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Complement is a major element of the innate immune response and also serves to link innate and adaptive immunity. It is an ancient immunological defence system that is thought to have evolved over 700 million years ago and components have been identified in all vertebrate classes (Zarkadis et al., 2001). Complement comprises over 30 serum and membrane-bound proteins which, when activated, form a cascade of reactions contributing to the elimination of invading microorganisms. Three pathways of activation exist, the classical, lectin, and alternative pathways (outlined in Fig. 1A and reviewed in Walport, 2001), all of which invoke several responses capable of controlling or eliminating infection. This overview will focus on the interaction of viruses with complement, highlighting the protective role of complement against viral infection, the mechanisms used by viruses to evade the effects of complement and the …