A common feature of many infections, both viral and bacterial, is a systemic inflammatory response that involves a dysregulated proinflammatory biomarker presence in the circulation.3, 5, 32These biomarkers may include cytokines (e.g., interleukins [ILs], tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α, and interferons) but also molecules originating from bacteria and viruses themselves (e.g., proteases, ribonucleic acid [RNA], and membrane components like lipopolysaccharide [LPS], lipoteichoic acid [LTA], and viral glycoproteins). The gene discussed is TNF; the disease is infection.