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The vertebrate body is an ideal breeding ground for viruses and provides the conditions that promote
their growth, survival and transmission. Vertebrates have developed immunity and at the same time the
invading viruses have discovered elegant ways to circumvent the host`s immune mechanisms. One of the
defense strategies that counteract the immune responses of the infected host exploits viral immunomodulators
that directly interfere with the host`s cytokine system. Virus encoded immunomodulators (Virokines), enables
viruses to create favorable habitat, which preserves them by protecting against damage from the inflammatory
response, as well as by blocking apoptosis, until the virus replicates to high titers and finds another host.
Virokines are clinically and therapeutically beneficial to the medical field and also having potential implications
in viral epidemiology, treatment or prevention of viral and inflammatory diseases and for the development of
safer vaccines. The endogenous secretion of the virus immunomodulators is thus emerging as an important
mechanism of viral control, which is potentially inducible by effective vaccines. The in depth knowledge of the
interactions between viruses and the virokines may lead to novel therapeutic and preventive strategies for the
control of viral inflammatory diseases. There is no doubt that these virokines will serve as useful starting points
for the development of new treatment tools in the new millennium.
