E. coli bacteremia is highly inflammatory, and infection often triggers a cascade of innate proinflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 1 (IL-1), and IL-6, which are both protective against infection and promote the immune pathogenesis of clinical sepsis (56, –, 59). The gene discussed is IL6; the disease is bacterial infectious disease with sepsis.