Manipulated microenvironment in human papilloma virus-infected epithelial cells: is the CD40-CD154 pathway beneficial for host or virus?

In this issue, Tummers et al. (2014) demonstrate that high-risk human papilloma viruses (hrHPVs) attenuate the magnitude of responses to CD40 ligation and the epithelial cells' (ECs) capacity to attract leukocytes. These results suggest that hrHPVs can escape from host immune surveillance by modulating pro-inflammatory responses in infected ECs, resulting in persistent infections and potential carcinogenesis.