Infectous Dose Episodes

Why do mosquito bites itch? In this Outbreak After Dark episode, explore how mosquitoes find hosts, take blood meals, spread disease, and trigger the immune response—all from the perspective of a Gulf Coast summer night.

Outbreak Watch: Line of Sight examines the growing Ebola outbreak in the DRC, the Hondius hantavirus response, and emerging screwworm detections in the U.S., exploring how surveillance, visibility, and uncertainty shape outbreak response.

Why can we smell rain? Explore the science of petrichor, geosmin, soil microbes, and the memories connected to summer storms in this immersive podcast episode.

How can a tick bite make someone allergic to red meat months later? Explore the mystery, science, diagnosis, and history of alpha-gal syndrome in this episode of Infectious Dose.

Hurricanes don't create pathogens—they change exposure. Learn about floodwater infections, mold, mosquitoes, food safety, and hurricane preparedness in this Infectious Dose episode.

Outbreak update covering the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda, the Andes hantavirus cruise cluster, and growing global public-health strain.

Outbreak After Dark explores the true crime case that brought forensic virology into court and asked: can a virus testify?

What is Ebola really — and how does it spread? This episode explores Ebola transmission, pathogenesis, outbreak history, and the 2026 Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda.

Part 2 of Infectious Dose’s Andes virus cruise ship investigation explores new genomic evidence, WHO guidance, person-to-person transmission, and the public-health communication challenges surrounding the MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak.

A science-based breakdown of the hantavirus cruise outbreak, including airborne transmission, Andes virus, person-to-person spread, and how to communicate honestly during evolving outbreaks.

A deep dive into the strangest medical treatments in history—from bloodletting and mercury to tobacco smoke enemas and early infection therapies—exploring how medicine evolved before germ theory and what those practices reveal about the origins of modern science.

Summary Epstein–Barr virus is one of the most common infections in the world—by adulthood, nearly 95% of people carry it. Most remember it, if at all, as “just mono.” A brief illness. A recovery. The end of the story. Except it isn’t. EBV doesn’t leave. It stays—inside the very immune cells responsible for remembering infection. For most people, it exists quietly, held in check by the immune system. But under certain conditions, that balance can shift, linking this common vir

Murine typhus is a flea-borne infection often missed due to nonspecific symptoms and subtle presentation. This episode explores its transmission, urban ecology, and why infections that don’t fit expectations are frequently overlooked.

A one-year anniversary episode of Infectious Dose exploring how science communication, misinformation, trust, and storytelling shape how we understand infectious disease.

Step inside a BSL-4 lab in this immersive podcast episode. Experience high-containment science, biosafety systems, and what it really feels like inside the suit.

Plague doctors weren’t just eerie figures in beaked masks—they were part of early epidemic response systems. This episode explores their real history, the science behind their methods, and why their image still fascinates us today.

A systems-level guided tour of the Vaccine Safety Series. Explore how vaccines are tested, monitored, and misunderstood—and how institutional failures can shape public trust in science.

Interview with biomedical researcher Mark Ungrin on how misinformation can originate inside scientific institutions and shape public health policy.

Mpox explained: symptoms, transmission, viral evolution, clade Ib, vaccines, global health inequity, and why scientists are watching the virus closely.

From zombie ants to Toxoplasma gondii, this Outbreak After Dark episode explores parasites that manipulate love, fear, and mating—and what that means for humans.