NLRP3 and pneumococcal infection: In a murine model of Streptococcus pneumonia infection, secretion of the pore-forming toxin pneumolysin has been shown to stimulate the NLRP3 inflammasome, which initially has a protective response that becomes harmful as the disease progresses.45, 47 Moreover, Hassane et al showed NLRP3-inflammasome dependent IL-1β secretion to be the principal regulator of the murine immune response to experimental S. pneumonia infection.48