Synucleinopathy and gliosis has been reported following infection with WNV and H5N1 influenza A.29,45,72 It has been suggested that α-synuclein can restricts replication of RNA viruses in the brain following encephalitic infection.27 However, whether aggregation of α-synuclein is a pathological consequence of encephalitic infection or a protective mechanism to restrict replication of viral RNA is still unclear. Here, SNCA is linked to infection.