Neutrophils are the major cellular component of the acute inflammatory response. By contrast, macrophages are the major cellular component in most chronic immunological responses, and act as key regulators of the specific acquired response. Here, Janusz Marcinkiewicz examines recent data indicating that chloramines, the neutrophil-specific products of the myeloperoxidase--hydrogen-peroxide--halide system, may provide a bridge between the afferent branches of the innate and acquired immune response.