Viral immunity: it takes two to tango

Viral infections were a major cause of mortality until the use of vaccination and antiviral drugs became widespread. During the last 10 years, immunologists have made tremendous progress in dissecting mechanisms that contribute to the success of vaccines, in understanding the molecular and cellular basis of innate immunity, and in recognizing the complexity of immunological memory. Virologists have also made great progress in elucidating the molecular mechanisms of how viruses evade, manipulate, and interact with host cellular processes. In spite of these advances, most of the basic mechanisms of antiviral immunity in the host are still poorly understood due to the complexity and specificity of virus-host interactions. Here we report on advances from the recent Keystone Symposia "Viral Immunity," organized in Keystone, Colorado on January 20-25, 2008 by Jack R. Bennink, Marcia A. Blackman, and Ann B. Hill.