Type I IFN, a major product of PRR signaling, has been shown to link innate and adaptive immune responses. However, the specific PRR pathways that mediate this during acute WNV infection have not been delineated nor has the RLR pathway been evaluated in this context. The quantity and quality of the innate and adaptive immune responses after infection must be carefully regulated to avoid aberrant inflammation and immunopathogenesis. Regulatory T (T reg ) cells and inflammatory dendritic cell (DC) subsets regulate inflammation during acute virus infection through T cell suppression and by modulating the trafficking and inflammatory cytokine production of immune cells into infected tissues [26, 27, 28] . Thus, the level of local and peripheral T reg cells, and the composition of local DC subsets that develop during WNV infection may determine immune control and WNV disease.