IL1B and infection: The ability of P. aeruginosa to activate the NLRC4 inflammasome-mediated production of IL-1β and IL-18 is responsible for a substantial amount of the pathology associated with acute pneumonia, and inhibition of IL-1β, caspase-1, IL-1R, and IL-18R limits pathological consequences of infection and improves bacterial clearance (12, 13).