They reported that the expression of a soluble pattern recognition receptor (PTX3) was induced to protect cells from bacterial infection through GroEL (heat shock protein 60)-Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) pathway via nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and the inhibition of mir-9, which targets PTX3. However, in tick cells the isc-mir-79 was induced and not inhibited in response to A. phagocytophilum infection, suggesting a different role for this miRNA in tick cells during bacterial infection. This evidence concerns the gene NFKB1 and bacterial infectious disease.