This Week in Virology

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 Podcasts, RSS, email
Become a patron of TWiV!
Links for this episode
Support science education at MicrobeTV
Genetic innovation in coronaviruses driven by a viral nuclease (bioRxiv)
Letters read on TWiV 1357
Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!
Picks of the Week
Kathy – Jurassic Museum of Asturias
Alan – Grand Central Winter, by Lee Stringer
Vincent – How to Choose REAL Extra Virgin Olive Oil: A Practical Guide and How to Tell if Your Olive Oil is Fake! Quick Kitchen Tip!
Listener Pick
Shirley – I Told You So! by Matt Kaplan
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.

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, influenza, SARS-CoV-2 infections, approval of new mRNA COVID-19 vaccines by the FDA, 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
Dengue in Florida: Florida Arbovirus Surveillance (Florida Health)
Nationwide Increase in Reported Human Rabies Exposures: Rabies Post-exposure Prophylaxis Administration (CDC: Health Alert Network)
NIH proposes major revamp of how it scores research grant proposals (Nature)
Revealed: inside the US military’s plan to tap huge sums from the NIH (Nature)
Vaccination Coverage Among Adolescents Aged 13–17 Years — National Immunization Survey-Teen, United States, 2025 (CDC:MMWR)
Dashboard SCREWWORM.Gov (USDA: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service)
CDC Activates Emergency Operations Center for New World Screwworm Response (CDC Newroom)
Ebola dashboard (ebola.fyi)
EBOLA: The Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2026 (WHO)
Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak Democratic Republic of the Congo (WHO: Democratic Republic of Congo)
Ebola Outbreak: Current Situation (CDC:Ebola)
Notes from the Field: Clinical Characteristics of Patients with Ebola Disease Caused by Bundibugyo Virus — Uganda, 2026 (CDC: MMWR)
Notes from the Field: Characteristics and Monitoring of the 2026 Outbreak of Ebola Disease Caused by Bundibugyo Virus — Democratic Republic of the Congo, August 2026 (CDC:MMWR)
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)
Measles (VDH: Virginia Department of Health)
Tracking Measles Cases in the U.S. (Johns Hopkins)
HAP’s Latest News Pa. Launches New Measles Dashboard (Hospital + HealthSystem Association of Pennsylvania)
Measles vaccine recommendations from NYP (jpg)
Measles (Commonwealth of Pennsylvania)
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)
Pennsylvania Department of Health Confirms Two Measles-Associated Deaths (Commonwealth of Pennsylvania)
One of two measles-related deaths of unvaccinated people in Pennsylvania was an infant (CNN)
Kennedy suggests measles deaths fabricated by PA governors (X)
Measles Cases and Outbreaks (CDC: Rubeola)
The CDC hasn’t added 2 deaths to its measles database Why? (Washington Post)
Trump’s new CDC director ordered delay in counting 2 measles-related deaths (CNN)
Commissioner Josh Parsons: Important information about measles (X)
Laboratory Testing for Measles (CDC: Measles (Rubeola)
Measles Clinical Diagnosis Fact Sheet (CDC: Measles (Rubeola)
Measles Serology Testing (CDC: Measles (Rubeola)
The Measles-Stricken Mother Who Lost Her Newborn Son (The Atlantic)
What We Know About Pennsylvania’s Two ‘Measles-Associated’ Deaths (FactCheck.org)
What Obstetric Health Care Providers Need to Know About Measles and Pregnancy (Obstetrics & Gynecology)
Measles and Pregnancy: Immunity and Immunization—What Can Be Learned from Observing Complications during an Epidemic Year(Journal of Pregnancy)
Measles in pregnancy (cmaj: Canadian Medical Association Journal)
Physician’s Handbook on Medical Certification of Death (CDC: National Center for Health Statistics)
CIDRAP Op-Ed: ‘Died with, not from’ was a real COVID problem. It’s the wrong framework for measles. (CIDRAP)
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)
Early Antiviral Therapy in Pediatric Outpatients and Risk of Influenza-Related Hospitalization (Pediatrics)
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)
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)
Moderna Receives U.S. FDA Approval for Updated 2026-2027 COVID-19 Vaccines (Moderna)
Novavax’s Partnership Strategy Continues to Deliver with XFG-adapted Nuvaxovid™ Approvals in the U.S., EU and Japan for 2026-2027 Vaccination Season (novavax)
Pfizer and BioNTech Receive U.S. FDA Approval for XFG-adapted COVID-19 Vaccine (Pfizer)
FDA approves new COVID vaccines (CIDRAP)
COVID-19 vaccination and risk of post-COVID-19 cardiovascular disease: a population-based cohort and target trial emulation study (EHJ-QCCO)
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
Reaching out to US house representative
Letters read on TWiV 1356
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 daniel@microbe.tv
Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

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 (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email
Become a patron of TWiV!
Links for this episode
Support science education at MicrobeTV
Recombinant shingles vaccination reduces risk of cardiovascular events (Nat Med)
AI design of bacteriophages (Science)
AI-designed viral genomes (Science)
Letters read on TWiV 1355
Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!
Picks of the Week
Brianne – The Generative AI Learning Penalty: Evidence from Chinese Secondary Education
Kathy – Ballista spider’s web to trap aggressive ants here and here
Vincent – Microbecharmer from Sarah
Listener Pick
Shirley – The Measles-Stricken Mother Who Lost Her Newborn Son
Torsten – The battle over Covid’s origins has come for Bob Garry: A Top Virus Scientist Stared Down Covid Lab-Leak Proponents. Now His Life’s Work Is at Stake
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.

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 from measles and the economic cost of the measles outbreak, before Dr. Griffin deep dives into how to determine the case fatality rate of measles as well as measles outbreaks, recent statistics RSV, influenza, SARS-CoV-2 infections, approval of new mRNA COVID-19 vaccines by the FDA, access and how pay for Paxlovid, where to go for answers about long COVID-19, clinical guidelines for treating long COVID, B-cells-autoimmunity- long COVID, enrolling in a long COVID trial and the use of the COVID antiviral drug to “sop up” chronic virus shedding 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
Dolly Parton adapts her song Jolene as she receives Covid-19 vaccine she helped fund (YouTube)
Dolly Parton’s major contributions to vaccines and public health (the bmj)
Recombinant shingles vaccination and the risk of cardiovascular events (Nature Medicine)
Surveillance of Cyclosporiasis (CDC: Cyclosporiasis)
Infectious DiseaseOutbreaks (Michigan: Health & Human Services)
Cyclosporiasis Cases in North Carolina (North Carolina: Division of Public Health)
Cyclospora Infection (Cyclosporiasis) (NYC Health)
Missouri Communicable Disease Report (2026) (Missouri Health)
TWiP 285: Why is cyclospora hard to contain: Parasitologists explain the 2026 US outbreak (microbeTV:TWiP)
Dashboard SCREWWORM.Gov (USDA: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service)
CDC Activates Emergency Operations Center for New World Screwworm Response (CDC Newroom)
FDA Issues Emergency Use Authorization for Generic Drug to Prevent New World Screwworm in Cattle(FDA)
History of Ebola Outbreaks (CDC: Ebola)
Democratic Republic of the Congo (OCHA)
Ebola dashboard (ebola.fyi)
EBOLA: The Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2026 (WHO)
Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak Democratic Republic of the Congo(WHO: Democratic Republic of Congo)
Ebola Outbreak: Current Situation (CDC:Ebola)
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)
Measles (VDH: Virginia Department of Health)
Tracking Measles Cases in the U.S. (Johns Hopkins)
Measles vaccine recommendations from NYP (jpg)
HAP’s Latest News Pa. Launches New Measles Dashboard (Hospital + HealthSystem Association of Pennsylvania)
Measles (Commonwealth of Pennsylvania)
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)
Two more kids die. And one more theater show. (Your Local Epidemiologist)
RFK Jr. says Shapiro’s office may have fabricated measles deaths (Politico)
ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. SPEAKS OUT ABOUT VACCINES (Lancaster Patriot)
Coroner says baby with measles in Pennsylvania died of a ruptured spleen (NBC News)
Chapter 13: Measles (CDC: Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-preventable Diseases)
Challenges in measuring measles case fatality ratios in settings without vital registration (Emerging Themes in Epidemiology)
High attack rates and case fatality during a measles outbreak in groups with religious exemption to vaccination (The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal)
Oz: MMR vaccine ‘is not a lethal vaccine’ (The Hill)
RFK Jr: Secretary of Measlesland (Substack: Beyond the Noise)
‘Brady Bunch’ episode fuels campaigns against vaccines and Marcia’s miffed (MPRNews)
Use of Nowcasting to Estimate Real-Time Transmission Trends During a Measles Outbreak — South Carolina, October 2025–March 2026 (CDC:MMWR)
Fighting measles is expensive. See what it cost to contain 10 cases (Washington Post)
‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ (Netherlands Heart Journal)
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)
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)
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)
Heterogeneity of Airborne Virus Transmission in the Built Environment: A Narrative Review (Pathogens and Immunity)
Moderna Receives U.S. FDA Approval for Updated 2026-2027 COVID-19 Vaccines (Moderna)
Novavax’s Partnership Strategy Continues to Deliver with XFG-adapted Nuvaxovid™ Approvals in the U.S., EU and Japan for 2026-2027 Vaccination Season (novavax)
Pfizer and BioNTech Receive U.S. FDA Approval for XFG-adapted COVID-19 Vaccine (Pfizer)
FDA approves new COVID vaccines (CIDRAP)
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
A distinct effector B cell population drives autoantibody production in SARS-CoV-2 infection (Immunity)
Rapid recruitment for a remote long COVID clinical trial (LANCET:Infectious Diseases)
Insights from a double-blind, randomized, direct-to-participant intervention trial for Long COVID (medrxiv)
Nirmatrelvir–ritonavir targeting viral persistence in post-COVID-19 condition (long COVID) in the USA (RECOVER-VITAL): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial (LANCET: Infectious Diseases)
Reaching out to US house representative
Letters read on TWiV 1354
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 daniel@microbe.tv
Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

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 patron of TWiV!
Links for this episode
Support science education at MicrobeTV
Dolly Parton, and advocate for science (Nature)
Phage bet-hedging (Nat Micro)
EBV monoclonal antibodies (Cell Rep Med)
Letters read on TWiV 1353
Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!
Picks of the Week

Brianne – Did life on Earth emerge once or twice?
Rich – Cassini Approaches Saturn (Wiki on Cassini)
Jolene – Dolly Parton’s rewrite of Jolene song for vaccines on CBS news (Youtube)
Vincent – Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Listener Pick
John – Dolly Parton Sings Vaccine, Vaccine
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.