This guy has everything working against him

If it weren't on msnbc, I'd assume that this was the beginning of a joke:

The herpes family of viruses can have a surprising upside — it can protect against the bubonic plague and other bacterial contagions, at least in mice.

Research into whether a similar mechanism applies to humans and other mammalian hosts should be conducted, said viral immunologist Skip Virgin at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

As for me? I'll dance with the Black Death, thank you very much.