Figure 3.

Fast and limited immunity is good. A time limited burst of inflammation limits bystander tissue damage, which in turn limits the extent of tissue repair. This leads to less impairment of anti-bacterial immunity and so a secondary bacterial infection is cleared. A virulent pathogen, or one that isn't cleared quickly, causes prolonged bystander tissue damage leading to a lengthy period of repair; the processes of which are anti-inflammatory. A subsequent bacterial infection is ignored and grows exponentially. Ultimately, innate immunity is activated when the bacterial load is excessive causing deleterious consequences.