IL4 showed significant up regulation in melioidosis cases compared to other sepsis cases (Table 2, Fig 1) while HMGB1, an inflammatory mediator was consistently down regulated in melioidosis cases compared to other sepsis cases, irrespective of all other factors like comorbidities, duration of fever/clinical symptoms and antibiotic treatment (Tables 2–5, Figs 1–3). The gene discussed is HMGB1; the disease is Sepsis.