Virulent Vortex
Episodes
Season 3 - Episode 5 - Deanna Kulpa
05 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
HIV remains a worldwide problem, partly because of its ability to hide inside the very immune cells that our bodies use to fight the virus. In this ep...
Season 3 - Episode 4 - Meher Sethi
05 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
You may not have heard of reoviruses, but chances are that you have been infected by them. In this episode of the Virulent Vortex, Meher Sethi explain...
Season 3 - Episode 3 - Matthew Collins
06 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Virulent Vortex, Matthew Collins tells us about dengue, an infectious disease caused by a virus transmitted by mosquitoes. Cont...
Season 3 - Episode 2 - Gonzalo Vazquez-Prokopec
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Our world is divided, says Gonzalo Vazquez-Prokopec, but there is one thing we all agree on: we hate mosquitoes. Not only do these insects give us itc...
Season 3 - Episode 1 - Dave Civitello
04 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Virulent Vortex, Dave Civitello discusses snails and schistosomes. Expecting that schistosomes from humans and cattle could hyb...
Season 2 - Episode 9 - Jaap de Roode
23 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Lance Waller talks to Jaap de Roode about his new book Doctors by Nature, discussing the many ways in which animals use medicine and w...
Season 2 - Episode 8 - Maya Nadimpalli
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What do pigs and chickens have to do with antibiotic resistance? In this episode of the Virulent Vortex, Maya Nadimpalli explains how the overuse of a...
Season 2 - Episode 7 - Amber Coats
06 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From two stripes to one: many of us have felt the relief when our at-home COVID-19 test finally turned negative. While COVID-19 infections generally l...
Season 2 - Episode 6 - LM Bradley
06 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Using fertilizer to increase plant growth and crop production is common practice. But fertilizing to make snails grow? Not so much. In this episode of...
Season 2 - Episode 5 - Anne Piantadosi
02 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If your dream is to discover a new scary virus, then this episode of the Virulent Vortex is for you. Anne Piantadosi is passionate about ticks and emp...
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Elizabeth Rogawski McQuade
05 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Severe diarrheal disease can be caused by many different pathogens, but doctors will often prescribe bacteria-killing antibiotics, even when the disea...
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Natalie Dean
05 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What do Ebola and COVID-19 have in common? Both are caused by viruses, and both can be controlled using contact tracing and smart vaccination campaign...
Season 2 - Episode 2 - Ani Deshpande
03 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever been scared of becoming a mushroom-spreading zombie? This scenario may sound familiar to viewers of the sci-fi show The Last of Us. Whil...
Season 2 - Episode 1 - Jaap de Roode
05 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Virulent Vortex, host Jaap de Roode is interviewed by Lance Waller to discuss his research on malaria and butterfly disease. Cr...
Season 1 - Episode 10 - Ashley Alexander
02 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Patients with cystic fibrosis are especially vulnerable to infections with harmful bacteria, including staph and Pseudomonas. In this episode of the V...
Season 1 - Episode 9 - Stephen Mugel
28 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
While vaccines and drugs are key in the control of infectious diseases, healthy living conditions are crucial too. In this episode of the Virulent Vor...
Season 1 - Episode 8 - Rachel Pearson
07 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Patients are rarely infected with a single pathogen, and understanding how pathogens interact with each other is key for controlling infectious diseas...
Season 1 - Episode 7 - Steph Bellman
16 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
While mosquitoes continue to take the spotlight as vectors of infectious disease, ticks are becoming increasingly important as transmitters of pathoge...
Season 1 - Episode 6 - Katia Koelle
16 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Living through the COVID-19 pandemic, we sometimes forget that there have been, and will be, other pandemics. Many of these pandemics have involved fl...
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Ben Lopman
16 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ben Lopman has long studied how to optimize vaccination against rotavirus, which causes severe diarrheal disease in children. In this episode of the V...
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Sandra Mendiola
16 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you are interested in bugs, this episode of the Virulent Vortex is for you. Sandra Mendiola explains how beneficial bacterial bugs can stop insect ...
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Anice Lowen
16 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you have ever had flu, it may feel like the flu virus is a perfect pathogen. Think again. In this episode of the Virulent Vortex, Anice Lowen expla...
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Mirko Paiardini
16 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When COVID-19 turned into a deadly pandemic in 2020, no effective treatments were available. In this episode of the Virulent Vortex, Mirko Paiardini d...
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Lance Waller
14 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this opening episode of the Virulent Vortex Podcast, Lance Waller proclaims his love for maps, explains what it means to study infectious diseases ...