In discussing the expert narratives, we divide the field of virology into a number of stages. Roughly, we identify five stages, based on the alternation of times of crisis and of control. Then, all of a sudden in 1982, HIV/Aids emerged as an unknown enemy in the Dutch gay scene. It constituted a challenge and problem for human virology, accompanied by a sudden influx of research funding, public concern and policy development. 5 Furthermore, there was an aggressive viral outbreak in seals in the North and Baltic Seas around 1988, which killed tens of thousands of seals. BSE was seen just before this, putting veterinary virology firmly on the map and introducing virologists into the midst of political and public debate. As it turned out, these crises were a springboard to visibility for the three virologists studied here.