Furthermore, sequencing the coding regions of 46 innate immune genes from 435 patients, Ferwerda and co-workers showed that immune susceptibility to pneumococcal meningitis is related to variations in several genes encoding the CARD8, CXCL1, NOD-2, and interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 4 (IRAK4; Ferwerda et al., 2016). Here, IRAK4 is linked to pneumococcal meningitis.