Mice receiving rhDARS2 showed a significant increase in BAL cell numbers and in peritoneal fluid (PF) compared to vehicle (Fig. 7g, h) To determine clinical relevance of these observations, we examined the levels of DARS2 in the plasma of noncritically-ill (n = 10) and critically ill patients (n = 40) in the intensive care unit who were positive for viral or bacterial infections (n = 50, Supplementary Table 1). This evidence concerns the gene DARS2 and bacterial infectious disease.