Additional studies in an experimental model of chronic alcohol ingestion demonstrated that treatment with externally produced (i.e., recombinant) GM-CSF can restore the functions of both the alveolar macrophages and the alveolar epithelium (Joshi et al. 2005, 2006; Pelaez et al. 2004), suggesting that GM-CSF administration might be effective in the acute setting when alcoholic patients are admitted to the hospital with serious illnesses such as pneumonia. The gene discussed is CSF2; the disease is pneumonia.