This Week in Virology

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin and Vincent Racaniello cover if the “five-second” rule for things that fall on the floor apply to surgical equipment, an outbreak of E. coli illness caused by raw cheese before Dr. Griffin then deep dives into the measles outbreak in South Carolina and Utah, recent statistics RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the Wasterwater Scan dashboard, Johns Hopkins measles tracker, where to find PEMGARDA, strain selection for the 2026-2027 season influenza vaccine by the FDA, if standard or high dose influenza vaccination influences dementia protection, a new variant of SARS-CoV-2, how to access and pay for Paxlovid, specific effects of Paxlovid 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 The “five-second” rule for dropped food: does it apply to dropped medical objects in the operating room? A randomized study of disinfection approaches for contaminated arthroplasty implants (Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology) Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) Program (FDA) Outbreak Investigation of E. coli O157:H7: Raw Cheddar Cheese (March 2026) (FDA) Wastewater for norovirus (WasterWater Scan) 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) Influenza: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) USrespiratory 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) Risk of Alzheimer Dementia After High-Dose vs Standard-Dose Influenza Vaccination (Neurology) Weekly surveillance report: clift 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) 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) 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) Respiratory viral infections prime accelerated lung cancer growth (Cell) Early Detection and Surveillance of the SARS-CoV-2 Variant BA.3.2 — Worldwide, November 2024–February 2026 (CDC: MMWR) 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) UnderstandingCoverageOptions (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 Paxlovid shows organ-specific and age-specific impacts on risk of developing post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (Communications Medicine) The Effect of Fluvoxamine and Metformin for Fatigue in Patients With Long COVID (Annals of Internal Medicine) Reaching out to US house representative Letters read on TWi

TWiV explains why human papillomavirus vaccine-induced immunity can block infection, unlike all other vaccines, and how respiratory viral infections such as COVID and influenza prime accelerated lung cancer growth. 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) J. Michael Bishop passes (NY Times) Vincent interviews JM Bishop (YouTube) David Botstein passes (NY Times) Post-attachment neutralization of HPV (npj vaccines) HPV vaccine blocks infection (Cancer Discov) Respiratory viral infections prime lung cancer growth (Cell) Respiratory virus infections awaken metastatic breast cancer (TWiV 1243 ) SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines sensitize tumors to immunotherapy (TWiV 1265) Letters read on TWiV 1309 Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Weekly Picks Brianne – Project Hail Mary Rich – After a decade as a Yale hospital janitor, she is now a doctor there Alan – Scientific analysis of jokes in conference talks Vincent – Yuval Noah Harari: Why advanced societies fall for mass delusion Listener Pick Greg – Changes in Terrestrial N Budgets and Riverine Nitrate-N Yields from Mississippi River Basin Watersheds 2000 to 2020 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 talk about the resignation of a member of the advisory committee for immunization practices and the irony of his rationale that a judge slandered him, vaccinating dairy cattle against H5N1, illnesses resulting from drinking raw milk and the US norovirus outbreak, which is not cruise related, then Dr. Griffin deep dives into the measles outbreak in South Carolina and Utah, recent statistics RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the Wasterwater Scan dashboard, Johns Hopkins measles tracker, where to find PEMGARDA, safety data of the RSV vaccine for high risk young adults, recognition of unrecognized COVID-19 deaths (but weren’t we not allow to call it a COVID-19 in 2020?), retraction of and how the ANTIBIOTIC azithromycin is NOT an antiviral drug, how to access and pay for Paxlovid, long COVID patients with neurocognitive symptoms 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 Confusion abounds over future of US vaccine advisory committee (The Guardian) Key Adviser Quits Federal Vaccine Panel (NY Times) Vaccinate the vacca? …..Why We Must Vaccinate US Dairy Cattle Against HPAI H5N1(JID) Largest Animal Health Emergency in US History Continues as HPAI Hits Indiana Hard (Hoosier AG Today) Indiana: More than 350,000 birds killed in massive avian flu outbreak (CIDRAP) 5 children receive E. Coli from raw milk; TN dairy farm responds (Local 3 News) Quick takes: Measles spike in Utah, 5 kids ill from raw milk, CDC director uncertainty (CIDRAP) Increasing Predominance of Norovirus GII.17 over GII.4, United States, 2022–2025 (Emerging Infectious Diseases) Wastewater for norovirus (WasterWater Scan) 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) 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) 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) Weekly surveillance report: clift 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) 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) Immunogenicity and Safety of the AS01E-adjuvanted Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Prefusion F Protein Vaccine in Adults Aged 18–49 Years at Increased Risk of RSV Disease Compared with Adults Aged ≥60 Years (CID) 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) Respiratory viral infections prime accelerated lung cancer growth (Cell) Association between COVID-19 vaccination and sudden death in apparently healthy younger individuals: A population-based case-control study (PLoS Medicine) Applying machine learning to identify unrecognized COVID-19 deaths recorded as other causes of death in the United States (Science Advances) RETRACTED work: Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin as a treatment of COVID-19: results of an open-label non-randomized clinical trial (International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents) Antibiotic used in COVID patients tied to increased signs of antibiotic resistance (CIDRAP) Empiric azithromycin alters the upper respiratory microbiome and resistome without anti-inflammatory benefit in COVID-19 (Nature Microbiology) COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination in Pregnancy and Risk of Infecti

TWiV reviews the structural basis for Rep-mediated adeno-associated virus DNA genome packaging, how influenza virus-infected myeloid cells travel to the heart and infect cardiomyocytes, leading to IFN-fueled heart damage. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, 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 Positions in Rosenfeld Lab (email) Robin Weiss passes (ICR) Judge strikes down RFK Jr.’s vaccine policies (NYTimes) How Rep protein packages AAV DNA (Cell Rep) How influenza virus causes heart damage (Immunity) Influenza virus hitches a cellular ride to the heart (Cell Host Microbe) Letters read on TWiV 1307 Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Weekly Picks Brianne – The math of March Madness brackets Kathy – SpaceX launch plume, jellyfish APOD and Cleveland Meteor, map of meteorites fall and a doorbell cam photo Rich – After barista’s tips were stolen, strangers showed up with $900 Vincent – What Causes Gravitational Time Dilation? A Physical Explanation. Listener Pick Charles – They’re Made Out Of Meat 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 chat about death of water fowl on Long Island, ‘renaming’ of the FDA adverse event monitoring system, lawsuits against RFK Jr and HHS for illegal changes in routine immunization practices, before Dr. Griffin deep dives into economic costs of not vaccinating against measles, the measles outbreak in South Carolina, Utah and ICE detention centers, recent statistics on RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the Wasterwater Scan dashboard, Johns Hopkins measles tracker, where to find PEMGARDA, expansion of the RSV vaccine licensure to include high risk yound adults, association between lung cancer and respiratory illnesses, how to access and pay for Paxlovid, effectiveness of vaccination or supplemental vitamin D to reduce the risk 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 Local waterfowl die-off likely caused by bird flu (The Suffolk Times) East End officials respond as dead birds pile up on Long Island shorelines (news 12: Long Island) FDA Adverse Event Monitoring System(AEMS)(FDA) FDA Launches NewAdverse Event Look-Up Tool(FDA) FDA announces AEMS, new adverse-event database to replace VAERS (CIDRAP) US cuts broad recommendation for four childhood vaccines including flu (Reuters) US CDC deploys staff to curb South Carolina’s measles outbreak (Reuters) US judge upends Kennedy’s overhaul of childhood vaccine policies (Reuters) American Academy of Pediatrics, et al v. Robert F Kennedy, Jr, et al (Civil Action No 25-11916-BEM) White House Puts RFK Jr.’s HHS on Tighter Leash After MAHA Setbacks(Wall Street Journal) 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) 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) 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) Weekly surveillance report: clift 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) 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) FDA expands approval for RSV vaccine to include younger adults at high risk (FDA) 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) Respiratory viral infections prime accelerated lung cancer growth (Cell) 2024–2025 COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Effectiveness Against Severe Disease (JID) 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) Anticoagulationguidelines (hematology.org) Daniel Griffin’s evidence based medical practices for long COVID (OFID) Long COVID hotline (Columbia : Columbia Univers

TWiV introduces sunshine virus of carpet pythons and its effect snakes after experimental infection, and development of a new tool to distinguish between naturally ocurring outbreaks and those that arise from lab accidents. 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) IgNobel Prize ceremony moved to Europe (Science) Prasad is out of the FDA (again) (npr) Sunshine virus in carpet pythons (J Virol) Selection preceding epidemics and pandemics (Cell) Letter read on TWiV 1305 Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Weekly Picks Brianne – Galileo’s handwritten notes found in ancient astronomy text Rich – Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman Alan – High-resolution 3D imaging of the USS Monitor by NOAA’s new µSAS system Vincent – The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli Listener Pick Douglas – Grandparents for vaccines 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.