You Can Breathe Easy: IFNλ Handles Flu without Triggering a Damaging Inflammatory Response

Type III interferon (IFNλ) and type I IFN (IFNα/β) have overlapping antiviral activities in the lung. In this issue of Immunity , Galani et al. (2017) identify a critical early role for IFNλ, not shared by IFNα/β, in protection of the lung following influenza virus infection.