Lung biopsies obtained from SARS patients or infected primates consistently showed increased expression levels of (i) proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin(IL)-1, TNF and IL-6, (ii) chemokines, such as IL-8 (CXCL8), IP-10 (CXCL10) and MCP-1 (CCL2) and (iii) several other NF-κB target genes, suggesting that CoV infection triggers prototypical innate immune reactions involving the upregulation of inflammatory genes [2–4]. This evidence concerns the gene CCL2 and severe acute respiratory syndrome.