Several studies have indicated that IL-10 protects the host during infection by limiting pathogen-induced immune pathologies (Couper et al., 2008), but other studies have shown that IL-10 can directly inhibit microbial killing by phagocytes (Fleming et al., 1999; Lee et al., 2011; Oswald et al., 1992), compromising host defense (Redford et al., 2011). The gene discussed is IL10; the disease is infection.