 In apoptotic responses to infection, the contents of an infected cell (including the pathogen) are contained and engulfed by phagocytosis.Some pathogens, such as human cytomegalovirus, express caspase inhibitors that arrest the apoptotic machinery of the host cell.The caspase-independence of necroptosis allows the cell to bypass caspase activation, decreasing the time during which the pathogen can inhabit the cell.