Morerecently, following seminal clinical trials with colchicine and interleukin-1(IL-1) blockers and a novel murine model of acute pericarditis using zymosan A,it has become clear that the NLRP3 (NACHT, leucine-rich repeat, and pyrindomain-containing protein 3) inflammasome/IL-1β axis plays a central rolein driving acute pericardial inflammation and in sustaining this process duringrecurrences. The gene discussed is IL1A; the disease is pericarditis.