IL6 and infection: Interestingly, the cytokines whose levels were increased in HMA+ strains during mBMDM infection in vitro and in PECS ex vivo, including IL6, CCL5, and IL10, are not those that would be expected to change based on interference with known mitochondrial signaling pathways (i.e., MAVS, NF-kB, IRF3/7 [22],[23]).