The clinical diagnosis involves a combination of major criteria (positive blood cultures, evidence of valvular damage in the echocardiographic examination) and minor criteria (fever, manifestations of glomerulonephritis, Osler nodules, predisposing cardiac factors, suggestive but not conclusive echocardiographic images to be considered a major criterion, splenomegaly, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), elevated C-Reactive Protein (CRP), presence of venous catheters, microscopic hematuria). The gene discussed is CRP; the disease is glomerulonephritis.