Aspergillus fumigatus infection is difficult to diagnose and can develop into a dangerous condition called invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. The spores (conidia) from A. fumigatus are common in the air but normally our lung structure and immune system are protective. But events and illnesses that interrupt our immune system or damage our lungs can increase the risk of infection. Radiotherapy is one such event and its widespread application has increased the incidence of A. fumigatus infections. but the exact mechanism is poorly understood. A recent study in mice found that radiation destroyed the pulmonary epithelial barrier and increased the burden of A. fumigatus in the lungs. Further experiments determined that NLRP3 inflammasome signaling was triggering pyroptosis of the lung epithelial cells. Pyroptosis is a highly inflammatory type of programmed cell death where the cell bursts. Knocking out the gene for NLRP3 blocked pyroptosis, reduced the damage to the epithelial barrier, and reduced the A. fumigatus burden. While more studies are needed to fully understand NLRP3 signaling and pyroptosis, these results suggest that targeting the inflammatory response caused by pyroptosis may reduce A. fumigatus infections and lung damage after radiation.