A recent report has shown that infection by human Parainfluenza virus type 3 induces the accumulation of cytoplasmic autophagosomes via a direct blockage of autophagic flux, whereby a viral phosphoprotein binds SNAP29 and inhibits its interaction with STX17, thereby preventing these two host SNARE proteins from mediating autophagosome–lysosome fusion42. Here, STX17 is linked to infection.