The mutants that are defective in nsy-1, sek-1, or pmk-1 (the major components in the p38 MAPK pathway), in ced-3 or ced-9 (the major components of PCD pathway), or in daf-16 (a major component of DAF/IGF pathway) all became more susceptible to DT104 infection with over 20–30% reduction in the life-span compared to the WT (Figures 3A–C). The gene discussed is MAP2K4; the disease is infection.