Although this hypothesis-generating study does not resolve the issue of diverse findings between studies, we feel that our study has advantages over other studies with our high degree of diagnostic validity, adequate numbers of appropriate controls, and multiple serum specimens. It is clear that additional studies are needed to clarify the many remaining questions, particularly regarding HHV-6, CMV, and HSV-1. As part of our broad research program, we will be conducting a much larger casecontrol study with approximately 1600 cases and 2100 controls. Although herpes family viruses will not be the primary focus of this follow-on study, we intend to further explore the associations identified in this hypothesisgenerating study.  SARS-CoV: Lessons for global health  On 16 November 2002, a man developed high fever and respiratory symptoms and was hospitalized and treated for pneumonia in Foshan, China (Zhao, 2007) . After several weeks in intensive care and subsequent spread of the mysterious respiratory disease to his wife and several relatives, he recovered and was released on the 8th of January 2003. In early December, a restaurant chef in Shenzhen developed a fever with flu like symptoms and while suffering a severe disease course was hospitalized in Heyuan, infecting seven hospital staff and a patient between the 16th and 28th of December. In parallel, multiple cities around Guangzhou in Guangdong Province were reporting sporadic cases of an atypical pneumonia between the end of December 2002 and through early January 2003, oftentimes in chefs or dealers of exotic animals in wet markets and their close contacts.