The expression levels of interleukins (IL-6 and IL-8), chemokines (MCP-1, MIF and GROα) and growth factors (G-CSF and GM-CSF) increased steadily from 8 h until 24 h post infection whereas the parasite burden decreased erratically until 24 h post infection (Figure 2A, 2C, 2E). Here, MIF is linked to infection.