Viruses use stealth technology to escape from the host immune system.

In this review, we focus on recent investigations that reveal novel mechanisms by which viruses evade detection and elimination by the host immune system. In particular, we consider the evasion mechanisms of five persistent viruses: herpes simplex virus, human cytomegalovirus, mouse cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus and adenovirus. Unravelling the strategies used by viruses to survive within the host could identify new targets for antiviral drugs and for improved vaccines. Identification of the mechanisms that underlie these strategies might also reveal new, fundamental features of biology that occur in uninfected cells and are exploited by viruses.