TNF and pneumococcal pneumonia: This study aims to probe into the potential causal relationships between gut microbial taxa and human blood metabolites with various serum inflammatory markers (CRP, SAA1, IL-6, TNF-α, WBC, and GlycA) and the risks of seven common infections (gastrointestinal infections, dysentery, pneumonia, bacterial pneumonia, bronchopneumonia and lung abscess, pneumococcal pneumonia, and urinary tract infections).