Further, if similar, persistent, HO-1-mediated neutrophil dysfunction occurs in bacterial sepsis, this may begin to explain the increased risk of recurrent infection in sepsis survivors57–59: up to 63% of sepsis survivors experience at least one subsequent episode of invasive bacterial disease within 12 months and this is fatal in 16.1% of cases59. The gene discussed is HMOX1; the disease is bacterial infectious disease with sepsis.