Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Rich Condit

Vincent, Alan, and Rich review the making of a virulent poxvirus by insertion of the gene encoding IL-4, and severe 2009 H1N1 influenza due to pathogenic immune complexes.

Click the arrow above to play, or right-click to download TWiV #112 (71 MB .mp3, 98 minutes). To download, right-click or control-click on the link, then select save as.

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Links for this episode:

• Expression of IL-4 makes a killer poxvirus
• Additional studies on poxvirus-IL-4 recombinants
• Creation of killer poxvirus could have been predicted
• Interleukin regulation of Th responses
• Severe pandemic H1N1 disease due to immune complexes
• Unusually high influenza mortality in 18-65 years old
• The complement system
• TWiV on Facebook
• Letters read on TWiV 112

Weekly Science Picks

Rich – The Scientist’s Top 10 Innovations 2010
Alan – Avian Vocalizations Center
Vincent – Microbial soap from Cleaner Science (thanks, Nadia!)

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv or leave voicemail at Skype: twivpodcast. You can also post articles that you would like us to discuss at microbeworld.org and tag them with twiv.

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

Vincent, Dickson, Alan, and Rich consider the end of the influenza H1N1 pandemic, dengue in Florida, vaccinia virus infection in Brazilian monkeys, and viruses in the faecal microbiota.

Click the arrow above to play, or right-click to download TWiV #95 (68 MB .mp3, 94 minutes)

Subscribe to TWiV (free) in iTunes , at the Zune Marketplace, by the RSS feed, or by email, or listen on your mobile device with Stitcher Radio.

Links for this episode:

• WHO declares end of influenza H1N1 pandemic
• CDC’s FluView
• WHO global monitoring of influenza
• Locally acquired dengue in Key West, Florida (MMWR)
• CDC page on dengue
• Vaccinia virus infection in monkeys of the Brazilian Amazon
• Dam site where animals were collected for vaccinia study (Google maps)
• Rich’s article: Whence feral vaccinia?
• Viruses in the faecal microbiota of monozygotic twins and their Mothers (Nature)
• New Yorker article The Treatment (thanks, Jim!)
• Letters read on TWiV 95

Weekly Science Picks

Alan – Families Fighting Flu
Rich – Food, Inc.
Dickson –  Fuel
Vincent – MIT Open Courseware
Michael –  Waiting for Superman and Can Science Feed the World? (Nature)

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv or leave voicemail at Skype: twivpodcast. You can also post articles that you would like us to discuss at microbeworld.org and tag them with twiv.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Alan Dove

Vincent and Alan review recent findings on the association of the retrovirus XMRV with ME/CFS, reassortment of 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus in swine, and where influenza viruses travel in the off-season.

Click the arrow above to play, or right-click to download TWiV #89 (56 MB .mp3, 78 minutes)

Subscribe to TWiV (free) in iTunes , at the Zune Marketplace, by the RSS feed, or by email, or listen on your mobile device with Stitcher Radio.

Links for this episode:

• Conflicting XMRV papers on hold
• Leak of PNAS paper
• CDC study on XMRV in CFS patients (Retrovirology) and Science update
• Where influenza viruses travel in the off season (EurekaAlert! and PLoS Pathogens)
• NPR article on Ebola siRNA treatment (thanks, Andreas!)
• Priming mechanism for reovirus entry (thanks, Agyeman-Badu!)
• Wired article on science PR (thanks, Dan!)
• Letters read on TWiV 89

Weekly Science Picks

Alan – Tree of Life graphic
Vincent - TEDx Oil Spill

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv or leave voicemail at Skype: twivpodcast. You can also post articles that you would like us to discuss at microbeworld.org and tag them with twiv.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Rich Condit

Vincent, Alan, and Rich revisit circovirus contamination of Rotarix, then discuss poxvirus-like replication of mimivirus in the cell cytoplasm, and whether seasonal influenza immunization increases the risk of infection with the 2009 H1N1 pandemic virus.

This episode is sponsored by Data Robotics Inc. Use the promotion code TWIVPOD to receive $75-$500 off a Drobo.

Win a free Drobo S! Contest rules here.

Click the arrow above to play, or right-click to download TWiV #77 (60 MB .mp3, 83 minutes)

Subscribe to TWiV (free) in iTunes , at the Zune Marketplace, by the RSS feed, or by email.

Links for this episode:

• Contamination of Rotarix vaccine with porcine circovirus 1 DNA
• Do you want to know what is in your vaccines? Take the poll
• Mimivirus replicates in the cell cytoplasm like poxviruses
• mRNA capping and virus evolution
• Association between the 2008-09 seasonal influenza vaccine and pandemic H1N1 illness (commentary)
• Doane paper goes viral
• Energetics of genome ejection from bacteriophage (thanks Gary!)
• Five strategies for behavioral adaptation to pathogens and parasites (excerpt; thanks Wladimir!)
• Letters read on TWiV 77

Weekly Science Picks

Rich The Way We Work by David Macaulay
Alan DimDim
Vincent Polio: An American Story by David Oshinsky

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv or leave voicemail at Skype: twivpodcast. You can also post articles that you would like us to discuss at microbeworld.org and tag them with twiv.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Matthew Frieman

Vincent, Alan, and Matt review contamination of Rotarix with circovirus DNA, antigenic similarity between 1918 and 2009 H1N1 influenza, a collection of rabies reports, and chicken pox mistaken for smallpox in Uganda.

This episode is sponsored by Data Robotics Inc. Use the promotion code TWIVPOD to receive $50 off a Drobo or $100 off a Drobo S.

Win a free Drobo S! Contest rules here.

Click the arrow above to play, or right-click to download TWiV #75 (57 MB .mp3, 79 minutes)

Subscribe to TWiV (free) in iTunes , at the Zune Marketplace, by the RSS feed, or by email.

Links for this episode:

• Contamination of Rotarix vaccine with porcine circovirus 1 DNA
• Beak and feather disease circovirus (BFDV) threatens parrots
• Antigenic similarity between 1918 and 2009 H1N1 influenza
• Presumptive abortive human rabies in Texas
• Rabies rampant: feline, immunization change, Indonesia, wolf, Texas bat, US equine (thanks, Lenn!)
• Austin free tailed bats emerging at dusk
• Suspected smallpox in Uganda
• T-cell receptor therapy for AIDS (thanks Dorian!)

Weekly Science Picks

Matt Bitesize Bio
Alan Free printable graph paper (see also doane paper)
Vincent Avian Flu Diary

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv or leave voicemail at Skype: twivpodcast. You can also post articles that you would like us to discuss at microbeworld.org and tag them with twiv.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Adolfo Garcia-Sastre

Vincent speaks with Adolfo Garcia-Sastre about the origin, pathogenesis, and prevention of the 2009 pandemic influenza H1N1 virus.

This episode is sponsored by Data Robotics Inc. Use the promotion code VINCENT to receive $50 off a Drobo or $100 off a Drobo S.

Win a free Drobo S! Contest rules here.

Click the arrow above to play, or right-click to download TWiV #74 (34 MB .mp3, 47 minutes)

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Links for this episode:

• Influenza virus receptor specificity and disease
• PB1-F2 expression by 2009 H1N1 strain does not increase virulence
• Protection against 2009 H1N1 infection by immunization with older strains
• Passage in eggs changes influenza receptor specificity
• Association between D222G mutation and virulence

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv or leave voicemail at Skype: twivpodcast. You can also post articles that you would like us to discuss at microbeworld.org and tag them with twiv.

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

Vincent, Dickson, Alan, and Rich answer listener questions about maternal infection and fetal injury, viral gene therapy, eyeglasses and influenza, filtering prions from blood, eradication of rinderpest, Tamiflu resistance of H1N1 influenza, bacteriophages and the human microbiome, H1N1 vaccine recalls, human tumor viruses, RNA interference, and junk DNA.

This episode is sponsored by Data Robotics Inc. Use the promotion code VINCENT to receive $50 off a Drobo or $100 off a Drobo S.

Win a free Drobo S! Contest rules here.

Click the arrow above to play, or right-click to download TWiV #71 (63 MB .mp3, 88 minutes)

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Links for this episode:

• Maternal infection and fetal neurological injury
• Filtering prions from blood (prion capture technology)
• Eradication of rinderpest (Merck veterinary manual)
• Podcasts from Life in the Universe course
• Immune Attack video game
• H1N1 review article and Holmes on genetic hijacking
• Podcast on Merck vaccines
• Ft. Lee NJ snowed in (jpg)

Weekly Science Picks

Dickson and Alan NSF/AAAS Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge
Rich Foundation by Issac Asimov
Vincent Natural Obsessions by Natalie Angier

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv or leave voicemail at Skype: twivpodcast. You can also post articles that you would like us to discuss at microbeworld.org and tag them with twiv.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Rich Condit

Vincent, Alan, and Rich review recent outbreaks of mumps in the UK, US, and Israel, protection of mice against 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus by 1918-like and classical swine H1N1 vaccines, and a virus-like particle vaccine for chikungunya virus.

This episode is sponsored by Data Robotics Inc. Use the promotion code VINCENT to receive $50 off a Drobo or $100 off a Drobo S.

Win a free Drobo S! Contest rules here.

Click the arrow above to play, or right-click to download TWiV #69 (59 MB .mp3, 82 minutes)

Subscribe to TWiV (free) in iTunes , at the Zune Marketplace, by the RSS feed, or by email.

Links for this episode:

• Mumps outbreak in Israel (ProMedMail and Eurosurveillance; thanks Lenn!) and Iowa
• Retraction of Wakefield vaccines- autism study
• Immunization with 1918-like and classical swine H1N1 influenza viruses protects against 2009 H1N1 strain
• Virus-like particle vaccine for chikungunya virus
• Image: antigenic differences in HA structures of 1918, Cal/09 and Bris/59/07 viruses
• Paul Ewald articles (thanks Atila!): one, two, and three, and a recent review of the hypothesis

Weekly Science Picks

Rich John Moran Florida Nature Photography
Alan Periodic Table of Videos
Vincent The Protein Databank Educational Resources

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv or leave voicemail at Skype: twivpodcast. You can also post articles that you would like us to discuss at microbeworld.org and tag them with twiv.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Rich Condit

Vincent, Alan, and Rich discuss ten compelling virology stories of 2009.

Click the arrow above to play, or right-click to download TWiV #64 (68 MB .mp3, 94 minutes)

Subscribe to TWiV (free) in iTunes , at the Zune Marketplace, by the RSS feed, or by email.

Ten virology stories of 2009:

1. Pandemic influenza: Swine-origin H1N1 virus (TWiV 36)
2. XMRV, prostate cancer, and chronic fatigue syndrome (TWiV 50, 55)
3. AIDS vaccine ‘success’ (TWiV 51)
4. Colony collapse disorder (TWiV 46, 49)
5. AIDS-like disease in wild chimps (TWiV 45)
6. Diverse viral community in Antarctic lake (TWiV 58)
7. Polyomavirus seroepidemiology in humans (TWiV 26)
8. Poxvirus threatens UK red squirrels (TWiV 63)
9. Polio spreads from Nigeria (TWiV 29)
10. How mosquitoes survive Dengue virus infection (TWiV 21)

Picture book on viruses for kids (Thanks Soraia!)

Weekly Science Picks
Rich Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard P. Feynman, Ralph Leighton, Edward Hutchings, and Albert R. Hibbs
Alan Spaceweather.com
Vincent The Art and Politics of Science by Harold Varmus

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv or leave voicemail at Skype: twivpodcast. You can also post articles that you would like us to discuss at microbeworld.org and tag them with twiv.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Alan Dove

Vincent, Dickson, and Alan discuss STEP HIV-1 vaccine failure caused by the adenovirus vector, presence of West Nile virus in kidneys for years after initial infection, adaptation of the influenza viral RNA polymerase for replication in human cells, and the significance of the D225G change in the influenza HA protein.

Sponsor: Try GotoMyPC free for 30 days! For this special offer, visit www.gotomypc.com/podcast

Click the arrow above to play, or right-click to download TWiV #62 (47 MB .mp3, 66 minutes)

Subscribe to TWiV (free) in iTunes , at the Zune Marketplace, by the RSS feed, or by email.

Links for this episode:

• HIV vaccine failure probably caused by adenovirus vector used
• Persistence of West Nile virus in kidneys for years (JID and ProMedMail) (thanks, Lenn!)
• Adaptive strategies of influenza RNA polymerase for replication in humans
• New CDC estimates of 2009 H1N1 infection in US
• Receptor binding specificity of 2009 H1N1 virus
• Distribution of sialic acids in human respiratory tract

Weekly Science Picks
Dick Smallpox – The Death of a Disease by DA Henderson
Alan Olympus Bioscapes Digital Imaging Competition
Vincent Microbe Magazine

Send your virology questions and comments (email or mp3 file) to twiv@twiv.tv or leave voicemail at Skype: twivpodcast. You can also post articles that you would like us to discuss at microbeworld.org and tag them with twiv.