatrics)
• COVID-19–Associated Hospitalizations among Children and Adults — COVID-NET (CDC: National Center for Immunizations and Respiratory Diseases)
• COVID-19–Associated Hospitalizations among Children and Adults — COVID-NET (CDC: National Center for Immunizations and Respiratory Diseases)
• Long COVID in Children (CDC: NCHS)
• Long COVID Prevalence and Associated Activity Limitation in US Children (JAMA Pediatrics)
• The C.D.C. Now Says Healthy Kids Don’t Need Covid Shots. Is That True? (NY Times)
• U.S. Will No Longer Recommend Covid Shots for Children and Pregnant Women (NY TImes)
• Gregg Abbott (AP News)
• US school-entry vaccination rates fall as exemptions keep rising (AP News)
• Whooping cough cases are rising again in the US (AP News)
• Amid measles outbreak, Texas is poised to make vaccine exemptions for kids easier (AP News)
• Cardiac Events in Adults Hospitalized for Respiratory Syncytial Virus vs COVID-19 or Influenza (JAMA Network Open)
• USDA reported H5N1 bird flu detection in wild birds (CDC: Avian Influenza)
• USDA reported H5N1 in poultry (CDC: Avian Influenza)
• HPAI Confirmed Cases in Livestock (USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspections Service)
• H5 bird flu: current situation (CDC: Avian Influenza)
• Bird flu (CDC: Avian Influenza)
• Measles cases and outbreaks (CDC Rubeola)
• Weekly measles and rubella monitoring (Government of Canada)
• Measles (WHO)
• Measles vaccine recommendations from NYP (jpg)
• 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)
• Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView)
• Respiratory virus activity levels (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
• Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView)
• FDA-CDC-DOD: 2025-2046 influenza vaccine composition (FDA)
• RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
• US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
• RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection)
• Respiratory syncytial virus: an under-recognized healthcare-associated infection (Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology)
• Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
• COVID-19 deaths (CDC)
• 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 (biRxiV)
• New Covid variant NB.1.8.1 detected at US airports amid rise in cases
• U.S. reports cases of new COVID variant NB.1.8.1 behind surge in China (CBS News)
• WHO TAG-VE Risk Evaluation for SARS-CoV-2 Variant Under Monitoring: NB.1.8.1 (WHO)
• New COVID variant NB.1.8.1 detected at US airports amid rise in cases (The Economic Times: News)
• Infection Control Guidance: SARS-CoV-2 (CDC: COVID-19)
• Isolating the burden of transmission-based precautions for COVID-19 (Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology)
• A pilot study of coughing into the shirt to disrupt respiratory pathogen transmission (International Journal of Emergency Medicine)
• Hybrid B- and T-Cell Immunity Associates With Protection Against Breakthrough Infection After Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Vaccination in Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) Participants (JID)
• FDA panel is split on updates to COVID shots as questions loom for fall vaccinations(AP News)
• COVID-19 Vaccines (2025-2026 Formula) for Use in the United States Beginning in Fall 2025(FDA)
• Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines in the United States (CDC: COVID-19)
• 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)
• Clinical effectiveness of oral antiviral treatment for non-hospitalized high-risk patients with COVID-19 during Omicron JN.1 subvariant wave(Pneumonia)
• Drug interaction checker (University of Liverpool)
• Infectious Disease Society guidelines for treatment and management (ID Society)
• A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Effectiveness of Remdesivir to Treat Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 in Hospitalized Patients (CID)
• 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)
• Steroids,dexamethasone at the right time (OFID)
• Anticoagulation guidelines (hematology.org)
• Tocilizumab, sarilumab and anakinra in critically ill patients with COVID-19 (Thorax)
• Daniel Griffin’s evidence based medical practices for long COVID (OFID)
• Long COVID hotline (Columbia : Columbia University Irving Medical Center)
• The answers: Long COVID
• Spike proteins of coronaviruses activate mast cells for degranulation via stimulating Src/PI3K/AKT/Ca2+ intracellular signaling cascade (Journal of Virology)
• Reaching out to US house representative
• Letters read on TWiV 1222
• 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 cuts in National Science Foundation budgets, cuts to Harvard University grants, judge blocks ban on Harvard enrolling international students, DOGE ordered cuts of NIH grants, endemic coronavirus infection induces Fc receptor binding antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, and inherited IFNAR1 deficiency causing adverse reactions to measles and yellow fever infectious vaccines.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Angela Mingarelli

Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

• Support science education at MicrobeTV
• NSF funding cut to lowest level (NY Times)
• 1,000 grants cut at Harvard University (Nature)
• Administration ban on international students at Harvard blocked (CNN)
• DOGE killed NIH grants (Nature)
• Endemic coronavirus infection induces FcR binding antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 (J Virol)
• IFNAR1 deficiency and severe reaction to measles and yellow fever vaccines (J Exp Med)
• Letters read on TWiV 1221
• Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!

Weekly Picks

Angela – Contact lenses that give people infrared vision — even with their eyes shut (one, two) Alan –  Autocrats are afraid of you – see the graphic, especially. Vincent – How One Company Secretly Poisoned The Planet

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 debate the changes in FDA vaccine approval policy especially how it is applied to COVID-19 vaccines and restricts vaccine availability/usage and Novavax’s vaccine, mpox on surfaces and in the air, “bird flu”, the ongoing measles outbreak globally before Dr. Griffin reviews recent statistics on RSV, benefits of vaccination for infants, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the Wasterwater Scan dashboard, the high number of childhood deaths during this “flu” season, the May 22 VRBPAC COVID-19 vaccine meeting, where to find PEMGARDA, prolonged steroid and antibiotic therapies, provides information for Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s long COVID treatment center, where to go for answers to your long COVID questions, cognitive impairment in 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

• FDA to issue new vaccine approval guidance amid questions over coronavirus shots (Washington Post)
• FDA vaccine committee meeting(Reuters)
• Evidence-based approach to COVID-19 vaccination (NEJM)
• FDA CBER townhall: new COVID019 vaccination approval mechanism (YouTube)
• FDA poised to restrict access to COVID vaccines, our own Dr. Griffin is cited! (NY Times)
• Novavax approval letter (FDA)
• We giveth and taketh away: Novavax approved but restricted use (AP News)
• FDA approves Novavax COVID vaccine with stricter new conditions (NY Times)
• History behind public health falsehoods– vaccine and autism (NPR)
• Making vaccines less accessible-RFK Jr making MAHA! (PBS News Hour)
• Kenneday says DO NOT to take medical advice from him, the HHS secretary…hummmm (NY Times)
• Staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccines (CDC: COVID-19)
• How science lost America’s trust and surrendered health policy to skeptics (WSJ)
• HHS stops recommendation of COVID-19 shots for children and pregnant women (Reuters)
• No more routine COVID-19 vaccines for children and pregnant women (WSJ)
• House to investigate Pfizer for allegedly delaying COVID-19 vaccines (Reuters)
• Statement on the antigen composition of COVID-19 vaccines (WHO)
• WHO advisers say current strains OK for COVID vaccine production (CIDRAP)
• We can’t remain indifferent to suffering: Catholic Church now champions HPV vaccination (DailyNation)
• Air and surface sampling for mpox in UK (Eurosurveillance)
• Researchers report mpox DNA, live virus on surfaces and in air from patients’ rooms(CIDRAP)
• USDA reported H5N1 bird flu detection in wild birds (CDC: Avian Influenza)
• USDA reported H5N1 in poultry (CDC: Avian Influenza)
• HPAI Confirmed Cases in Livestock(USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspections Service)
• H5 bird flu: current situation (CDC: Avian Influenza)
• Bird flu (CDC: Avian Influenza)
• Measles cases and outbreaks (CDC Rubeola)
• Measles and rubella weekly monitoring report: (Government of Canada)
• Measles vaccine recommendations from NYP (jpg) 
• 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)
• Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView)
• Respiratory virus activity levels (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
• Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView)
• FDA-CDC-DOD: 2025-2046 influenza vaccine composition (FDA)
• RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
• US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
• RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection)
• Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
• COVID-19 deaths (CDC)
• COVID-19 national and regional trends (CDC)
• COVID-19 variant tracker (CDC)
• SARS-CoV-2 genomes galore (Nextstrain)
• Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines in the United States (CDC: COVID-19)
• COVID-19 vaccine VRBPAC May 22 (FDA)
• 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)
• When your healthcare provider is infected/exposed with SARS-CoV-2 (CDC)
• Managing healthcare staffing shortages (CDC)
• Steroids,dexamethasone at the right time (OFID)
• The clinical impact of prolonged steroid therapy in severe COVID-19 patients (BMC Pulmonary Medicine)
• Anticoagulation guidelines (hematology.org)
• Antibiotic Treatment in Patients Hospitalized for Nonsevere COVID-19 (JAMA Network Open)
• Daniel Griffin’s evidence based medical practices for long COVID (OFID)
• Long COVID hotline (Columbia : Columbia University Irving Medical Center)
• The answers: Long COVID
• Self-reported health, neuropsychological tests and biomarkers in fully recovered COVID-19 patients vs patients with post-COVID cognitivesymptoms (PLoS One)
• Vortioxetine for Cognitive Impairment in Major Depressive Disorder During Post-COVID Syndrome (Journal of Clincial Psychiatrist) Reaching out to US house representative
• Letters read on TWiV 1220
• 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 pause in the use of Chikungunya vaccine, HHS to stop recommending COVID shots for pregnant women and children, molecular basis for shifted receptor recognition by an encephalitic alphavirus, and evolution of koala retrovirus transcriptional silencing in wild koalas.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, and Rich Condit

Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

• Support science education at MicrobeTV
• Pause in use of Ixchiq (FDA)
• Change in COVID vaccine recommendations (STAT)
• Basis for receptor shift in encephalitic alphavirus (Cell)
• Transcriptional silencing of koala retrovirus (Cell)
• Letters read on TWiV 1219
• Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!

Weekly Picks

Rich – What’s that stuff in your bellybutton? Science has the answer. Vincent – New study reveals our skin’s own bacteria can help protect us from the bad effects of sunlight

Listener Pick

Rona – My Italian secret: the forgotten heroes and Italy and the Holocaust Foundation, Inc.

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 wail about the attack on science within the US, cancellation of CDC’s committee on infectious diseases, mpox in Sierra Leone, “bird flu” in cats, the ongoing measles outbreak globally, before Dr. Griffin reviews recent statistics on RSV, benefits of vaccination for infants, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections the WasterwaterScan dashboard, the high number of childhood deaths during this “flu” season, the May 22 VRBPAC COVID-19 vaccine meeting, where to find PEMGARDA, benefit of remedesivir, provides information for Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s long COVID treatment center, where to go for answers to your long COVID questions, weight and distinct symptoms of 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

• Shut down federal advisory committee on infection prevention…..Make America Healthy Again! (CIDRAP)
• Mpox in Sierra Leone (CIDRAP)
• H5 Bird Flu: Current Situation (CDC: Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) )
• Spike in avian flu cases in cats : spillover into humans? (CIDRAP)
• Measles cases and outbreaks (CDC Rubeola)
• Measles 800 in Texas…. (Texas Health and Human Services)
• Measles outbreak in North Dakota prompts local health officials to quarantine unvaccinated schoolchildren (CNN)
• 2025 Measles outbreak guidance (New Mexico Health)
• Measles and rubella weekly monitoring report: (Government of Canada)
• The Mennonites in a Texas community where measles is spreading (AP News)
• Trust the government? Seriously! West Texans, Mennonites at center of measles outbreak choose medical freedom over vaccine mandates (AP News)
• Measles vaccine recommendations from NYP (jpg) 
• Deporting Measles! (AP News)
• 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)
• Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView)
• Respiratory virus activity levels (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
• CDC reports 216 child deaths this flu season (AP News)
• Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView)
• New York sees highest flu-related pediatric deaths ever recorded in a season (Times Union)
• Phase 3 Safety and Efficacy Study of Baloxavir Marboxil in Children Less Than 1 Year Old With Suspected or Confirmed Influenza (The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal)
• FDA-CDC-DOD: 2025-2046 influenza vaccine composition (FDA)
• RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
• US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
• RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection)
• Interim Evaluation of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Hospitalization Rates Among Infants and Young Children After Introduction of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prevention Products (CDC: MMWR)
• US infant mortality dropped in 2024: RSV vaccine? (AP News)
• Infant Mortality Dashboard (CDC: National Center for Health Statistics)
• Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
• COVID-19 deaths (CDC)
• COVID-19 national and regional trends (CDC)
• Wastewater Measures of SARS-CoV-2 Accurately Predict Frequency of Symptomatic Infections in the Community (JID)
• Origin of SARS-CoV-2
• The recency and geographical origins of the bat viruses ancestral to SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 (Cell)
• COVID-19 variant tracker (CDC)
• SARS-CoV-2 genomes galore (Nextstrain)
• COVID-19 infection history as a risk factor for early pregnancy loss (BMC Medicine)
• New recommendations seek treatments for post-Lyme disease condition (CIDRAP)
• Immunogenicity and Safety of Influenza and COVID-19 Multicomponent Vaccine in Adults ≥50 YearsA Randomized Clinical Trial (JAMA)
• Combo flu-COVID vaccine shows good immune response, safety in older adults (CIDRAP)
• US FDA advisers to discuss COVID-19 vaccine recommendations on May 22 (Reuters)
• Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines in the United States (CDC: COVID-19)
• COVID-19 vaccine VRBPAC May 22 (FDA)
• 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)
• When your healthcare provider is infected/exposed with SARS-CoV-2 (CDC)
• Managing healthcare staffing shortages (CDC)
• Steroids,dexamethasone at the right time (OFID)
• Anticoagulation guidelines (hematology.org)
• Remdesivir associated with reduced mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients (BMC Infectious Diseases)
• Real-world evidence shows remdesivir tied to less death in hospitalized COVID patients (CIDRAP)
• Daniel Griffin’s evidence based medical practices for long COVID (OFID)
• Long COVID hotline (Columbia : Columbia University Irving Medical Center)
• The answers: Long COVID
• Excess weight is associated withneurological and neuropsychiatric symptoms in post-COVID-19 condition (PLoS One)
• Identification of soluble biomarkers that associate with distinct manifestations of long COVID (Nature Immunology)
• Reaching out to US house representative
• Letters read on TWiV 1218
• 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 new CBER chief at FDA, ending of Gates Foundation in 2045, gain of function executive order, origins of bat viruses ancestral to SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, and single dose Sudan virus replicon vaccine protects guinea pigs from disease.

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
• Prasad replaces Marks at FDA (US News)
• Gates Foundation ends 2025 (Gates Foundation)
• Gain of function Executive Order (White House)
• DURC policy (HHS)
• Origins of bat viruses ancestral to SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 (Cell)
• Sudan virus replicon vaccine (Nat Comm)
• Letters read on TWiV 1217
• Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!

Weekly Picks

Rich – Andor Season 2 Alan – Sequencing Mendel’s pea plant traits, and a good Science news article on the work Vincent – 2023 summer warmth unparalleled over the past 2,000 years

Listener Pick

Brian – Virology Capabilities Test (VCT): A Multimodal Virology Q&A Benchmark

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 bemoan the attack on science within the US, salt water controls for vaccines, return to 1938 technology for flu vaccines, mRNA vaccines as “bioweapons”, rise in pertussis, benefits of the shingles vaccine and reduced dementia occurrence, and growing measles outbreak globally before Dr. Griffin reviews recent statistics on RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the WasterwaterScan dashboard, the May 22 VRBPAC COVID-19 vaccine,  meeting, where to find PEMGARDA, return to antibiotic treatment for respiratory viral diseases, provides information for Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s 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

• Saline placebo control testing for new vaccines….not good chemistry! (Washington Post)
• 1940s innovation: HHS, NIH Launch Next-Generation Universal Vaccine Platform for Pandemic-Prone Viruses(US Department of Health and Human Services)
• WHAT! Minnesota Bill Against Vaccines Promotes Disinformation (Medscape Medical News) )
• Guns= fine….mRNA =mRNA Bioweapons Prohibition Act; mRNA injections and products designated as weapons of mass destruction, and mRNA injections and products prohibited. (Minnesota Legislature)
• Bioweapons of massive destruction mNRA not bombs or drones….but mRNA! (Minnesota Legislature)
• 2024 Provisional pertussis surveillance report (CDC)
• Pertussis cases by year 1922-2023 (CDC: Whooping cough (pertussis))
• Deaths by pertussis: 6 children under a year old (CDC)
• Pertussis (WHO)
• Symptoms of pertussis (CDC Whooping Cough (Pertussis)
• With whooping cough cases on the rise, a doctor explains how to protect yourself and others (CNN)
• Live zoster vaccination and cardiovascular outcomes (European Heath Journal)
• Shingles vaccine recipients see lower cardiac event risk (CIDRAP)
• H5 Bird Flu: Current Situation (CDC: Avian Influenza Bird flu)
• Measles cases and outbreaks (CDC Rubeola)
• Measles 800 in Texas…. (Texas Health and Human Services)
• 2025 Measles outbreak guidance (New Mexico Health)
• Measles and rubella weekly monitoring report: (Government of Canada)
• Measles vaccine recommendations from NYP (jpg) 
• 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)
• Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView)
• Respiratory virus activity levels (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
• CDC reports 216 child deaths this flu season (AP News)
• Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView)
• FDA-CDC-DOD: 2025-2046 influenza vaccine composition (FDA)
• RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
• US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
• RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection)
• Impact of Nirsevimab on RSV and Non-RSV Severe Respiratory Infections in Hospitalized Infants (Influenza and other respiratory viruses)
• Hospital admissions of respiratory infections in infants plunge with nirsevimab RSV antibody(CIDRAP)
• Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
• COVID-19 deaths (CDC)
• COVID-19 national and regional trends (CDC)
• COVID-19 variant tracker (CDC)
• SARS-CoV-2 genomes galore (Nextstrain)
• Early effectiveness of the BNT162b2 KP.2 vaccine against COVID-19 in the US Veterans Affairs Healthcare System (Nature Commications)
• Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines in the United States (CDC: COVID-19)
• COVID-19 vaccine VRBPAC May 22 (FDA)
• 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)
• Time to antiviral treatment in mild–moderate COVID-19 in the emergency department(Internal and Emergency Medicine)
• Delays in COVID antiviral receipt raised risk of poor outcomes after ED visits by 18%, data suggest(CIDRAP)
• Molnupiravir safety and efficacy (JMV)
• Convalescent plasma recommendation for immunocompromised (ID Society)
• What to do when sick with a respiratory virus (CDC)
• When your healthcare provider is infected/exposed with SARS-CoV-2 (CDC)
• Managing healthcare staffing shortages (CDC)
• Virus = Bacteria ? National Trends in Antibiotic Prescribing for Adults Hospitalized With Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Other Viral Respiratory Infections (OFID)
• Steroids, dexamethasone at the right time (OFD)
• 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
• Short and long-term trajectories of the post COVID-19 condition (BMJ Infectious Diseases)
• Prevalence of Persistent Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Abnormalities on PET/MRI and DECT Imaging in Long COVID Patients (Journal of Nuclear Medicine)
• Long-COVID patients show signs of inflammation on PET/ MRI scans(CIDRAP)
• Reaching out to US house representative
• Letters read on TWiV 1216
• 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 the 2024 International Hepatitis B virus meeting in Chicago IL, Rich Condit speaks with Thomas Tu about his experiences as a both a HepB scientist and patient.

Host: Rich Condit

Guest: Thomas Tu

Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

• Support science education at MicrobeTV
• Hepatitis B Foundation
• Tu Laboratory
• 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 reviews universal vaccine initiative at NIAID, shut down of the Integrated Research Facility at Ft. Detrick, modeling the reemergence of infectious diseases as vaccination rates drop, and bacterial outer membrane vesicles bound to bacteriophages modulate neutrophil responses to bacterial infection.

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
• ASV 2025
• Paul has Measles (YouTube, virology blog)
• Universal vaccine project (NIAID, CIDRAP)
• Measles update (US, Texas)
• Integrated Research Lab closed (Telegraph)
• Modeling reemergence of infectious diseases (JAMA)
• Outer membrane vesicles attached to phage (Front Cell Inf Micro)
• Pf phage review (Front Immunol)
• Letters read on TWiV 1215
• Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!

Weekly Picks

Alan – A Paradise Built in Hell, by Rebecca Solnit (and here’s my review of it) Jolene – Virology course student communication projects, Spring 2025 Vincent – Vaccine Education Center

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.