NLRP3 and pneumococcal infection: In addition, it has been shown that ASC inflammasomes, including AIM2 and NLRP3 activate caspase-1 in pneumococcal infection [18] and especially, pneumolysin, a major virulence factor of S. pneumoniae, activate NLRP3/ASC inflammasome in a murine model of S. pneumoniae corneal infection [19].