We show that apoptotic corpse engulfment rapidly triggers intracellular calcium bursts within the macrophage cytosol (see also Cuttell et al., 2008) and that these are essential for macrophage priming, as genetic abrogation of calcium signaling (using the calcium binding protein Parvalbumin) impaired the macrophage response to tissue damage and bacterial infection. The gene discussed is PVALB; the disease is bacterial infectious disease.