CASP1 and infection: The use of a specific inhibitor of CPAF, design to overcome the refraction of the bacteria to genetic manipulation, revealed that CPAF activity inhibits ASC and caspase-1-dependent cell death in the early times of infection of epithelial cells with C. trachomatis. Late activation of caspase-1 occurs in epithelial cells and pharmacological inhibition of caspase-1 reduces bacterial growth in these cells, corroborating the importance of regulation of inflammasome activation to the pathogenesis of C. trachomatis (Abdul-Sater et al., 2009).