Astrocytes have been recently identified as innate immune sentinel cells capable of sensing ZIKV and producing IFN-β in human fetal brain explants and iPSC-derived neural cultures (Stokes et al., 2025), and infection of astrocytic endfeet has been associated with BBB disruption in IFNAR-deficient mice (Jurado et al., 2018). Here, IFNB1 is linked to infection.