CXCL12 and pneumococcal infection: Consequently, protein-deprived malnourished mice suffer from leukopenia and neutropenia, especially during pneumococcal infection, and show a reduced capacity to recruit neutrophils into infected lungs (19, 38), A reduced expression of CXCL12 is observed in bone marrow during a pneumococcal infection in malnourished mice by protein deprivation, possibly as a mechanism for the preservation of hematopoietic stem cells (29, 42).