For predicting major infection, the AUC for circulating histones was 0·78 (0·62 to 0·94), which was similar to, or lower than the values for BISAP, APACHE II, SOFA, urea, creatinine and IL-6 (range 0·80 to 0·87) within 24 h (Table S1, supporting information). This evidence concerns the gene IL6 and infection.