IL1B and acute respiratory distress syndrome: For example, mRNA levels for IL8, a key player in ALI/ARDS and a potent chemotactic factor essential in acute inflammation that is induced by a wide range of stimuli among which IL1β, viral products, and oxidative stress, were strongly upregulated in SARS-CoV-infected aged macaques as compared to young adult animals (Figure 5B, 7B, 8A).