Based on currently available data, Mincle does not appear to induce direct effectors involved in antibacterial immunity against S. pneumoniae. Rather, we suggest that in pneumococcal pneumonia, the principal function of Mincle as ITAM-coupled receptor is to orchestrate immediate-early pro- and anti-inflammatory responses regulating lung protective immunity against pneumococci. This evidence concerns the gene CLEC4E and pneumococcal pneumonia.