Instead, we observed a significant reduction in the production of the C-reactive protein (CRP), which is a marker of infection, in patients with synovial fluids contaminated by coagulase-negative bacteria (caused in eight cases by S. epidermidis, in one by S. capitis, and in one by S. caprae) compared to the case of S. aureus (Figure 3c). This evidence concerns the gene CRP and infection.