Schematic overview of the normal immune after a viral infection. Phase 0 consists of epithelial infection with the virus, after which monocytes detect the pathogen and subsequent cytokine production and differentiate into cytokine-producing macrophages and other cell types. Phase 1 entails the attraction and activation of other innate immune cells, such as NK cells, which kill infected cells, and DCs, which then travel to naive T cells and lymph nodes. Phase 2 consists of the subsequent activation of T cells and B cells by DCs (and the cytokines produced) into activated and differentiated T cells and antibody-producing plasma cells, respectively. This results in phase 3, in which antibodies and T cells attack the virus and virus-infected cells, respectively. Image created with Biorender.com.