Our studies have focused on blinding P. aeruginosa infections of the cornea (keratitis), which are a major cause of corneal ulcers in the USA and worldwide, including a very recent outbreak of multi-drug resistant bacteria from commercial saline eyedrops15–17.Quantitative PCR analysis of patients with corneal ulcers caused by P. aeruginosa or S. pneumoniae revealed elevated gene expression of IL-1β, NLRC4, NLRP3 and ASC compared with uninfected human corneas associated with the infiltrate comprising >90% neutrophils11. This evidence concerns the gene IL1B and corneal infection.