This Week in Virology

Latest Episodes:

TWiV 309: Ebola email Nov 02, 2014

Show notes

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler

The TWiVocytes answer questions about Ebola virus, including mode of transmission, quarantine, incubation period, immunity, and much more.

This episode of TWiV is brought to you by the Department of Microbiology at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Composed of over 20 virology labs, all centralized in one building in the heart of New York City, this department is a perfect fit for anyone with an interest in pursuing virus research. The Department is presently looking to recruit any prospective graduate students to apply to our program by the December 1st deadline. Interested postdocs are also encouraged to contact faculty of interest. For more information about the Department, please visit www.mssm.edu/MIC.

Links for this episode

Guidelines for monitoring potentially infected persons (CDC)
ASTMH meeting rejects attendees from Ebola countries (ScienceInsider)
Defense Threat Reduction Agency call for Ebola virus proposals
NSF calls for Ebola virus proposals
Review of Ebola virus human-human transmission (CDC)
How Firestone controlled Ebola virus (MMWR)
Could Reston virus be a vaccine for Ebola virus? (virology blog)
Letters read on TWiV 309

Weekly Science Picks

Alan - CDC Influenza activity weekly mapsKathy - Going Deep with David ReesRich - Virology Special Issue: Giant VirusesDickson - Nikon Small World Winners Vincent - TWiM #90 and Republicans are not scientists

Listener Pick of the Week

Paul - Tricks and Tools of Great ScientistsYegor - Hardcore HistoryAmanda - Vaccine ingredients; Anti-vaxers damage; Minds of anti-vaxers

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv

TWiV 308: The Running Mad Professor Oct 25, 2014

Show notes

Host: Vincent Racaniello

Guest: Tom Solomon

Tom talks with Vincent about viral central nervous system infections of global importance, Ebola virus, and running the fastest marathon dressed as a doctor.

Links for this episode

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv

TWiV 307: Ebola aetiology Oct 19, 2014

Show notes

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Kathy Spindler

Guest: Tara C. Smith

Tara Smith joins the TWiEBOVsters to discuss the Ebola virus outbreak in west Africa, spread of the disease to and within the US, transmission of the virus, and much more.

Links for this episode

Science communications fellow at ASM
Nation turns to science (New Yorker)
CDC employees in West Africa (CDC)
UN botched Ebola response (AP)
Ebola czar (CNN)
Ebola vaccine and budget cuts (HuffPo)
Collins' ridiculous meme (NOT junk)
How to quarantine against Ebola (Mukherjee)
Ebola fear in Heartland (Tara Smith)
Massive mutations in Ebola virus (PunditFact)
Ebola airport screening (CDC)
What is contact tracing? (video) (CDC)
Inside MSF Ebola unit (YouTube)
Ebola tech bulletin (DuPont)
HAI controversies
Letters read on TWiV 307

Weekly Science Picks

Alan - Fall foliage mapKathy - Interviews with Peter Piot (one, two) and autobiography Vincent - The Ebola connection

Listener Pick of the Week

Brooke - N.B. Designs on EtsyVictor - SMBC

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv

TWiV 306: This Week in Ebolavirus Oct 12, 2014

Show notes

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Kathy Spindler

The Grand Masters of the TWiV discuss Ebola virus transmission, air travel from West Africa, Ebola virus infectivity on surfaces, the Dallas Ebola virus patient, and Ebola virus in dogs.

Links for this episode

Science communications fellow at ASM
CDC Ebola virus fact sheet (pdf)
CDC Ebola virus infographic (pdf)
No Reston virus replication in arthropods (Am J Trop Med Hyg)
Inoculation of plants and animals with Ebola virus (Emerg Inf Dis)
Arthropod studies during Ebola virus outbreak (J Inf Dis)
Medbox: Ebola toolbox
Facts about bushmeat and Ebola (pdf, CDC)
Should US ban incoming flights from West Africa?
Survey: should flights from Ebola countries be banned? (NBC News)
Ebolavirus content at virology blog and TWiV
Volunteer to help with the Ebola virus crisis
Ebola and Anthropology webinar
Asymptomatic Ebola virus infection (Lancet)
Persistence of Ebola virus during 1995 outbreak (J Inf Dis)
Assessment of Ebola virus transmission risk (J Inf Dis)
Ebola virus transmission risk factors (Emerg Inf Dis)
UV inactivation of Ebola virus (J Virol)
Ebola virus persistence in darkness (Arch Virol)
UV sensitivity of Ebola virus (Arch Virol)
Treatment of Ebola virus infection with brincidofovir (virology blog)
Ebola virus in domestic animals (Dev Biol)
Ebola virus in dogs (Emerg Inf Dis)
Ebola screening at US airports (CDC)
Letters read on TWiV 306

Weekly Science Picks

Alan - The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth KolbertKathy - Seeing the Invisible Vincent - 2014 Scientific American Science in Action Award winner

Listener Pick of the Week

Mauricio - Investigating a mystery diseaseHeather - Diversity Journal Club Johnye - Flu Attack!

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv

TWiV 305: Rhymes with shinola Oct 05, 2014

Show notes

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Kathy Spindler

Vincent, Alan, and Kathy continue their coverage of the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa, with a discussion of case fatality ratio, reproductive index, a conspiracy theory, and spread of the virus to the United States.

Links for this episode

Science communications fellow at ASM
Can we get AIDS from mosquito bites? (J La State Med Soc)
Why mosquitoes cannot transmit AIDS
Isolation of Bundibugyo ebolavirus in Uganda (PLoS Path)
Ebola virus disease outbreak, Nigeria (MMWR)
Nigeria contains Ebola virus outbreak (NY Times)
First Ebola virus case in US (NY Times)
Ebola virus disease: USA ex Liberia (ProMedMail)
First imported Ebola virus case in US (CDC)
Assessing risk of spread of Ebola virus (PLoS Currents)
How contagious is Ebola virus? (NPR)
Estimating reproductive index of Ebola virus (PLoS Currents)
Polio-like illness, EV-D68 suspected (ProMedMail)
Polio-like illness, North America (ProMedMail)
Four deaths associated with EV-D68 (NY Times)
Image credit: Pigott et al eLife
Letters read on TWiV 305
Video of this episode - view at YouTube

Weekly Science Picks

Alan - Under the knife, episode 1Kathy - UCSC Ebola genome portal Vincent - Annual Review of Virology, volume 1

Listener Pick of the Week

Alan - H5N1Peter - Vomiting LarryDara - I just can't wait for my vaccine!

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv

TWiV 304: Given X, solve for EBOV Sep 28, 2014

Show notes

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, and Kathy Spindler

Guest: Jeff Shaman

The TWiV team consults an epidemiologist to forecast the future scope of the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa.

Links for this episode

Science communications fellow at ASM
Estimating future cases in Ebola virus epidemic (MMWR)
Columbia prediction of Ebola outbreak
The Ebola emergency (NEJM)
Q&As on Ebola virus transmission (CDC)
Ebola virus transmission to monkeys (Lancet)
Aerosol infection of monkeys with Ebola virus (Int J Exp Path)
Ebola virus replication in pigs (J Inf Dis)
Pathology of aerosol Ebola virus infection in rhesus macaques (Vet Path)
Murine model of Ebolavirus infection (Viruses)
Ebola virus transmission from pigs to non-human primates (Sci Rep)
Transmission risks in BSL4 laboratory (Sci Rep)
Why Ebola virus is unlikely to go airborne (Vox)
Letters read on TWiV 304

Weekly Science Picks

Alan - Fabre's Book of InsectsKathy - Origami microscope for 50 cents Dickson - Landsat 8 Vincent - Some advice from Jeff Bezos

Listener Pick of the Week

Justin - Brazil releases 'good' mosquitoes to fight dengue fever

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv

TWiV 303: Borna this way Sep 21, 2014

Show notes

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, and Kathy Spindler

The TWiV team discusses transmission of Ebola virus, and inhibition of Borna disease virus replication by viral DNA in the ground squirrel genome.

Links for this episode

2014 Ebola virus outbreak at Healthmap
Ebola virus transmission from bodily fluids and fomites (JID)
Value of gain of function experiments (mBio)
Rich Condit in the Washington Post on Ebola virus
NPR on Ebola virus transmission
What we are not afraid to say about Ebola virus (virology blog)
Inhibition of Borna disease virus by an endogenous element (PNAS)
Bornavirus at ViralZone
Photo: Thirteen-lined ground squirrel (image credit)
Letters read on TWiV 303

Weekly Science Picks

Alan - PhotogrammarKathy - Refrigerate your tomatoes?Dickson - Robot swarm Vincent - The Beginner's guide to winning the Nobel Prize by Peter Doherty

Listener Pick of the Week

Dee - Publish scientific research faster on TWiSTBasel - Lego microscope (vote for it)

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv

TWiV 302: The sky is falling Sep 14, 2014

Show notes

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler

The TWiVers discuss the growing Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa, and an epidemic of respiratory disease in the US caused by enterovirus D68.

Links for this episode

Cancer patient saved by measles virus
Ebola virus genome sequences (Science)
Robert Garry on Ebola outbreak
Aerosol transmission
WHO Ebola outbreak summary
CDC Ebola outbreak page
Ebola outbreak epi curve
CED Ebola outbreak info graphic
Ebola response roadmap (CDC)
Ebola outbreak discussion at ICAAC
Human trial of Ebola virus vaccine (CNN)
Chimpanzee adenovirus vectored Ebola virus vaccine (Nat Med)
How US Ebola patients were cured (Sci Amer)
Ebola outbreak could affect 20,000 (NY Times)
Ebola infection control resources
NLM free access to Ebola papers
Science Ebola papers open access
Gates donates money for Ebola outbreak (Wash Post)
Smuggled bushmeat? (Newsweek)
What we are not afraid to say about Ebola (NY Times)
Enterovirus D68 outbreak (MMWR)
Mark Pallansch on EV-D68 (NPR)
Enterovirus D68 (CDC)
EV-D68 isolation 1962 (Am J Ep)
Outbreak of enterovirus 68 (virology blog)
Letters read on TWiV 302

Weekly Science Picks

Alan - Index to creationist claims Rich - Wild KrattsKathy - Worn awayDickson - Iceland volcano eruption Vincent - Immune Quest

Listener Pick of the Week

Kay - Landes Bioscience open access books

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv

TWiV 301: Marine viruses and insect defense Sep 06, 2014

Show notes

Host: Vincent Racaniello

Guests: Carla Saleh and Curtis Suttle

At the International Congress of Virology in Montreal, Vincent speaks with Carla and Curtis about their work on RNA interference and antiviral defense in fruit flies, and viruses in the sea, the greatest biodiversity on Earth.

Links for this episode

Greatest biodiversity on Earth (Genome)
Cafeteria roenbergensis virus (PNAS)
Marine viruses (Nat Rev Micro)
RNAi and reverse transcription is antiviral in flies (Nat Imm)
Friendly persistent infections (Curr Op Micro)
RNAi and antiviral defense in Drosophila (Dev Comp Imm)
Video of this episode - view at YouTube

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv

TWiV 300: So happy together Aug 31, 2014

Show notes

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler

Recording together for the first time, the TWiV team celebrates their 300th recording at the American Society for Microbiology headquarters in Washington, DC, where Vincent speaks with Dickson, Alan, Rich, and Kathy about their careers in science.

Links for this episode