Memories in the snow: immune memory, persistent infection and chronic disease.

Under the cover of snow in February 2011, immunologists convened in Banff, Alberta, Canada, for the Keystone symposium 'Immunologic Memory, Persisting Microbes and Chronic Disease'. These are wide-ranging topics that are typically addressed in separate experimental settings. However, a theme that emerged was the way in which these subjects are inextricably linked, and the importance of addressing them together and deciphering their molecular determinants.