IFIH1 and viral infectious disease: Viral infections are first detected in host cells by specific pathogen recognition receptor (PRR) sensor molecules, such as the toll-like receptors (TLRs), the retinoic acid-inducible gene 1 protein (RIG-I), and melanoma-differentiation-associated protein-5 (MDA5), which initiate cascades of signaling events that lead to the expression of immune-regulatory and antiviral genes, such as interferons (IFNs) and their downstream target genes (Yoneyama and Fujita, 2010; Murira and Lamarre, 2016).