Viruses have exploited a fascinating array of mechanisms to inhibit programed cell death. Different viruses tamper with cell suicide pathways by terminating cell death receptor signalling, mimicking cellular Bc1-2 functions, encoding protease inhibitors and other tactics. These stealth strategies are likely to be essential for the preservation of some viruses as it appears nearly impossible for a virus to enter a cell and set up housekeeping without setting off the alarm system that triggers activation of the cell death pathway. Thus, many viruses have developed strategies to subvert the cellular selfdestruct mechanisms, thereby providing suitable environments for long-term persistence, the establishment of latency or for progeny virus production. Investigation of these viral strategies has significantly advanced our knowledge of cellular death pathways and has impacted on our understanding of viral pathogenesis.