#16 – The Ebola Outbreak Nobody Was Ready For

#16 – The Ebola Outbreak Nobody Was Ready For

An Ebola outbreak is currently unfolding in the Democratic Republic of Congo — caused not by the well-known Ebola Zaire, but by Bundibugyo Ebola virus, a species for which no licensed vaccines or proven treatments exist. This episode covers the basics of Ebola viruses, how they spread, why they cause such severe disease, and what makes this particular outbreak so difficult to contain: it was detected late, it's happening in an active conflict zone, US support has largely been withdrawn, and the medical countermeasures simply aren't there yet. A global pandemic is unlikely given the transmission routes, but for the local population, this is already a serious tragedy. DRC case tracking [French] https://sante.gouv.cd/epidemie/ebola-bundibugyo-2026 [https://sante.gouv.cd/epidemie/ebola-bundibugyo-2026] Review about neglected filoviruses (including Bundibugyo): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4931228/ [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4931228/] WHO Bundibugyo outbreak overview: https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON603 [https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON603] +++++ You can support the podcast via our German Steady page: https://steady.page/virologisch/ [https://steady.page/virologisch/] Questions, feedback or topic suggestions? Feel free to contact us at: virological@podcastwerkstatt.com [virological@podcastwerkstatt.com] +++++ Krammer laboratory information Krammer Laboratory at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai https://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/krammerlab/ [https://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/krammerlab/] Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Science Outreach and Pandemic Preparedness https://soap.lbg.ac.at/ [https://soap.lbg.ac.at/] Ignaz Semmelweis Institute https://semmelweisinstitute.ac.at/ [https://semmelweisinstitute.ac.at/] +++++ Conflict of interest statement The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has filed patent applications relating to influenza virus vaccines and therapeutics, SARS-CoV-2 serological assays and NDV-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines which name me as inventor. Mount Sinai has spun out a company, CastleVax, to commercialize NDV-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and I am named as co-founder and scientific advisory board member of that company. I have previously consulted for Curevac, Merck, Gritstone, Sanofi, Seqirus, GSK and Pfizer and I am currently consulting for 3rd Rock Ventures (US) and Avimex (Mexico). My laboratory has been collaborating in the past with Pfizer on animal models of SARS-CoV-2 and with GlaxoSmithKline and VIR on the development of influenza virus vaccines and therapeutics and we are currently collaborating with Dynavax, Inspirevax and Inimmune on development of influenza virus vaccines. My work in the on immunity and infectious diseases in the US is supported by the National Institutes of Health, but also by FluLab and Tito’s Handmade Vodka. In the past I have also received funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, PATH and the US Department of Defense. My work in Austria is supported by the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft and by the Ignaz Semmelweis Institute through the Medical University of Vienna.

#15 – Mold in the Body: What Is Aspergillosis?

We all inhale mold spores every day — for most people, that's not a problem. But for those with a weakened immune system or pre-existing lung conditions, it can become life-threatening. In this episode, Florian talks with Prof. Helmut Salzer, Head of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine at Kepler University Hospital in Linz, about Aspergillus and the three forms of aspergillosis: invasive, chronic, and allergic. Around four million people are affected worldwide every year, with more deaths than influenza causes annually. Yet the disease remains largely under the radar. Incidence and mortality of severe fungal infections: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1473309923006928?ref=pdf_download&fr=RR-2&rr=9fe2bbf82d07b654 [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1473309923006928?ref=pdf_download&fr=RR-2&rr=9fe2bbf82d07b654] Latest international guidelines on chronic pulmonary aspergillosis: https://publications.ersnet.org/content/erj/47/1/45.full.pdf [https://publications.ersnet.org/content/erj/47/1/45.full.pdf] ECMM – the umbrella organization of European mycological societies, focusing on the diagnosis, treatment and research of fungal infections: https://www.ecmm.info/ [https://www.ecmm.info/] GAFFI – a scientific society dedicated to the research and practical application of fungal disease: https://gaffi.org/ [https://gaffi.org/] +++++ You can support the podcast via our German Steady page: https://steady.page/virologisch/ [https://steady.page/virologisch/] Questions, feedback or topic suggestions? Feel free to contact us at: virological@podcastwerkstatt.com [virological@podcastwerkstatt.com] +++++ Krammer laboratory information Krammer Laboratory at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai https://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/krammerlab/ [https://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/krammerlab/] Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Science Outreach and Pandemic Preparedness https://soap.lbg.ac.at/ [https://soap.lbg.ac.at/] Ignaz Semmelweis Institute https://semmelweisinstitute.ac.at/ [https://semmelweisinstitute.ac.at/] +++++ Conflict of interest statement The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has filed patent applications relating to influenza virus vaccines and therapeutics, SARS-CoV-2 serological assays and NDV-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines which name me as inventor. Mount Sinai has spun out a company, CastleVax, to commercialize NDV-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and I am named as co-founder and scientific advisory board member of that company. I have previously consulted for Curevac, Merck, Gritstone, Sanofi, Seqirus, GSK and Pfizer and I am currently consulting for 3rd Rock Ventures (US) and Avimex (Mexico). My laboratory has been collaborating in the past with Pfizer on animal models of SARS-CoV-2 and with GlaxoSmithKline and VIR on the development of influenza virus vaccines and therapeutics and we are currently collaborating with Dynavax, Inspirevax and Inimmune on development of influenza virus vaccines. My work in the on immunity and infectious diseases in the US is supported by the National Institutes of Health, but also by FluLab and Tito’s Handmade Vodka. In the past I have also received funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, PATH and the US Department of Defense. My work in Austria is supported by the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft and by the Ignaz Semmelweis Institute through the Medical University of Vienna.

#14 – Hantavirus on a Cruise Ship: How Dangerous Is the Andes Virus?

Andes virus is the only known hantavirus that can spread from person to person and that's exactly what makes the current outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius so unprecedented. This episode covers the basics of hantaviruses, how Andes virus works, and why it causes such severe disease with a case fatality rate of 20–40%. It also traces the events on the Hondius from its departure in Ushuaia to the evacuation in Tenerife, and addresses the open questions that are making experts uneasy: How efficiently does Andes virus transmit between humans? Why is there no treatment? And why is developing a vaccine so difficult? Nice overview of cases so far by Ian Mackay on Twitter: https://x.com/MackayIM/status/2054080783724544375/photo/1 [https://x.com/MackayIM/status/2054080783724544375/photo/1] Statement of the International Hantavirus Society: https://zenodo.org/records/20134326 [https://zenodo.org/records/20134326] Three scientific articles describing past human-two-human transmission of Andes virus: 1996: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0042682297989765?via%3Dihub [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0042682297989765?via%3Dihub] 2014: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7101103/ [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7101103/] 2018/19: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2009040 [https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2009040] +++++ You can support the podcast via our German Steady page: https://steady.page/virologisch/ [https://steady.page/virologisch/] Questions, feedback or topic suggestions? Feel free to contact us at: virological@podcastwerkstatt.com [virological@podcastwerkstatt.com] +++++ Krammer laboratory information Krammer Laboratory at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai https://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/krammerlab/ [https://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/krammerlab/] Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Science Outreach and Pandemic Preparedness https://soap.lbg.ac.at/ [https://soap.lbg.ac.at/] Ignaz Semmelweis Institute https://semmelweisinstitute.ac.at/ [https://semmelweisinstitute.ac.at/] +++++ Conflict of interest statement The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has filed patent applications relating to influenza virus vaccines and therapeutics, SARS-CoV-2 serological assays and NDV-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines which name me as inventor. Mount Sinai has spun out a company, CastleVax, to commercialize NDV-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and I am named as co-founder and scientific advisory board member of that company. I have previously consulted for Curevac, Merck, Gritstone, Sanofi, Seqirus, GSK and Pfizer and I am currently consulting for 3rd Rock Ventures (US) and Avimex (Mexico). My laboratory has been collaborating in the past with Pfizer on animal models of SARS-CoV-2 and with GlaxoSmithKline and VIR on the development of influenza virus vaccines and therapeutics and we are currently collaborating with Dynavax, Inspirevax and Inimmune on development of influenza virus vaccines. My work in the on immunity and infectious diseases in the US is supported by the National Institutes of Health, but also by FluLab and Tito’s Handmade Vodka. In the past I have also received funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, PATH and the US Department of Defense. My work in Austria is supported by the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft and by the Ignaz Semmelweis Institute through the Medical University of Vienna.

#13 – SARS-CoV-1: the Outbreak That Almost Became a Pandemic

Before SARS-CoV-2, there was SARS-CoV-1 - a closely related coronavirus that caused a serious outbreak in 2002–2003 with a case fatality rate of around 10%. Unlike its successor, SARS-CoV-1 only became transmissible after symptoms appeared, which made it possible to identify and isolate infected people even without PCR tests. The virus spread from China to Hong Kong, Canada, Singapore, and Vietnam via superspreader events before a global effort managed to contain it by June 2003. The likely origin: horseshoe bats at wet markets in Guangdong, with palm civets and raccoon dogs as intermediate hosts. Review about the origins of SARS-CoV: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7120088/pdf/978-3-540-70962-6Chapter13.pdf [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7120088/pdf/978-3-540-70962-6_Chapter_13.pdf] SARS outbreak at the Amoy Gardens residential towers: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa032867 [https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa032867] Science article about superspreaders and the Metropole hotel in Hong Kong [unfortunately behind a paywall]: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.339.6125.1272 [https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.339.6125.1272] +++++ You can support the podcast via our German Steady page: https://steady.page/virologisch/ [https://steady.page/virologisch/] Questions, feedback or topic suggestions? Feel free to contact us at: virological@podcastwerkstatt.com [virological@podcastwerkstatt.com] +++++ Krammer laboratory information Krammer Laboratory at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai https://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/krammerlab/ [https://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/krammerlab/] Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Science Outreach and Pandemic Preparedness https://soap.lbg.ac.at/ [https://soap.lbg.ac.at/] Ignaz Semmelweis Institute https://semmelweisinstitute.ac.at/ [https://semmelweisinstitute.ac.at/] +++++ Conflict of interest statement The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has filed patent applications relating to influenza virus vaccines and therapeutics, SARS-CoV-2 serological assays and NDV-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines which name me as inventor. Mount Sinai has spun out a company, CastleVax, to commercialize NDV-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and I am named as co-founder and scientific advisory board member of that company. I have previously consulted for Curevac, Merck, Gritstone, Sanofi, Seqirus, GSK and Pfizer and I am currently consulting for 3rd Rock Ventures (US) and Avimex (Mexico). My laboratory has been collaborating in the past with Pfizer on animal models of SARS-CoV-2 and with GlaxoSmithKline and VIR on the development of influenza virus vaccines and therapeutics and we are currently collaborating with Dynavax, Inspirevax and Inimmune on development of influenza virus vaccines. My work in the on immunity and infectious diseases in the US is supported by the National Institutes of Health, but also by FluLab and Tito’s Handmade Vodka. In the past I have also received funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, PATH and the US Department of Defense. My work in Austria is supported by the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft and by the Ignaz Semmelweis Institute through the Medical University of Vienna.

#12 – Zoonosis From the Sea: Covert Mortality Nodavirus

A virus previously known only from shrimp farms and fish is now linked to a serious eye disease in humans. Covert Mortality Nodavirus (CMNV) has been detected in over half of fish samples and nearly two-thirds of crab samples tested at markets and a new study in Nature Microbiology (March 2026) connects it to a persistent form of viral uveitis that can permanently damage the optic nerve and lead to severe vision loss. The biggest risk factors: working with raw fish and seafood, especially with skin injuries, and eating raw fish. The first reported cases are from China, but the virus appears to be globally distributed. Nature Microbiology study describing the link between eye infections and CMNV [unfortunately behind a paywall]: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-026-02266-x [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-026-02266-x] CMNV description from the World Organization for Animal Health: https://www.woah.org/app/uploads/2023/03/a-woah-cmnv-disease-card.pdf [https://www.woah.org/app/uploads/2023/03/a-woah-cmnv-disease-card.pdf] +++++ You can support the podcast via our German Steady page: https://steady.page/virologisch/ [https://steady.page/virologisch/] Questions, feedback or topic suggestions? Feel free to contact us at: virological@podcastwerkstatt.com [virological@podcastwerkstatt.com] +++++ Krammer laboratory information Krammer Laboratory at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai https://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/krammerlab/ [https://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/krammerlab/] Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Science Outreach and Pandemic Preparedness https://soap.lbg.ac.at/ [https://soap.lbg.ac.at/] Ignaz Semmelweis Institute https://semmelweisinstitute.ac.at/ [https://semmelweisinstitute.ac.at/] +++++ Conflict of interest statement The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has filed patent applications relating to influenza virus vaccines and therapeutics, SARS-CoV-2 serological assays and NDV-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines which name me as inventor. Mount Sinai has spun out a company, CastleVax, to commercialize NDV-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and I am named as co-founder and scientific advisory board member of that company. I have previously consulted for Curevac, Merck, Gritstone, Sanofi, Seqirus, GSK and Pfizer and I am currently consulting for 3rd Rock Ventures (US) and Avimex (Mexico). My laboratory has been collaborating in the past with Pfizer on animal models of SARS-CoV-2 and with GlaxoSmithKline and VIR on the development of influenza virus vaccines and therapeutics and we are currently collaborating with Dynavax, Inspirevax and Inimmune on development of influenza virus vaccines. My work in the on immunity and infectious diseases in the US is supported by the National Institutes of Health, but also by FluLab and Tito’s Handmade Vodka. In the past I have also received funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, PATH and the US Department of Defense. My work in Austria is supported by the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft and by the Ignaz Semmelweis Institute through the Medical University of Vienna.