To validate the role of caveolin-1 in early alphavirus neuroinvasion in vivo, we infected WT and Cav-1−/− mice with either VEEV (10 PFU) or WEEV (1000 PFU) via f.p. infection and examined peripheral and CNS viral burdens at 1 and 3 dpi. This evidence concerns the gene CAV1 and infection.