Apoptosis is generally considered to be a highly efficient self-defense mechanism employed by host target cells, because it permits the infected host to dispose of viral proteins and nucleic acids on a single-cell basis without inducing an inflammatory response. It is thus not surprising that many viruses have evolved strategies to circumvent this response. Of interest, Krilov et al [35] demonstrated that monocytes and cord blood mononuclear cells are similarly protected from apoptosis when infected with RSV.