The importance of P protein-mediated STAT1 antagonism in the pathogenesis of RABV was revealed using the pathogenic Nishigahara (Ni) RABV strain that causes lethal infection in mice [25,44,45], and an attenuated Ni-derived strain (Ni-CE), which is defective in antagonism of STAT1 signaling, and non-pathogenic in mice. This evidence concerns the gene STAT1 and infection.