Toll-like receptor 4 plays an important role to enhance bacterial clearance from the nose in synergy with triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells (TREM)-1 expression on polymorphonuclear neutrophils

TREM-1 may play an important role together with TLR4 in the nasopharyngeal clearance of NTHi by neutrophils. Further studies will need to clarify the innate immune responses of neutrophils via TLR4 to prevent NTHi infection.