This Week in Virology

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)
Kansas BSL-4 lab faces more delays (Science)
Ebola virus persistence in a human cerebral organoid model (Nat Micro)
Hidden cost of immune privilege (Nat Micro)
Transmissible melanoma of catfish (Nature)
Skin cancer spreads between catfish (Nature)
Tasmania devil cancer vaccine (Nature)
Letters read on TWiV 1351
Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!
Picks of the Week
Rich – The Faith of Beasts by James S.A. Corey
Alan – Ingrained, by Callum Robinson
Vincent – NYC’s 5 Broken Skyscrapers — Which One Dies First?
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 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 continue, FDA approval of new drugs against screwworm and critical policy decisions to control the Ebola outbreak in the Congo, before Dr. Griffin deep dives into the measles outbreak, recent statistics on RSV, influenza, SARS-CoV-2 infections and the drop in vaccination rates in the US, how schools are the source of measles infection, how vaccines only prevent severe disease not transmission as trafficking of measles on vaccinated people begins to be acknowledged, to access and pay for Paxlovid, what to know about the mRNA flu vaccine, where to go for answers about long COVID-19, clinical guidelines for treating long COVID, three myths of respiratory disease 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
Myanmar’s Civil War Pushes Infectious Disease Over Its Borders (NY Times)
Alzheimer’s disease (AP News)
US adult cigarette smoking rate hits another all-time low (AP News)
The CDC has zombie programs. Congress funds them, but few people are left to do the work (AP News)
Merck, Moderna’s personalized cancer vaccine slows recurrence in phase 3, setting up approval push (FIERCE Biotech)
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 Newsroom)
FDA Issues Emergency Use Authorization for Drug to Treat New World Screwworm in Dogs and Puppies (FDA)
FDA grants emergency use authorization for another New World screwworm treatment (CIDRAP)
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)
Three Months into the Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak: Now is the time for Decisive Action (AfricaCDC)
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)
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)
Do vaccinated cases transmit measles? A systematic review and meta-analysis (Expert Review of Vaccines)
County, district and community-level measles transmission in the United States in 2013−2025 (Nat Medicine)
Dozens of States Tried to Roll Back Vaccine Laws. Here’s How They Fared. (NY Times)
More U.S. Parents Opting Children Out of Vaccine Requirements, C.D.C. Reports (NY Times)
The threat of more, expanded measles outbreaks looms with start of school (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: clift notes (CDC FluView)
What to Know About the mRNA Flu Vaccine, Newly Approved by the FDA (JAMA)
Oseltamivir for Critically Ill Patients with Influenza: A Randomised Trial (LANCET)
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)
Global, regional, and national disease burden estimates of acute lower respiratory infections due to respiratory syncytial virus in children younger than 5 years in 2019: a systematic analysis (LANCET)
A national programme of bivalent prefusion F vaccination in pregnancy and protection against respiratory syncytial virus hospitalisation in infants until age 6 months in the UK: a multicentre, prospective, test-negative, case–control study (LANCET)
Real-world studies show RSV immunizations protect newborns in their first year of life (CIDRAP)
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)
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)
Trump Officials Falsely Connect Covid Vaccines to Miscarriage (NY Times)
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
Beyond the acute illness: three myths about viral respiratory infection (JID)
Reaching out to US house representative
Letters read on TWiV 1350
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 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 this episode
Support science education at MicrobeTV
Positions in Rosenfeld Lab (email)
Fred Murphy, a pioneer in virology (J Virol)
New midge-borne orthobunyavirus sickening cattle in Europe (Science)
What to Know About the Vaccines Targeted by Trump’s Executive Order (NY Times)
What vaccine Executive Order gets wrong (CIDRAP)
Trudy Rey’s 100th post at virology blog
Transcriptional transition during phage SPO1 infection (Nucl Acids Res)
Phase separation 101 (Iwasa lab)
Early smallpox in America (Science)
Letters read on TWiV 1349
Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!
Picks of the Week
Brianne – APod August 7: Rubin’s Cosmos Field
Rich – Jenner’s Inquiry  Original, “annotated”;  (PDF) Smallpox vaccination and opposition by anti-vaccination societies in 19th century Britain
Jolene – Scott Seligmann’s web tool for searching keywords in podcast transcripts 
Vincent – The End of Reading is Here
Listener Picks
Tony – Fauci Fiasco Addendum
Charles – The Proposed Changes in Childhood Vaccination: A Strongly Felt Opinion
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 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 vaccine, the national cyclospora and screwworm outbreaks,new screwworm and genomics of Ebola outbreak in the Congo, and use of a mismatch vaccine to combat the Bundibugyo virus outbreak before Dr. Griffin deep dives into the measles outbreak, recent statistics on RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the Wasterwater Scan dashboard, Johns Hopkins measles tracker, how to access and pay for Paxlovid, where to go for answers about long COVID-19, clinical guidelines for treating 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
DELIVERING GOLD STANDARD CHILDHOOD VACCINE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR AMERICANS (Whitehouse)
Trump signed an executive order calling for fewer childhood vaccines (NY Times)
CIDRAP Op-Ed: What the vaccine executive order gets wrong, and what it will cost us (CIDRAP)
New CDC director faces first major test before she even begins work (CIDRAP)
National Vaccine Advisory Committee (US Department of Health and Human Services)
Solicitation of Nominations for Membership on the National Vaccine Advisory (Department of Health and Human Services)
DPH Announces West Nile Virus Outbreak in Pee Dee South Carolina Department of Public Health)
Newly discovered virus is sickening cattle in Western Europe (Science)
Safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of SPVX02, a room temperature-stabilised tetanus-diphtheria vaccine, compared to two established tetanus-diphtheria booster vaccines: a multicentre, single-blind, randomised, first-in-human phase 1 trial in the UK (eClinicalMedicine)
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)
Human Myiasis Resulting from Reemergence of Cochliomyia hominivorax Screwworm, Mexico, 2025–2026 (Emerging Infectious Diseases)
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)
Mismatched vaccine being rolled out against Ebola outbreak (Science)
Emergence of a Bundibugyo virus variant in the 2026 outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda (Nature Medicine)
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)
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)
Kennedy Stirred Vaccine Fears in Pennsylvania Years Before Measles Outbreak (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: clift notes (CDC FluView)
Effectiveness of Oseltamivir in Hospitalized Children With Laboratory-Confirmed Influenza, 2014-2023 (JAMA Pediatrics)
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)
Respiratory Diseases (Yale School of Public Health)
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)
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
Impact of COVID-19 Monoclonal Antibody Therapy on Subsequent Vaccine-Elicited SARS-CoV-2 Immune Responses (JID)
Clinical practice guideline for long COVID prevention and treatment (ERS)
Reaching out to US house representative
Letters read on TWiV 1348
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 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 science education at MicrobeTV
Positions in Rosenfeld Lab (email)
Virus reactivation in acute and long COVID-19 (Cell)
Association between autoantibodies and neurological symptoms in long COVID (Cell)
Letters read on TWiV 1347
Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!
Picks of the Week
Brianne – Merriam-Webster Time Traveler Feature
Alan – The Incandescent, by Emily Tesh
Vincent – How mosquitoes are conquering the world — in four charts
Listener Picks
Vici – PBS Eons
Charles – Entomologist Stephen Dobson on releasing modified mosquitoes to fight disease
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.