STAT Activation during Viral Infection In Vivo: Where's the Interferon?

In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, O'Gorman et al. (2010) identify a key role for early TLR2-mediated IL-6 production and STAT3 activation in generating protective immunity against poxviruses. These findings highlight the importance of early inflammatory cytokine production in antiviral defense and have implications for enhancing vaccination efficacy.