In another study of the LC3-associated phagocytosis (LAP) pathway in macrophages during Streptococcus pneumoniae infection, macrophages from aged mice (20 to 22 months old) not only lacked LAP and bacterial killing ability compared to those from young mice (2 months old), but also produced higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines131. Here, TGFB1 is linked to pneumococcal infection.