Although platelets were traditionally thought of as only an ancillary player in our bodies response to infection, primarily via the synthesis and secretion of inflammatory cytokines like interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF), recent literature demonstrate that they play a much more active role than previously thought 8,9,19,20. The gene discussed is TNF; the disease is infection.