EIF2AK2 and infection: One observation that favours this hypothesis is that the conserved ends of the genomic RNAs of several members of the Bunyaviridae also form a structured panhandle [76] and the level of phosphorylated eIF2α increased during infection with the prototypic Bunyamwera virus and the Rift Valley fever virus lacking the PKR inhibitor NSs [77–79].