In cultures without stimulus, the median TNF-α level among the group with HTLV-1 infection and tuberculosis (368 pg/mL) ranging from 128 to 5527 pg/mL was higher (p = 0.004) than that observed in patients with only tuberculosis (73 pg/mL), which ranged from 0 to 738 pg/mL (Figure 2A). Here, TNF is linked to tuberculosis.