This Week in Virology

TWiV travels to Porto, Portugal for the annual meeting of the European Society for Clinical Virology, where he speaks with Catherine and Corinne about their work on the Andes virus outbreak on the MV Hondius. Host:  Vincent Racaniello Guests: Catherine Houlihan and Corinne Guerts van Kessel Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts ,  RSS ,  email Become a  patron  of TWiV! Links for this episode Support s...

In his weekly clinical update, Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello discuss their continuing struggle to understand the ongoing outbreak of cyclospora, decimation of US public health including 30% or greater loss of personnel from the CDC, continuing measles outbreaks here and aboard, a mumps outbreak in San Diego and a Hib death in Montana, criminalization of pediatricians in Texas, dengue assoc...

TWiV explains a study testing how 16 hypothesized social and environmental drivers impact disease outbreaks, concluding that infectious disease spillover and emergence are multi-causal, and that no one-size-fits-all strategy can prevent epidemics and pandemics, and an analysis of Myotis bats, which shows that their remarkable longevity and immunity are linked through pleiotropic adaptations to vir...

In his weekly clinical update, Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello continue their ongoing exasperation over 5 deaths in Pennsylvania associated with measles infections, the absurdity of RFK Jr.'s statement that AI is better informed than physicians, the outbreak of cholera, more deaths by raw milk products, spread of dengue virus in Florida, Ebola in DRC, refusal to acknowledge the benefits of t...

TWiV explains discovery of a previously unknown mechanism of RNA-guided DNA recognition for genetic control that possibly predates the emergence of CRISPR pathways, and the possibility that Alzheimer's Disease neuropathology evolved as a host defense response to microbial infection in the brain. Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello , Alan Dove , and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts ,  RSS , ...

In his weekly clinical update, Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello frustration continues over the increasing number of measles infections, Kennedy's undermining of vaccines, perpetuation of autism- vaccine, autism-tylenol myths, an outbreak of hepatitis A virus in the US, the Ebola outbreak in Uganda, changes in reporting of virus infection and vaccine recommendations, Legionnaires disease and s...

Roberto Cattaneo and Kalpana Yadav join TWiV at the 2026 meeting of the American Society for Virology to discuss how the absence of measles virus receptors in the brain selects for hyperfusogenic variants that spread neuron-to-neuron and cause subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, a rare but fatal long-term neurological sequela of measles infection. Host:  Vincent Racaniello Guests: Roberto Cattane...

In his weekly clinical update, Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello are angered by the continuous reporting of measles deaths in the US and around the world, the Ebola outbreak in Uganda, changes in reporting of virus infection and vaccine recommendations, establishing an NIH research center on vaccine harms, Legionnaires at Yankee stadium and the first time in more than half a century reporting...

Paul Bieniasz joins TWiV to discuss his lab's discovery that the coronavirus nuclease NSP15 cuts viral RNA into oligonucleotides that are reinserted elsewhere in the viral RNA, generating insertion mutations at a frequency above 10⁻³ per genome, including new furin cleavage sites at the spike S1/S2 junction. Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello ,  Alan Dove , and  Kathy Spindler Subscribe (free): Apple Podc...

In his weekly clinical update, Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello delve into dengue virus infections in Florida, recent human rabies infections in the US, proposed changes in biomedical funding including "converting" the Department of War into NIAID, the continuing controversy over the deaths of 2 children in Pennsylvania from measles, before Dr. Griffin deep dives into recent statistics RSV, i...

TWiV reviews a landmark paper reporting the first generative design of complete viral genomes using AI, producing 16 viable bacteriophages that overcame antibiotic-resistant bacteria where natural phages could not, and a study suggesting that recombinant shingles vaccination reduces the risk of cardiovascular events. Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello ,  Kathy Spindler,  and  Brianne Barker Subscribe (fre...

In his weekly clinical update, Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello remember Dolly Parton and her patronage of science, especially development of the COVID-19 vaccines, if the shingles vaccine protect against cardiovascular events as well as dementia, the continued national cyclosporiasis and screwworm outbreaks, size of the Ebola outbreak in the Congo, the death of 2 children in Pennsylvania fro...

TWiV explores how bacteriophages enable bet-hedge against bacterial immune defenses, and how transgenic mice engineered to produce human antibodies yielded potent anti-EBV candidates targeting gp350 and gp42, a promising step toward Epstein-Barr therapeutics. Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello ,  Rich Condit ,  Brianne Barker,  and  Jolene Ramsey Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts ,  RSS ,  email Become a ...

In his weekly clinical update, Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello are disheartened by the suggested change in federal vaccine recommendations, how Florida rolled back 4 childhood vaccine school requirements, results from a clinical trial suggesting that IPV can be used for outbreak control in IPV only countries, the continued national cyclosporiasis and screwworm outbreaks, size of the Ebola ou...

TWiV describes a human cerebral organoid model for Ebola virus persistence, and brown bullhead catfish melanoma, a novel transmissible cancer. 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 Revamp of how NIH  scores research grant proposals  (Nature...

In his weekly clinical update, Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello are perplexed by the state of global public health as malaria, cholera and other infectious diseases are spread by civil warfare, the lack of manpower at the CDC to implement Congressional health programs, the first cancer mRNA vaccine resulting from a Merck and Moderna collaboration, how cyclosporiasis and screwworm outbreaks co...

TWiV explains how liquid–liquid phase separation and a phage-encoded inhibitor cooperatively drive transcriptional transition during phage SPO1 infection, and the first smallpox virus genomes from an early outbreak in South America. Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello , Rich Condit ,  Brianne Barker , and Jolene Ramsey Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts ,  RSS ,  email Become a  patron  of TWiV! Links for th...

In his weekly clinical update, Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello are troubled by the latest executive order changing routine childhood vaccine recommendations, the call for nominations to join the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, West Nile virus transmission in South Carolina, a newly identified midge-transmitted virus sickening cattle, and development of a cold-chain free DPT va...

TWiV explains research showing that Long COVID is associated with reactivation of numerous chronic viruses, including herpesviruses and anelloviruses, and with the production of autoantibodies that target neurological tissues. Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello ,  Alan Dove , and  Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts ,  RSS ,  email Become a  patron  of TWiV! Links for this episode Support scie...

In his weekly clinical update, Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello are distressed by Erica Schwartz' confirmation as CDC director, the GAO proposed pandemic preparedness plans, the national cyclospora outbreak and resulting two deaths, new screwworm and the scale of the Ebola outbreak in the Congo, and clear results from some of President Trump's policies dismantling public health activites incl...

TWiV travels to Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, where he speaks with Angela Bosco-Lauth, Rebekah Kading, and Mark Stenglein about their careers and their virology research. Host: Vincent Racaniello Guests:  Angela Bosco-Lauth ,  Rebekah Kading , and  Mark Stenglein Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts ,  RSS ,  email Become a  patron  of TWiV! Links for this episode Support science education...

In his weekly clinical update, Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello discuss the numerous attempts by states to roll back vaccine laws, the recent surge of Dengue virus cases in Sri Lanka, the national cyclospora outbreak, new screwworm and Legionnaires cases, launching of the CHaT-Ox Ebola vaccine trail, scale of the Ebola outbreak in the Congo and if cross-reactive Ebola antibodies are effective...

TWiV explains research which shows that Per os infectivity factors are essential for bracovirus infection and wasp parasitism, and that periodic shifts in viral load increase risk of Hendra virus spillover from  Pteropus  bats. Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello ,  Rich Condit , and  Kathy Spindler Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts ,  RSS ,  email Become a  patron  of TWiV! Links for this episode Support s...

In his weekly clinical update, Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello explore the source/not source of the national cyclospora outbreak, trust in the FDA to correctly identify the source, new screwworm, Legionnaires and cyclosporasis cases, the Ebola outbreak in the Congo and development of a novel vaccine and antiviral before Dr. Griffin deep dives into the measles outbreak including the new Penns...

TWiV explains research that reveals dual activity of a phage-encoded lysin that modulates infection dynamics in a mycobacteriophage, and refutes a proposed link between the SARS-CoV-2 furin cleavage site and mouse-adapted MERS-coronavirus MA30. Hosts:  Vincent Racaniello ,  Kathy Spindler,  Angela Mingarelli, and  Jolene Ramsey Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts ,  RSS ,  email Become a  patron  of ...