This Week in Virology

TWiV explains how cross-reactive anti-prophage antibodies and bacterial heteroresistance is implicated in phage therapeutic failure, and how phages communicate across species to shape microbial ecosystems. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, Brianne Barker, and Jolene Ramsey 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) Craig Venter dies (Nature) Hantavirus outbreak (WHO) Hantavirus on board (YouTube) HPS 25th anniversary discovery story (EID) Phage therapeutic failure unraveled (Nat Med) Phages communicate across species (Cell) Control of lysis-lysogeny decisions (Trends Micro) Arbitrium phages manipulate each other (Cell) Elio Schaechter on arbitrium (TWiM 146) Letters read  on TWiV 1321 Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Weekly Picks Brianne – Could this fungus contaminate Mars? Rich – Supernova in a Sideways Spiral Jolene – Virology class communication projects 2026 Vincent – Facts About The Boeing 747 Hump That Will Surprise You Listener Picks David – My first science video in 3 years 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 explains a study showing that viral DNA load in blood and saliva varied markedly with age, time of day season, sex, and depended on dozens of genetic loci, and identification of an emerging human eye disease associated with aquatic virus zoonotic infection. 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) DNA virome varies with human genes and environments (Nature) Emerging eye infection from aquatic virus (Nat Micro) Letters read  on TWiV 1317 Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Weekly Picks Brianne – Wayback Machine: Internet Archive Rich – Grandparents for Vaccines Alan – On Writing by Stephen King Vincent – The Real Reason The Soviets Lost The Space Race! Listener Picks Ginny – Dr. Cal Your Science Pal 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 are distressed by RFK Jr’s testimony in front of Congress, surges in rotavirus infections and the staggering number of people who believe in unproven claims about vaccines and science, before Dr. Griffin then deep dives into the measles outbreak, recent statistics RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the Wasterwater Scan dashboard, Johns Hopkins measles tracker, the fatal consequences of measles infection, prevalence of influenza and other respiratory infections in dead people, PEMGARDA authorized use for certain immunocompromised individuals where to find PEMGARDA, how to access and pay for Paxlovid, results from a human RSV challenge study, where to go for answers about long COVID-19, negatively associated school-related outcomes in children and adolescents with 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 Kennedy denies being sidelined by the White House (Politico) Kennedy continued to back away from his criticismof the measles vaccine (NY Times) Rotavirus surges after ACIP removes recommendation for vaccine(Discovermagazine) ‘Staggering’ number of people believe unproven claims about vaccines, raw milk and more (Nature) Health is confronting division, confusion, and competing influences (Edelman) 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) UtahMeasles 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) Dangersof measles infection (NY Times) 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) OPTION 2: XOFLUZA $50 Cash Pay Option(xofluza) Prevalenceof influenza and other respiratory viral infections in deceased persons: a population-based observational study over four influenza seasons (Clinical Microbiology and Infection) 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) Maternal RSV vaccination and reduced risk of hospitalisation for babies in England, 2024/25 (ESCMID) Viral dynamics of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus during experimental human challenge: insights for transmission and protection(JID) 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) Clinical and economic benefits of seasonal COVID-19 vaccination in Germany: results from the ROUTINE-COV19 Study, September 2022 to March 2024 (Eurosurveillance) Effectiveness and safety of molnupiravir among patients with mild to moderate COVID-19: a prospective, observational, cohort study (Scientific Reports) 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 CoverageOptions (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 Divergent inflammatory and neurology-related protein levels in long COVID following primary and breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections (Communications Medicine) School Difficulties and Long COVID in Children and Adolescents (Academic Pediatrics) Reaching out to US house representative Letters read on TWiV 1316 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.